Andy Murray
@mesofauna.bsky.social
Macro photographer, writer and copy editor for FAO/Global Soil Partnership and runs chaosofdelight.org, a soil biodiversity website. I'm also on Instagram @soilanimals
A lovely Dicyrtoma fusca var. 1 sitting on a mushroom with a whole load of guttation.
November 11, 2025 at 4:27 PM
A lovely Dicyrtoma fusca var. 1 sitting on a mushroom with a whole load of guttation.
I haven’t been posting on here very much recently, but thought I’d post this photo of a Dicyrtoma fusca springtail. What a beauty…
November 9, 2025 at 7:22 PM
I haven’t been posting on here very much recently, but thought I’d post this photo of a Dicyrtoma fusca springtail. What a beauty…
As of last week it started to rain, finally, so I’m back!
I went out today and found this Tetranychus species of spider mite, complete with webbing, which you can just make out in the background. A stunningly beautiful colour. I can still take photos, which is a relief.
#mite #spidermite
I went out today and found this Tetranychus species of spider mite, complete with webbing, which you can just make out in the background. A stunningly beautiful colour. I can still take photos, which is a relief.
#mite #spidermite
September 8, 2025 at 8:05 PM
As of last week it started to rain, finally, so I’m back!
I went out today and found this Tetranychus species of spider mite, complete with webbing, which you can just make out in the background. A stunningly beautiful colour. I can still take photos, which is a relief.
#mite #spidermite
I went out today and found this Tetranychus species of spider mite, complete with webbing, which you can just make out in the background. A stunningly beautiful colour. I can still take photos, which is a relief.
#mite #spidermite
Vote Giant Springtail!
There are only a few days left to vote giant springtail in the New Zealand Bug of the Year competition- the only soil animal in the competition. Look at his little face! #bugoftheyear #springtail
bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
There are only a few days left to vote giant springtail in the New Zealand Bug of the Year competition- the only soil animal in the competition. Look at his little face! #bugoftheyear #springtail
bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
February 13, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Vote Giant Springtail!
There are only a few days left to vote giant springtail in the New Zealand Bug of the Year competition- the only soil animal in the competition. Look at his little face! #bugoftheyear #springtail
bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
There are only a few days left to vote giant springtail in the New Zealand Bug of the Year competition- the only soil animal in the competition. Look at his little face! #bugoftheyear #springtail
bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
An old photo of a larval Phronia species of fungus gnat. I love it- it looks so like a koala, cute fly larvae are the way forwards… #cute #diptera #mycetophilidae
February 9, 2025 at 7:50 PM
An old photo of a larval Phronia species of fungus gnat. I love it- it looks so like a koala, cute fly larvae are the way forwards… #cute #diptera #mycetophilidae
Another day, another Dicyrtomina saundersi, and one of the easiest springtails to photograph. While they're not often as robustly coloured as D. ornata, they do look rather similar, apart from the barred pattern on their rumps, which D. ornata don't have. #springtail #macro #soil #soilanimal
February 1, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Another day, another Dicyrtomina saundersi, and one of the easiest springtails to photograph. While they're not often as robustly coloured as D. ornata, they do look rather similar, apart from the barred pattern on their rumps, which D. ornata don't have. #springtail #macro #soil #soilanimal
This is a lovely Mycetophilidae (fungus gnat) larva I photographed yesterday in a very wet woodland in South Somerset, UK. We have had severe flooding in the area again this winter. Endless, it seems and not great for macro photography. However, some larval genera of fungus gnat love it… #macro
February 1, 2025 at 12:43 PM
This is a lovely Mycetophilidae (fungus gnat) larva I photographed yesterday in a very wet woodland in South Somerset, UK. We have had severe flooding in the area again this winter. Endless, it seems and not great for macro photography. However, some larval genera of fungus gnat love it… #macro
Not long to go now. The New Zealand bug of the year voting has a few weeks left. So far, this amazing springtail, Holacanthella is doing really well. If you haven’t voted- if you could that would be great (just vote once, for Holacanthella!) bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
January 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Not long to go now. The New Zealand bug of the year voting has a few weeks left. So far, this amazing springtail, Holacanthella is doing really well. If you haven’t voted- if you could that would be great (just vote once, for Holacanthella!) bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
Ironic and sadly apposite that blue Monday falls today of all days. No words really, just thankful there’s a kinder place to be, away from the whirlwind, where good things can still grow. I’ve been following a lot of writers and poets today on here, and I can really recommend it.
