Microsculpture

"You will never look at a beetle or a moth the same way again." --WIRED "Art meets science to dazzling effect." --The Guardian Microsculptureis a unique photographic study of insects in mind-blowing magnification that celebrates the wonders of nature and science. Levon Biss’s photographs capture in breathtaking detail the beauty of the insect world and are printed in large-scale format to provide an unforgettable viewing experience. Each picture in Microsculpture is created from approximately 8,000 individual photographs. Segments of the specimen are lit and photographed separately using microscope lenses, then “stacked” to maintain sharp focus throughout. These images are then combined to create a single high-resolution file. From start to finish, each portrait takes approximately 4 weeks to create. The project has captured the attention of the world with features in WIRED and New Scientist. Microsculpture has been exhibited at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Xposure 2016 International Photography Festival in Sharjah, U.A.E. It has been viewed by over half a mil­lion people so far and will be touring museums around the world from 2017 onward. The entomology collection has significant cultural and historical value, containing the world’s oldest pinned insect specimen and many thousands of insects collected by pioneering Victorian explorers and biologists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.

Bees are a fascinating and indispensable group of insects, but many species are in decline, and efforts to help determine distributions and changes in abundance have to date been compromised by a serious lack of identification resources. This eagerly anticipated new addition to the highly acclaimed British Wildlife Field Guides series will unravel the complexities of identification, and is designed to cater for people new to the bee world as well as to more experienced recorders who wish to identify every species accurately. It provides the latest information on the identification, ecology, status and distribution of all 275 species of bee in Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands. - Written by Steven Falk, professional naturalist and conservationist with over forty years' experience of working with bees - Illustrated with over 1,000 colour and black & white artworks by Richard Lewington, one of Europe's leading insect artists - Stunning photographs of living insects as seen in the wild - 234 up-to-date distribution maps - Comprehensive introduction to bee classification, ecology, field techniques and recording, a full glossary, and information on how to separate the sexes and distinguish bees from other insects - Introductions to families and genera, describing key characters and life histories - Detailed species descriptions covering field and microscopic characters, similar species, variants, flight season, habitat, flowers visited, nesting habits, status & distribution, and parasites & associates - A series of innovative illustrated keys to genera and species, designed to guide the user step by step through the identification process

A highly original collection of high magnification photographs that unlock the hidden beauty of seeds and fruit, from the author of Microsculpture The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits is a photographic study that celebrates the wonders of nature and science in mind-blowing magnification. Levon Biss’ striking photography captures the breathtaking and beautiful details of the world of carpology, the study of seeds and fruits. Each picture reveals minute features and textures that are normally invisible to the naked eye, providing the audience with an insight into strange and often bizarre adaptations that have evolved over thousands of years. After spending months searching through the carpological collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Biss selected over a hundred striking samples to be featured in this book. Captioned with scientific text that provides the backstory for each specimen, The Hidden Beauty of Seeds & Fruits is guaranteed to amaze, entertain, and educate.

This issue contains the second of a planned set of three publications greatly expanding knowledge of the platygastroid genus Oxyscelio Kieffer. We recognize 80 species in Australia and the southwest Pacific, 67 of which are described here as new species. We divided these species into 9 species groups in order to highlight shared morphological features. A total of 412 specimen photographs are provided to aid in specimen identification. Newly discovered species are described from mainland Australia, Fiji, Lord Howe Island, New Britain, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Tasmania, and Vanuatu.

This work establishes the means to identify the nearly 130 species of Hawaiian carabid beetles of the tribe Platynini, which constitutes a monophyletic radiation. The native Hawaiian platynines represent almost half of the carabid fauna, and this volume is the first of three intended books that will taxonomically treat all of the native and introduced carabid species found in the Hawaiian Islands. In addition to presenting identification keys, diagnostic characters, habitus photos, and distribution maps for Hawaiian Platynini, an introductory section details the history of carabid beetle study in Hawaii and provides a key to the tribes of native and introduced Hawaiian Carabidae.

The 101 Mecyclothorax carabid beetle species of Tahiti, French Polynesia comprise a very diverse adaptive radiation. Given Tahiti?s surface area of only 1,045 km2, the island?s Mecyclothorax fauna represents the densest, most diverse radiation of species on Earth. Speciation of Tahitian Mecyclothorax has also occurred very rapidly, with closely-related species allopatrically distributed across geographic ranges defined by Tahiti?s incredibly complex geological topography. Such high levels of endemism are useful for conservation management, as continuing presence of these beetles in small areas of Tahitian forest can signify good health of the native biota in those areas. This taxonomic revision includes dichotomous keys and diagnostic photographs supporting identification of all 101 species, over one-quarter newly described in this publication. Each species treatment includes ecological and geographical information. This monograph illuminates an important component of Tahitian biodiversity in support of ongoing efforts to conserve Tahiti?s biological resources.