Itoplectis alternans - <p>Detail of a small Ichneumon Fly. </p> <p>112 images were shot with Canon T3i with 100mm 2.8L macro lens plus Nikon 10x microscope objective, focus moved 20 microns between each exposure by manually advancing a micrometer-driven linear stage. Specimen lit with 2 diffused LED lamps. Images stacked into 14 slabs each one overlapping the next by 1 image using SlabberJockey-generated script and Zerene Stacker. These 14 slabs then PMaxed into the final stacked image that was then retouched in Zerene before passing to Photoshop for final tweaks and resizing. </p> <p>This small ichneumon fly was ID'd on diptera.info as Itoplectis alternans which has recently been confirmed in the Hymenopterists Facebook group. It measured about 6 mm from head to end of body and was found dead in a jar which contained an olive leaf. The leaf was folded over and a pupa had been attached in the fold. The olive tree was growing on my patio here in Suffolk, England. The leaf was picked in July, the dead insect found in September. </p> © Martin Cooper from Ipswich, UK - CC BY 2.0 - Wikimedia Commons