Today Andy Murray (the macrophotographer) shared a magnificent photo on Instagram of the only species of 'mite' harvester (Cyphophthalmi) ever found in the UK. Here's one from New Zealand - can you spot the difference?

Cyphophthalmi are bizzare, and really interesting from a biogeography perspective: each of the six currently recognized families has a distinct distribution, which reflect plate tectonics and ancient landmasses.

The species here in Aotearoa (and Australia, South Africa and South America) are in the family Pettalidaea, a completely different family to those in Europe and North America (the Sironidae). These families can be traced back to the breakup of Pangea into the two ancient landmasses of Gondwana and Laurasia during the late Triassic period some 200ish million years ago! It's incredible that the history of the earth can be partly told through the distribution of these unassuming little weirdoes.

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Entomology #Acarology #Soil #Nature #MacroPhotography #TheWorldBeneatOurFeet

There are few soil animals as adorable as springtails!

This Platunurida sp. is a cousin of the famous 'giant' springtails in New Zealand. Instead of colourful spines, it has a flattened body, so it can squeeze into cracks in decaying logs, where it lives. They're surprisingly fast at escaping into the cracks, so it's difficult to get a good photo of them!

#Entomology #Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #Nature #SoilFauna #NaturePhotography #Soil #SoilEcology #TheWorldBeneathOurFeet

It's week 3 of fatherhood, and today I was granted special dispensation from shopping, housework, nappies and feeding, to do a brief spot of macrophotography in the sunshine, brilliant!

The highlight was this incredible Oribatid mite, sporting long defensive spines (Neotrichozetes spinulosa). I've nicknamed it the Hellraiser mite, which seems to be catching on - feel free to use it too!

#Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Acari #Entomology #Nature #NaturePhotography #Acarology #Mite

My slightly late offering for day ten of #invertober (common earthworm) 🪱

Did you know earthworms have a special lip-like first head segment called a prostomium (meaning 'before the mouth')? They use it to sense and manipulate food, and move through soil!

#SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #Entomology #Earthworm #SoilEcology #Soil #Nature

SOIL BIODIVERSITY SPECIAL ISSUE!

Are you researching the conservation, ecology or taxonomy of soil and litter invertebrates?

Then consider submitting your paper to this Special Issue of the New Zealand Journal of Zoology, edited by me, Carlos Barreto and Andrew Barnes (what a dream team!).

Just send me preliminary manuscript info by 30 November 2025.

More information: https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/nzjz-soil/

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #SoilFauna #Soil

An alien creature traversing a distant world, or baby mite navigating the micro-fungi strewn surface of a decaying log? Arguably it's both!

Take a closer look at the life beneath your feet, and you'll discover a whole new world of dazzling complexity.

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Acarology #Entomology #Macrophotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Soil

These are the beautiful spore-producing structures of plasmodial slime molds. Which is your favourite colour?

Originally considered Fungi, these Myxomycetes are now classed as Amoebozoans - single celled organisms with thousands of nuclei... not animals or fungi but something else entirely!

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Fungi #MacroPhotography #Nature #MoldMonday #Soil

This festival of waxy lumps is a baby biting midge, AKA a Forcipomyia larvae. Before they grow up to be bloodsuckers, they're surprisingly cute.

They're very common on decaying logs here in Aotearoa, but I don't often photograph them. However, my good friend and fellow macrophotographer Andy Murray loves them, and has a whole webpage dedicated to them - so go check that out!

https://www.chaosofdelight.org/forcipomyia

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #SoilFauna #Mesofauna #Macrophotography #Macro #Nature #NaturePhotography

Yesterday we had earthworm cocoons, today I bring you springtail spermatophores!

Springtails, like many other soil invertebrates, reproduce by a male leaving these structures (a blob of sperm-rich fluid on a stalk), which the female will sniff out, collect and use to fertilise her eggs. Very romantic!

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #Entomology #Macrophotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Collembola #Soil