Myathropa florea - Copula

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comments (5)

Christine Young

Lion

Really nice shot - the colors really pop! How interesting that their color changes after death. Posted 3 years ago
1. Pudding4brains
  
  Lion
  
  It's the case with many species, or maybe I should say types of pigment. It's one of the reasons that "professional" articles often fail to describe the colours or general appearance of newly described species and just add some drawings of genitalia or some such, thus "defining" the species. It often happens that the author has never seen a life specimen and just has no idea what the animal really looks like alive. Apart from pigments fading, also scales and hairs get rubbed off quite easily. I have fought hard fights with descriptions of jumping bristletails that were described based on specimen kept in alcohol for quite some while before noticing it was something new/unknown so the type specimen have no colour on the cuticle left and all scales are lost, whereas the same species alive is quite recognizable due to distinct pattern in the scales, eyes or even cuticle, but the species description doesn't mention that because the author had no way of knowing :-/ Posted 3 years ago, modified 3 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    Interesting. I have noticed that caterpillars and spiders that I have in alcohol fade and change color over time. I'll have to check my pinned collection for signs of fading. I open the boxes very seldom - just to check for the inevitable dermestid damage.
    
    It's sad that entomologists often don't get enough field work or experience with live specimens. Posted 3 years ago
  2. 1. Pudding4brains
      
      Lion
      
      The thing is, I suppose, that the "difficult cases" - sometimes resulting in new species - get forwarded to specialist long after they have been collected during a collecting expedition or when a group of species gets "re-organized" in a collection or some occasion like that. The specialists probably has ample time in the field, but just didn't get to collect the specimen sent to him for ID or confirmation and hence has never seen these alive if it proves to be a new species.
      Yes, alcohol will make most colours fade over time, but dried specimen also fade - the likes of the Cassidinae for example will often be various hues of green in life, but quickly fade to an indiscript pale yellowish brown when pinned. Posted 3 years ago
    2. 1. Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Good points :)
        Posted 3 years ago