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A strange phenomenon

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted May 16, 20042,741 views14 comments

I have taken hundreds of shots of Jumping spiders but saw something I've never noticed before.This particular spider was unusually cooperative and moved around in the same limited area.This allowed me longer than usual time to study it through my viewfinder with macro lens and extender.I noticed dark spots appearing and then vanishuing on its face..at first I thought it was the palps waving(the club like appendages near the face)I finally realized it was its eyes rapidly changing colors and patterns in an almost kaleidoscopic fashion.The in between stages are shown in the eyes here..this was not a result of the flash..I was watching this for minutes before I fired away.Anybody familiar with this?

Canon 10D/105 macro/36mm ext. tube/OC flash

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Maureen McKovich on May 17, 2004 at 12:47 AM

Hi David - I don't know about the phenomenon, but I do love this photo!

Registered on November 9, 2003, 221 Posts, 1628 Comments

Comment posted by Steven Francis on May 17, 2004 at 4:13 AM

Amazing - I just have to get me an extension tube! Ditto Maureen's comment. Well done!

Registered on May 11, 2004, 9 Posts, 51 Comments

Comment posted by Randy Harrison on May 17, 2004 at 5:45 AM

Nice shot David. You sure must have a lot of spiders around. Was it just the one eye? Anyway very nice shot. Love all the greens.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 468 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by David Gottlieb on May 17, 2004 at 7:00 AM

Thanks for the comments.Everyone has lots of spiders you have only to look.This one is smaller than a house fly.
Randy:
The eye thing happened in both eyes .It would go from black to green to patterns in between in an instant

Registered on November 1, 2003, 436 Posts, 1790 Comments

Comment posted by Terri Norris on May 17, 2004 at 7:11 AM

Never saw anything like it, David. This spider has a translucent look that I really like. Super sharp, too. Nice capture!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 395 Posts, 2402 Comments

Comment posted by Troy Bartlett on May 17, 2004 at 8:26 AM

Hi David,

Great image.

I've noticed and <a href=http://www.bugguide.net/node/view/3156/bgimage>photographed</a> the behavior you mentioned. The color changes because the retina moves around inside the eye. Here's an <a href="http://tolweb.org/accessory/Jumping_Spider_Vision?acc_id=1946">article</a> from the Tree of Life that describes it in more detail.

I've been surprised at how easily I can find this particular species. Pick any magnolia around here and you can usually find them after turning over a few leaves and looking carefully.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1 Posts, 9 Comments

Comment posted by David Gottlieb on May 17, 2004 at 10:36 AM

Thanks Troy..thats a fascinating explanation..I've seen this to a degree before but always thought it was something caused by the optics of the lens and MY movement..

Registered on November 1, 2003, 436 Posts, 1790 Comments

Comment posted by Pete D on May 17, 2004 at 12:32 PM

Super nature photograph. Learning about their very special eyes makes it even better. It is straight flash? I can't quite tell from the reflection if there's a little soft box or something over it.

Pete D.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 590 Posts, 1794 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Khoo on May 17, 2004 at 1:39 PM

Super sweet shot, David. I really love seeing the subject in its environment.

Registered on March 7, 2004, 97 Posts, 133 Comments

Comment posted by David Gottlieb on May 17, 2004 at 4:12 PM

Pete,
I almost always put a velcroed- on softbox over the flash head which I did here

Registered on November 1, 2003, 436 Posts, 1790 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on May 17, 2004 at 5:30 PM

David, Great shot. Is this a jumper or one of the Green Lynx?

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Borzynski on May 17, 2004 at 8:01 PM

Am I the only one here whose immediate thought was "Egads! Elton John has become a Spider!"

Now back to your regularly scheduled program of bugs, beetles and butterflies...

Registered on November 1, 2003, 109 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Juza on May 18, 2004 at 3:20 PM

Hi David,
I have no idea about the phenomenon, but the photo is outstanding!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments

Comment posted by Tam Stuart on May 19, 2004 at 11:30 PM

Fascinating image and discussion. Great job. I like the near head-on angle and the sharp detail in the plane of the face.

Registered on November 17, 2003, 113 Posts, 1600 Comments