January 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Ironic and sadly apposite that blue Monday falls today of all days. No words really, just thankful there’s a kinder place to be, away from the whirlwind, where good things can still grow. I’ve been following a lot of writers and poets today on here, and I can really recommend it.
pheraedia pumilis is a tiny, 0.5mm springtail, not often photographed. It has a really distinctive shape- hence its Latin name. They’re really common on lawns so can be a fun one to find in winter, under fallen leaves… #springtail #soil
January 17, 2025 at 4:14 PM
pheraedia pumilis is a tiny, 0.5mm springtail, not often photographed. It has a really distinctive shape- hence its Latin name. They’re really common on lawns so can be a fun one to find in winter, under fallen leaves… #springtail #soil
Another reminder to vote in NZ bug of the year. It just has to be the giant springtail, Holacanthella. No ifs, no buts. Raising awareness for these amazing animals is super important. Here is the link… bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
January 16, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Another reminder to vote in NZ bug of the year. It just has to be the giant springtail, Holacanthella. No ifs, no buts. Raising awareness for these amazing animals is super important. Here is the link… bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/vote-here-20...
I’ve decided for no reason, that Tuesday should be ‘make a mite your mate’ day. So here is a photo of Euzetes globulus, a very common oribatid mite. Can’t believe some people hate them. They’re amazing. #mite #soil #soilanimal #uk
January 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I’ve decided for no reason, that Tuesday should be ‘make a mite your mate’ day. So here is a photo of Euzetes globulus, a very common oribatid mite. Can’t believe some people hate them. They’re amazing. #mite #soil #soilanimal #uk
Happy Saturday to everyone. Here is a lovely and super-friendly Dicyrtoma fusca… #springtail #collembola #soil #soilanimal #macro #macrophotography
January 11, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Happy Saturday to everyone. Here is a lovely and super-friendly Dicyrtoma fusca… #springtail #collembola #soil #soilanimal #macro #macrophotography
Ah, nematodes. This is a free living nematode, which are a little larger than other nematodes, meaning that they are possible to photograph with my camera. #nematode #soil #macro #macrophotography
January 10, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Ah, nematodes. This is a free living nematode, which are a little larger than other nematodes, meaning that they are possible to photograph with my camera. #nematode #soil #macro #macrophotography
This is such a stunning animal- a very common Novakatianna species of springtail from New Zealand and a species that I always try to photograph when I see it.
#springtail #collembola #newzealand #cute #soil #soilanimal
#springtail #collembola #newzealand #cute #soil #soilanimal
January 6, 2025 at 7:23 PM
This is such a stunning animal- a very common Novakatianna species of springtail from New Zealand and a species that I always try to photograph when I see it.
#springtail #collembola #newzealand #cute #soil #soilanimal
#springtail #collembola #newzealand #cute #soil #soilanimal
So, it’s about time everyone got behind the bug of the year 2025 contest as Holacanthella is nominated as one of the ‘bugs’ and to see a springtail winning would be beyond awesome. So please please please follow this link for more info… www.frankashwood.com/boty2025
January 4, 2025 at 7:50 PM
So, it’s about time everyone got behind the bug of the year 2025 contest as Holacanthella is nominated as one of the ‘bugs’ and to see a springtail winning would be beyond awesome. So please please please follow this link for more info… www.frankashwood.com/boty2025
Happy New Years Eve, or New Years Day to all, depending where you are. Here’s to 2025 and soil animals and their allies everywhere. We all know it’s going to be hard, so us science nerds must at least stick together for sanity. I’m glad Bluesky happened. Let’s hope this kind space continues.
