P. wahlbergii nymph, L1

papilio_ · Apr 10, 2015

I received 10 P. wahlbergii nymphs from Davedood a couple of days ago, here's one which is still L1.

I'm between cameras right now, so I just put the Canon MP-E on my old Nikon D40. Photos taken at 3:1.

LAME · Apr 10, 2015

Oh man! ...in between cameras he says.. Pfft.. Lol

Sweet photos buddy, incredible as usual!

papilio_ · Apr 10, 2015

LAME said:
Oh man! ...in between cameras he says.. Pfft.. Lol

Sweet photos buddy, incredible as usual!

hehe

Thanks!

The one I'm waiting for in the mail is a FF Sony mirrorless, the a7 markII. I love that the EVF lets me see in the dark, really helps these old eyes focus highX macros. B)

PrayingMantisPets · Apr 10, 2015

You sir know how to take to great photos!

papilio_ · Apr 10, 2015

PrayingMantisPets said:
You sir know how to take to great photos!

Thanks very much, most kind of you! :bow:

Bloodtkr · Apr 10, 2015

great picture..glad you posted this i got 10 from dave also and i can barely see them ; )

Jay · Apr 10, 2015

Wow! Great pictures Papilio!

With pictures that sharp you can probably determine gender by L3!

There is no way I could see that much detail with my own eyes.

dmina · Apr 10, 2015

Beautiful pics as usual Michael... Oh my look at those antennae! I can't stand how cute they are! I can't wait for the updates... these guys go through a couple changes.. I can't wait to see what they look like up close... That one is a chubby little fella!

Thank you for sharing!

papilio_ · Apr 10, 2015

Thank you dmina!

I'm really glad there were some L1 wahlis in the cup!

Davedood · Apr 10, 2015

Amazing photos man!!

papilio_ · Apr 10, 2015

Davedood said:
Amazing photos man!!

A double thank you to you Dave!

CosbyArt · Apr 10, 2015

Awesome details, interesting to see the mantis exoskeleton is so reflective. Strange antenna base with the fat bulb

Looks like there is a lot of life left in that old 6.1mp camera - really goes to show megapixel count has nothing over sensor quality when it comes to noise/quality. You got me missing my old Nikon D3100, I've been looking to see about some dealing to get a older one preferably with a internal focus motor so I can use all lenses too. Hopefully I'll have better photos myself in a few weeks.

papilio_ · Apr 11, 2015

Thank you CosbyArt! Yeah, I think those clubbed antennae are just about the coolest thing about wahli nymphs.

I'd agree, the D40 does a remarkably good job ... I usually suggest to people wanting to try a DSLR for the first time without a lot of investment that they look for these on eBay, with a kit lens they're super cheap! IMO it may be pushing them a bit if one expects the images to look their best at larger than web sizes, but usually that's all that's desired.

Best luck with your camera hunting! IIRC the D90 may be the least expensive Nikon with an internal AF motor.

CosbyArt · Apr 11, 2015

papilio_ said:
Thank you CosbyArt! Yeah, I think those clubbed antennae are just about the coolest thing about wahli nymphs.

I'd agree, the D40 does a remarkably good job ... I usually suggest to people wanting to try a DSLR for the first time without a lot of investment that they look for these on eBay, with a kit lens they're super cheap! IMO it may be pushing them a bit if one expects the images to look their best at larger than web sizes, but usually that's all that's desired.

Best luck with your camera hunting! IIRC the D90 may be the least expensive Nikon with an internal AF motor.

Indeed the D90 looks like a great model, and is the first to offer video too in the series.

One model I have found widely available is the Canon 300D, also called the EOS Kiss, is a 6.3 MP and comes with a kit lens/charger/battery ready to use just about everywhere for around $150. So for beginners not wanting to spend time looking up models, comparing, and shopping - can get up and running cheaply.

I'm keeping my options open and looking at some Canons and other brands too (even though I have to look each up as I am lost on those). My current setup is on ebay for sale so with that and a few bucks from a paycheck I hope to pick up a older DSLR soon and get rid of the noise from my mantid shots.

papilio_ · Apr 12, 2015

I caught one of the wahlbergiis slipping out of its skin to L2, here are some photos of it before it turned black again.

The first is a scale shot, the second is the exuvia.

dmina · Apr 13, 2015

AMAZING!... Really cool... In the right place, at the right time!

I can't remember.. Have you had the wahli's before?

papilio_ · Apr 13, 2015

dmina said:
AMAZING!... Really cool... In the right place, at the right time!

I can't remember.. Have you had the wahli's before?

Thanks!

Yep, brought two to adulthood, but once the female began calling and I started fattening her up to pair them, the male died the day before their planned date.

CosbyArt · Apr 13, 2015

papilio_ said:
Thanks!

Yep, brought two to adulthood, but once the female began calling and I started fattening her up to pair them, the male died the day before their planned date.

Great capture

Wow, what rotten timing, one day before the mating.

papilio_ · Apr 13, 2015

CosbyArt said:
Great capture Wow, what rotten timing, one day before the mating.

Not just that ... I was about to order an adult male from here on the forum last week, and just then the female died!

P. wahlbergii nymph, L1

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