Food Chain of Events
Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 9:50 PM
Hi guys,
It appears these two small flys were having an argument and didn’t notice the lynx spider coming to make a meal of both. One of the flys looks like a common long legged fly but the bright blue one is a new one for me. It appears to have two large forward facing eyes, reminiscent of a jumping spider, set into a metallic looking carapace. Strange one eh?
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Lynx Spider gets Two-fer
Hi Trevor,
Your photos always amuse us. This tangle of bodies is quite wonderful. Seems as though the Spider got a double meal, though it is uncertain that is will suck the fluids from both flies.
Lynx Spider eats two flies
Geometrid moth from Australia
Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Hi Daniel,
I thought you might be interested in the photo I took this week of a moth that had flattened itself so well against a tree trunk, that at first I thought it was a strange pattern on the bark. I have identified it as Cypsiphona ocultaria. I wish I could have seen its underside, which apparently white, marked with black and crimson. See:
http://www-staff.socs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/geom/ocult.html
http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_1187.htm
Grev
East Coast Australia
Spanworm Moth from Australia
Hi Grev,
Thanks for sending your lovely Spanworm Moth or Inchworm Moth from the family Geometridae. We were unable to get the csiro link to work.
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Posted 03 March 2009
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Mating unknown Longicorns
Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Hi guys.
Hope the book is progressing well. I found this pair today while photographing a moth. I have not seen such brightly coloured longicorns before and hopefully someone can ID these for me. Hope you like this buglove shot
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Mating Soldier Beetles
Hi Trevor,
We are still courting the editor and publisher and the book is still in the concept phase. These are not Longicorns, but Soldier Beetles in the family Cantharidae. On the Brisbane Insect site, they resemble the Tricolor Soldier Beetles, Chauliognathus tricolor.
Giant Fly?
Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 4:25 AM
I was sitting in my garden on new years day 2009 when this huge flying thing buzzed past my head, did a few loop the loops and settled on the frame of the swing we have in the back garden. I was amazed at the size as i measured it over 2 inches long. I grabbed my camera from inside and took this picture before it flew away at great speed. I have showed it to alot of locals and they have all said they have never seen anything so big before. Is this abnormal or some migrating insect from a far away land?
Mr B
Perth, Western Australia
Giant Yellow Robber Fly
Dear Mr B,
This is some species of Robber Fly in the Family Asilidae. Robber Flies are predatory insects, and the larger species are quite capable of capturing bees in flight. We haven’t had any luck identifying your species on one of our common sources for Australian insects, the Insects of Brisbane Website, but since you are in Perth, your insect might have a range limited to the western portion of the continent. As we continued our research, we found the Giant Blue Robber Fly, Blepharotes spendidissimus, listed on the same website. The Giant Blue Robber Fly looks very similar to your specimen. Continued research revealed the Giant Yellow Robber Fly, Blepharotes coriarius, also on the Insects of Brisbane Website. Closer inspection of your photograph seems to indicate the telltale golden yellow abdomen beneath the wings, which would confirm that this is probably a Giant Yellow Robber Fly.
One Proud Spider!
Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 1:53 AM
Hi guys,
Had my first encounter with one of these yesterday, is that a gun in its pocket or is it just pleased to see me. This family all have concave undersides to their bodies to allow them to wrap around small branches for camouflage. Of a night they build large webs vertically between trees. Common name here is “wrap around spiders”, this one is Dolophones turrigera.
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Wrap Around Spider
Hi Trevor,
This is one of the craziest looking spiders ever. We are always charmed and amused with your wonderful submissions from down under. We hope we can locate a link to Dolophonse turrigera to accompany this posting.
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Posted 26 February 2009
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Unknown Assassin with unknown wasp while mites hitch a ride (aussietrev)
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Hi guys,
Found this tableau on a grass stem. The only thing I know ID for are the red mites on the assassin bug. Both the bug and the wasp are quite tiny. Any ideas anyone?
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Assassin Bug with prey and Mites
Hi Trevor,
Sorry for the delay, but we have had a crazy busy week. While we agree with the Assassin Bug and Mites, we are unable to identify the species. We are not convinced the prey is a Wasp. It almost looks like another Hemipteran. We will see if Eric Eaton thinks Hemipteran or Hymenopteran.
Confirmation:
I agree with you, Daniel, the victim here is another hemipteran, something in the family Rhyparochromidae most likely.
