Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning

Joseph Koh suggested I look for fluorescence in Thomisids - building on known fluorescence in scorpions. So to night I went looking for crab spiders - and found a few. The first was not properly oriented so I kept looking and found this one.

In 365 nm UV light - the legs and cephalothorax fluoresce. Fuzzy images because the camera is hand held. ISO 2000, f2.8, 1/30 sec. Not bad for my first try.

She does not like the UV and walks away

Adjacent was Argiope aemula and surprise, her cephalothorax appears to fluoresce . She is vertically oriented and there is a male on the other side

Here is the male (top) and female (bottom)

The barbell structures, I believe are his sperm-filled palps

One last look. I'll return tonight and try for more stable images. Maybe purchase a small tripod.

C. Frank Starmer

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