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Amethyst Fruit Chafer


Amethyst Fruit Chafer
Photo Information
Copyright: Anna Eksteen (Miss_Piggy) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2285 W: 5 N: 5300] (18714)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-12-25
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC H9, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 15x Optical zoom, Digital ISO 100
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/800 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Metallic wonders of nature 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2012-02-14 17:40
Viewed: 4820
Points: 70
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Amethyst Fruit Chafer / Leucocelis amethystina

An image from my archives which I wanted to share for a long time is the one of the Amethyst Fruit Chafer plus another little visitor. I took this image during a family get together over the Christmas season in 2009. I was one of my most enjoyable photographic outings I had as I spend hours in the field that surrounded the campsite where we where staying. Although it was a family get together, they did not see me for hours on end as I enjoyed the field filled with insects and flowers.

I could not get a lot of information about the species itself as the information on the internet is rather limited. I share the general information of the family Scarabaeidae to which this beetle belongs.

The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite often.

Scarabs are stout-bodied beetles, many with bright metallic colours, measuring between 1.5 and 160 mm. They have distinctive, clubbed antennae composed of plates called lamellae that can be compressed into a ball or fanned out like leaves to sense odours. The front legs of many species are broad and adapted for digging.

The C-shaped larvae, called grubs, are pale yellow or white. Most adult beetles are nocturnal, although the flower chafers (Cetoniinae) and many leaf chafers (Rutelinae) are active during the day. The grubs mostly live underground or under debris, so are not exposed to sunlight. Many scarabs are scavengers that recycle dung, carrion, or decaying plant material. Others, such as the Japanese beetle are devastating agricultural pests.

Some of the well-known beetles from the Scarabaeidae are Japanese beetles, Dung beetles, June beetles, Rose chafers (Australian, European and North American), Rhinoceros beetles, Hercules beetles and Goliath beetles.

Several members of this family have shells which act as left-handed circular polarisers; this was the first-discovered example of circular polarization in nature.

Phylum: Arthropoda (Invertebrates)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family: Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)
Genus: Leucocelis

Identification
Small (body length 12mm). Pronotum shiny, reddish brown, sometimes with broad black line down middle. Elytra light metallic blue or green with broad shiny grooves, sometimes merging to form lines.

Biology
Adults feed on flowers of various trees and shrubs, and are attracted to fruit baits and cattle dung.

Habitat
Range of vegetation types.

Related species
About 4 similarly coloured species, usually with white markings. Source and taken from the book: Field Guide to Insects of South Africa - Picker, Griffiths, & Weaving. Published by Struik Publishers.

I hope you enjoy looking at this photo as much as I took pleasure in taking it.
CeltickRanger, aljy, ramthakur, joska, KOMSIS, cobra112, PaulLees, maaciejka, ana974, maurydv, ellis49, Argus, uleko, jcoowanitwong, Jakkals, jlinaresp, Mamagolo2, Alex99 has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Anna

Excellent macro of this insect with over his
flower and with its metallic green color tones,
it gives a great contrast with the other colors
of the image, fine POV, excellent light,
great focus sharpness details, great details
of the white petals, i think i can also see
a very little insect over a petal, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • aljy Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 47 W: 4 N: 42] (593)
  • [2012-02-14 17:51]

hello anna

first time seen in my life.
focus sharphness composition
done well.tfs

have a nice day.

julkarany.

Green metallic shine on the abdomen and red thorax make this Chafer look so attractive, Anna.
The image is well composed from top perspective. The white balance is at its best here.
Thanks and regards.
Ram

A beautiful rather complex wild flower and a gorgeous shiny gemstone illuminating the frame with its powerful colors. Good day Anna Eksteen! Hope you are fine and Loot too! It is so nice to see you sharing your experience with your camera at the fields around the chosen campsite ...brings lovely memories in you..I guess! I would like to share with you my opinion in regards to the technical aspect of that image .... I do not know is that important, since you have block the access to your Workshop ( a popular trend in TN those days seems that many fellows believe strongly in the correctness of their work ),, but let me try, Anna....so, as you know your camera has a small sensor which means that at f/5.6 will create depth of field proximately equal to f/20 for most DSLR's ...is that really necessary? Just have a look the background ...!!!! In my opinion an aperture around f/3.5 can do a wonderful job in order to separate the subject from the background further! I also feel that the image has been over sharpened a bit, the contrast settings a bit too high and the the colors not 100% right ...well the last part can be a subject of debate indeed ...endless! Well no matter, Anna I really have tried to present my view here honestly and sincerely! Have a great week Anna!
Regards,
George Veltchev

  • Great 
  • joska Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 806 W: 0 N: 4092] (22535)
  • [2012-02-14 21:56]

Hello Anna,
Very nice photo composition with this Amethyst Fruit Chafer and Flower, splendid lights and colrs, TFS!
Regards, Joska

wonderful performance subject and photo!
regards Anna
Nasos

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2012-02-15 1:57]

Hello Anna,
Very beautiful sharp detailed beetle you show us here. Great saturated colours in a fine contrast against the whites of the flower. Excellent POV and composition.
Regards,
Peter

hello Anna
you have here a super sharpness and beautiful composition -flower and beetle-
the colours are so beautiful and very good light to
i like this picture Anna
thanks greeting lou

Hello Anna
Impressive sharpness on this beautiful macro.Wonderful colors,lighting and details.
Thank You
Best regards
J.Diogo

A beautiful setting for this brilliant chafer.
Excellent composition and detail, good exposure.
A lovely photo.
regards yiannis

  • Great 
  • KOMSIS Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 820 W: 0 N: 2419] (10674)
  • [2012-02-15 3:54]

Hallo Anna,
A lovely capture of this beetle ..
Focus and selection of depth of field is professional. Sharp details and superb pose, natural colors too.
Best wihes,
Seyfi

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6595 W: 89 N: 15659] (65489)
  • [2012-02-15 4:06]

Hi Anna,you pump up the saturation and the brightness and i like that,the result is a very brilliant pic,the metallic green of the scarabeus is really magic! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

Ciao Anna. Impressive sharp and details with fantatic metallic colors!

