the eyes have it

Yes, this is pretty much almost a second pair of huge eyes on the top of this mayfly's head, called "turbinate eyes." Given they live for only 24 hours, can you think of why natural selection may have favored the evolution of this trait?

taken by Laurie Knight, Tonbridge, Kent, UK, Turbinate eyes of male mayfly (10x)

Check out another nice photo of this other-worldly morphology here.

AY

a small small world (with many insects)

Well This year's Nikon's Small World Photomicrography Competition had many stunning images submitted this year with a whole host of fantastical winners, including quite a few from - you guessed it - the insect world. Check out some of them below:

The Grand prize Winner! Seems like Nikon judges favor a certain aesthetic formalism?

Jonas King

Vanderbilt University, Department of Biological Sciences
Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Anopheles gambiae (mosquito) heart (100x)

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Charles Krebs

Charles Krebs Photography
Issaquah, Washington, USA

Ichneumon wasp compound eye and antenna base (40x)

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Riccardo Taiariol

La Spezia, SP, Italy

Wasp nest (10x)

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Dr. Tomas Cabello

Universidad of Almería
Roquetas de Mar, Spain

Apterous Aphis fabae (black bean aphid) female with offspring inside the body (40x)

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To see many of the other stunning winners, browse the gallery!

AY