Eric
Beetle found in friends work in melbourne australia
Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 3:14 AM
Hello my friend found this bettle / bug in his car dealership in melbourne australia & we cant seem to work out what type it is. It is approx 6cm in length. I really cant give you 2 much more info then that but would really love to find out. thank you
B. Marshall
essedon, melbourne Australia
Eucalyptus Longhorn Borer
Dear B,
This is one of two closely related species commonly called the Eucalyptus Longhorned Borer or Eucalyptus Tree Borer, either Phoracantha semipunctata or Phoracantha recurva. Both species which are native to Australia have also been introduced to southern California where there are numerous cultivated eucalyptus trees.
Bug Identification
Sat, Jan 24, 2009 at 2:20 AM
Hi,
I would really appreciate your assistance in identifying this really bizarre looking insect, It has the body very similar to a cricket with a very strange head. On the underside it seems to have 3/4 of a smaller body inside its pincer type arms on its head (as seen in pic one).
The bug flew into my dogs water bowl and couldnt get out, so I found it and still cant beleive how weird looking it is.
BTW… I think you have next month’s bug of the month!
Thankyou,
Nikki, Australia
New South Wales, Australia
Weta
Hi Nikki,
This is a Weta, one of a family of insects endemic to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa whose closest relatives are the Potato Bugs or Jerusalem Crickets of the American West. There is a photo posted on Wikipedia of a Wellington Tree Weta, Hemideina crassidens, that looks very much like your specimen, but all indications are that the Wellington Tree Weta is only found in New Zealand.
Weta
Perhaps your specimen is closely related in the same genus, but we are having problems locating information. Many species of Weta are endangered and are protected by law. Perhaps one of our readers will supply us with a link and identification.
Weta
Nikki, your bug looks like a King Cricket, Australostoma. They live in burrows and come out on wet or humid nights. They are found in coastal New South Wales.
See a photo at
http://www.austmus.gov.au/factSheets/grasshoppers.htm
Grev
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Posted 25 January 2009
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please identify this small moth, black and orange, delta shaped body and wings
Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 1:17 AM
we found this moth on 18/01/09, mid summer, 1100am, approx 27degrees celcius, fine sunny weather, at my house near stockton beach, newcastle on the upper central coast of new south wales australia. it was on a small branch that i cut off a bottle brush tree ‘genus Callistemon’ it is approx 5cm across its wingspan and about 3cm long it is black with distinctive orange markings on its upper wing, it has 2 clear circular ‘windows’ toward its wingtips, it has an orange/pink/red underbody, it has a spiked tail and looks like it may be dangerous. could you please identify it for me, we have extensively searched the CSIRO australan moths website.and have been unsucessful in identifying it.
Dave
-32° 49′ 151° 54′ , on branch near stockton beach, newcastle, new south wales, Australia
Coprosma Hawkmoth
Hi Dave,
We actually did identify your Australian Hawkmoth as Cizara ardeniae on the CSIRO website, but there was no information on the species. Once we had the species name, we found a page on the Coprosma Hawk Moth on the Moth Caterpillars of Australia website which we had searched unsuccessfully earlier.
Cisara ardeniae
That site has many images of the caterpillars and adult moths with this description: “The moth itself is a handsome dark brown, with white edges to the wings and white bars across the wings and abdomen. It normally rests with these white bars aligned on each side to form a single stripe across the moth. This may give effective camouflage, misleading the eye to see the front and back as separate entities, neither of which is especially shaped like a moth. “ The adult moth was also pictured on a 1991 Australian postage stamp.
Coprosma Hawkmoth
Hispellinus australicus
Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 7:56 PM
Hi guys,
I came across a couple of these elusive leaf beetles in my yard. To the naked eye they are just a very tiny plain black beetle. They are only about 2mm long. I did a google search on them and only found a few entries and no photos so thought you might like to be the first site with a picture. I love their spiky wing case.
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Leaf Beetle: Hispellinus australicus
Hi Trevor,
Thanks so much for giving us the honor of posting your landmark photo of Hispellinus australicus, a Leaf Beetle. It surely is a distinctive looking specimen.
Moth with clear wings and colourful body
Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Please can you tell me what this bug is? It flew into the house, struggling under it’s own weight! The body is over 3 cm long but including antennae it’s over 4 cm in length. It’s bottom goes feathery and flares out when it is flying. It is also quite loud in flight. My son insists that it isn’t, but I am placing my bet on ‘moth’.
Ann H
Artarmon, NSW Australia
Bee Hawk Moth
Hi Ann,
Your son is correct. This is a Bee Hawk Moth, Cephonodes kingii. We identified it on the Brisbane Insect Website. An Australian Caterpillar Website has images of the entire metamorphosis and identifies it as the Gardenia Hawk Moth because the caterpillar feeds on gardenia.