December 31, 2024 at 7:37 PM
Happy New Years Eve, or New Years Day to all, depending where you are. Here’s to 2025 and soil animals and their allies everywhere. We all know it’s going to be hard, so us science nerds must at least stick together for sanity. I’m glad Bluesky happened. Let’s hope this kind space continues.
In the UK, we have one eurypauropod, Trachypauropus britannicus, a sclerotised and flattened type of pauropod. Pauropods are a sister group of the millipedes and centipedes, and are cute, tiny and have bifurcated antennae, unique for any animal with antennae. #soil #cute #mesofauna #soilanimal
December 29, 2024 at 7:14 PM
In the UK, we have one eurypauropod, Trachypauropus britannicus, a sclerotised and flattened type of pauropod. Pauropods are a sister group of the millipedes and centipedes, and are cute, tiny and have bifurcated antennae, unique for any animal with antennae. #soil #cute #mesofauna #soilanimal
This beauty is Ptenothrix atra, a rare UK springtail that I luckily found in some woodland on the Cleveland way in North Yorkshire a couple of days ago. Very happy to have seen this species again… #springtail #collembola #macro #macrophotography #yorkshire #soil #soilanimal
December 28, 2024 at 9:03 AM
This beauty is Ptenothrix atra, a rare UK springtail that I luckily found in some woodland on the Cleveland way in North Yorkshire a couple of days ago. Very happy to have seen this species again… #springtail #collembola #macro #macrophotography #yorkshire #soil #soilanimal
This is a tiny, 0.2mm mite nymph, struggling to get through a world of fungal hyphae. Life’s like that sometimes. Mites at this stage of development only have six legs and will go though another stage where it gains an extra set of legs. Which is cool. #mite #soil #macro #mesofauna #fungi
December 25, 2024 at 7:30 PM
This is a tiny, 0.2mm mite nymph, struggling to get through a world of fungal hyphae. Life’s like that sometimes. Mites at this stage of development only have six legs and will go though another stage where it gains an extra set of legs. Which is cool. #mite #soil #macro #mesofauna #fungi
In the southern hemisphere, there is a subfamily of biting midges that have the most amazing waxy extrusions on their backs as larvae. This is Metaforcipomyia, and they are just incredible. #midge #newzealand #larvae #macro
December 23, 2024 at 7:12 PM
In the southern hemisphere, there is a subfamily of biting midges that have the most amazing waxy extrusions on their backs as larvae. This is Metaforcipomyia, and they are just incredible. #midge #newzealand #larvae #macro
I forgot to post the bloody photo! So have re-uploaded… once again, here is a beautiful Labidostommatidae mite from New Zealand for a Sunday evening. I loved photographing these- not the easiest of mites to photograph but always stunning. #mite #newzealand
December 22, 2024 at 8:16 PM
I forgot to post the bloody photo! So have re-uploaded… once again, here is a beautiful Labidostommatidae mite from New Zealand for a Sunday evening. I loved photographing these- not the easiest of mites to photograph but always stunning. #mite #newzealand
This is a Podura aquatica and a female Sminthurides aquaticus who are, not surprisingly, chilling out at the edge of my pond. Their body ratios are so different and show off how unusual P.aquatica is. Amazing. #springtail #chaosofdelight #collembola #macro #macrophotography #pondlife #cute
December 14, 2024 at 7:28 PM
This is a Podura aquatica and a female Sminthurides aquaticus who are, not surprisingly, chilling out at the edge of my pond. Their body ratios are so different and show off how unusual P.aquatica is. Amazing. #springtail #chaosofdelight #collembola #macro #macrophotography #pondlife #cute