Roberto

great contrasty picture, greetings Ori

Hi Anna, Fabulous capture of this amazing Beetle, superb lighting with splendid natural colours, excellent sharpness with fine details, great effort here Anna and very well done,
Best Regards,

Pauly.

Hi Anna,
really beautiful. Perfect composition. Amazing vivid colours. Great sharpness and details.
Thanks for sharing,
Maciek

  • Great 
  • ana974 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 477 W: 48 N: 968] (4857)
  • [2012-02-15 10:45]

Hello Anna!
I can imagine your excitement in taking a picture of a small animal like this beetle.Wow! this one here is very beautiful with these metalic colors.I love the lighting and the composition.Yes!I definitely enjoyed your photo.Thanks for sharing and also thanks for your kind comment in my last pic ( despite the unfavorable criticism of our mutual friend, Goerge Veltchv ;)
Best regards from,
aNa

Ciao Anna, fantastic bug on a lovely flower, wonderful metallic colors, excellent sharpness and splendid light, very well done my friend, ciao Silvio

Hallo Anna,
a very beautiful macro, impressive details, brilliant colours, the metallic colours of the Amethyst Fruit Chafer are amazing, excellent top point of view showing perfetly the splendid flower too
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2791 W: 0 N: 6696] (25839)
  • [2012-02-16 4:02]

Hello Anna,
a marvellous capture of this shiny bug. I never seen this before and you present it so special.
Nice sharpness and well lighted.

Regards,
Foozi

  • Great 
  • iti Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 577 W: 0 N: 650] (7939)
  • [2012-02-16 20:10]

Hi Anna,
A very nice close-up of this insect and flower. Nice colours with excellent detail.
Regards Jiri.

Hallo Anne,
this is a great shot from you archive.
Its crisp and clear with beautiful colours.
Also sharp with good DOF the main subject is in good focus and still stand out nicely from the BG.
Well done, old friend.

Best Regards
Gert
Have a nice Weekend.

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5038 W: 260 N: 15594] (50626)
  • [2012-02-18 6:52]

Hello Anna,
A nice one from your archives showing us this splendid species of Chafer. The dorsal POV is great to display the iridescent green of the elytra as well as the other features shown here with fine sharpness and natural colours in a pleasing composition on the flower, which is also well shown.
Thanks and enjoy your weekend,
Ivan

Amazing beetle and impressive photo Anna! Very good composition, fantastic colours and good sharpness.
Regards,
Christodoulos

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1053 W: 5 N: 3475] (15161)
  • [2012-02-18 10:07]

Merhaba Anna,
Harika netlik ve aydınlatma..çok güzel kompozisyon..
tebrik ederim.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2012-02-18 12:34]

Hello Anna,
What a jewel you've managed to capture here!! It looks fabulous on the white flower. Great sharpness and fantastic light too.
Many thanks and best wishes, Ulla

Hi Anna

Beautiful shot of this Chafer on very pretty flower. Great sharpness and composition.

Chris

Hello Anna,
This is a wonderful picture of Amethyst Fruit Chafer. You handle the sunlight well. I like the way you present this picture. TFS,
JC

Hello Anna,
What a lovely picture.
Amazing coloors and nice detalis. Well done dear friend.
Have a good week.

Hallo Anna,
Certainly a unique macro!! The explicit sharpness and detail is stunning my friend. A great composition of the flower, beetle and the wary visitor almost peeking at the Beetle. Fantastic focus, DOF and POV. Well done.
Best regards,
Carl

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2754 W: 282 N: 4931] (19883)
  • [2012-02-19 11:12]

Hello Anna,
What a gorgeous lime green color on it's body, with a head that resembles a big red eye, complete with it's black pupil. Interesting that this insect is in the same family as the Japanese Beetle and the June Bug, which we have here in Ohio.
Love the wonderful DOF and fine detail you managed to capture, as it allows us to get a great close-up look at this beautiful insect. Well done!!
Ron

Hi Anna,
Nice way to show us this interesting species. All here is color and light!
Well done!... As usual, great note!
Regards
TFS
Jesús

Hello Anna,
As usual I like what I see when it comes to your photos. You've managed to make the flower stand out against the fading background and the beetle stand out against the white flower. Excellent my friend!
Lovies
Natley

Hi Anna
Great neture photo. What impresses me even more than the bug is the fact that you got such nice detail from the white flowers! Very difficult to get right!
Well done
Peter

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4072 W: 133 N: 7096] (23735)
  • [2012-05-27 21:49]

Hi Anna.
Marvelous picture. Clarity, exposure, details and colours are simply fantastic. Even simple nicely blurred BG is great for the main subject. Bravo. Superb job.
Alexei.

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