New equipment for macrophotography in the Entomology Department

A specimen of the Apple Maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) of the family of Fruit Flies (Tephritidae, or here) from the collection of the Manchester Museum photographed by means of our new Olympus stereo microscope and digital camera. © The Manchester Museum.

A month ago, thanks to the CapCo grant, the Manchester Museum purchased a new stereo microscope (Olympus, SZX 16) with a digital colour camera (DP27-CU-1-2), which is designed for photographing small and diminutive objects. Two weeks ago, we had a training session and here is the first image taken by means of this microscope and camera (see above). We are about ready to start a large project aimed at the digitisation of tens of thousands of diminutive insects, including type specimens of the Feather-winged Beetles (Cryptophagidae), Fungus Beetles (Latridiidae) and many other small-sized groups, deposited in the Manchester Museum.

A training session on how to capture images; a diminutive shell is on the screen. © Diana Arzuza Buelvas.

Taking photo of the jumping spider Colopsus longipalpis from Vietnam. © Diana Arzuza Buelvas.