by Wayne Jones
Last week I posted a shot of an ebony jewelwing damselfly, noting that "In the right light, the males are more brilliant than almost any other creature in my area." The six-spotted tiger beetle -- Cicindela sexguttata -- is the reason I said "almost." If you have ever seen these close-up, you will know that the colors in this photo are not exaggerated at all. Most predacious insects are easier to approach when they are eating, so I got pretty close to this one, but I was disappointed to see it was chomping on a gravel-covered sticky larva rather than something more photogenic. Fortunately for the beetle, its food-handling palpi (the left ones are visible behind its large, black and white mandibles) are up to the task of picking rocks out of the juicy parts.
Canon 7D2; Sigma 150mm. Macro + 1.4X TC
1/640 sec. @ f/11; ISO 640
Comments
5 commentsHi Wayne,
We have these insects around here too (southern Ohio), but they have always been next to impossible for me to photograph. They always seems to move faster than I can focus. It would certainly have been more dramatic with prey that looked more like prey than a mouthful of rocks, but it is still pretty striking. Great job of getting the eye, antennae and legs sharp.
Pete D.
What a great look at those mandibles in action, and thanx for the explanation on that 'gooey' mess
Nice & sharp, love the brilliant colors of this male Wayne!
Was this the inspiration for "Tiger, Tiger, burning bright..."?
A fine close look at a very colorful character, Wayne. The details in the larger view are awesome, especially the hair and antennae.
Hi Wayne,
Awesome big game shot of a small beetle
. Color, and details are excellent. These are challenging due to their excellent sense of vision............................................Jim
Ok, the meal isn't that photogenic but the image is really striking, Wayne. My, how you feel the presence of this insect with all the fragments of wood and gravel around it - superb detail and colour and the perfect dof.