Breathtaking images showcase the otherworldly beauty of insects

Insects are fascinating subjects for photography because of their complex anatomy, but their size and strangeness make it difficult to capture their biology in detail. This year’s winners of the Royal Entomological Society’s Photography Competition are all amateur photographers who have managed to capture this tiny world in colorful and unique ways. Here are six of the insects that won the competition. New Scientist My favourite winning photo.

Wavy-striped emerald moth (Synchrora aerataNamed for the symmetrical white lines running along its wings, the moth (scientific name: little looper) is captured in textured detail in the photo above, photographed by Alexander McKerracher. If you think the adult moth blends in with the greenery of the forest, imagine the camouflaged little looper as a larva, which uses silk to attach bits of plant debris to its back to hide from predators.

Pete Burford photographed a damselfly that appears to be peering into a camera lens with … tens of individual light-receiving units, called ommatidia, each with a cornea. This allows damselflies to see movement and color in higher resolution than other insects.

Flying ants

Rosemary Haleem

In this delightfully chaotic image by Rosemary Halem, winged ants, or “winged ants,” appear to float on water. …lg colonies as future queens.

Thorny lacewing

Enrico Bonino

This photo by Enrico Bonino shows a spiny lacewing trapped in Burmese amber. Specimens like these are important …d interest in Myanmar’s precious amber has sparked riots in the country.

Cuckoo bee

Photo by LD Chambers

This cuckoo bee is asleep, its mandibles anchoring it to a blade of grass to prevent it falling off its perch. …e bee isn’t so happy-go-lucky; like its namesake, the cuckoo bird, it’s known for laying its eggs in other beehives.

Cotton harlequin bugs

Nikita Richardson

Green and orange aphids (Tectochoris dioptharmusThis photo by Nikita Richardson shows a Plasmodium butterfly, commonly found in Australia and nearby islands, known for its colorful varieties, which have often been mistaken for different species by taxonomists.