Drawing from the microscope: Illustrating mites
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I have illustrated many mites (Acari) at the Queensland Museum. Working closely with the taxonomist, my job is to draw the features of the mite. These drawings became part of the taxonomic description for new species, and are published in journal papers.
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What mites look like under the microscope
This is the left 'shoulder' and three hairy legs of a mite, as seen at a high magnification. I love the rainbow effect of the special light filter! The mite has been chemically 'cleared', mounted onto a slide and pressed flat under a cover slip.
Drawing with the microscope
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I trace the features of the mite onto paper using the camera lucida attachment on the microscope. Each time I move the microscope slide, I move the drawing as well. Sometimes we show both interior and exterior features, incorporating as much information as possible into a single picture.
This photo shows me drawing the venter (underside) of Berzercon ferdinandi. |
Drawing the venter of Bezercon ferdinandi, using the microscope with camera lucida attachment.
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Drawing mites is like drawing a map. The mite is pressed flat onto a slide, and every hair, pore and wrinkle is mapped out in the illustration.
Consulting with the taxonomist
The taxonomist reviews my drawing, checking for mistakes like a missing hair or pore. The final drawing is officially filed as the exact description of the species, so it's got to be perfect!
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Every. Single. Hair.Every single hair (seta) on the mite has a name and its presence/position are significant in identification.
These are the 4 scaly legs from one side of Berzercon ferdinandi, with each seta labelled. The scale is 100 microns. |
Final illustration in ink
This is the final illustration of the venter of Berzercon ferdinandi. It's been traced over again in ink, and then digitally labelled for publication.
In the case of mites, drawings are produced of the venter (tummy), dorsum (back), gnathosoma (head), chelicerae (mouthparts) and four legs. This process may be repeated for male, female and juvenile mites of the new species.
In the case of mites, drawings are produced of the venter (tummy), dorsum (back), gnathosoma (head), chelicerae (mouthparts) and four legs. This process may be repeated for male, female and juvenile mites of the new species.
Berzercon ferdinandi is found on carabid beetles in New Zealand.
Read more about this species on Wikipedia or access the full paper :
Seeman, O.D.; Baker, M.R. 2013: A new genus and species of Discozerconidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) from carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in New Zealand. Zootaxa, 3750(2): 130-142. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3750.2.2
Read more about this species on Wikipedia or access the full paper :
Seeman, O.D.; Baker, M.R. 2013: A new genus and species of Discozerconidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) from carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in New Zealand. Zootaxa, 3750(2): 130-142. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3750.2.2
Images: All images are illustrated by Michelle Baker, credited to the Queensland Museum.