Insects past and present
This year seems to be building up into a year with many insects around, specifically the annoying little bush flies. Care is taken to avoid dark clothes on our morning walks to minimise their presence. Presumably this is because dung beetles have been slack on the job (all drowned last Autumn and CSIRO hasn't redistributed them?)
There are also beginning to be a few other, more interesting insects around.
This first one was present, but certainly past its use-by date. It has probably met a parasitic wasp.
The next candidate is certainly a member of the Diptera (fly) Order and I believe a Tachinid (ie Family Tachinidae). The subfamily is variously called Dexiinae (Brisbane Insects) or Proseninae in some other classifications (the taxonomic tree in ANIC appeared to be based on different concepts and I couldn't line them up at all). It appears to be Senostoma sp, which according to my Field Guide are often found on flowers.
These two are beetles (Coleoptera) possibly Phyllotocus sp.
Passing by our middle dam I noticed a pair of red Damselflies behaving in a strange way. My first thought was that it was a re-enactment of a famous cartoon .....
.... but on getting a better shot realised they were head to tail.
Reading a little more about this it turns out my first thought was correct! Isn't Google wunnerful!
Their blue congener was just chilling on a lilypad.
A moth has finally paused long enough for a snap (which just meets my quality std of showing the proboscis). I have managed to identify it as Glyphiterix chrysoplanetis.
There are also beginning to be a few other, more interesting insects around.
This first one was present, but certainly past its use-by date. It has probably met a parasitic wasp.
The next candidate is certainly a member of the Diptera (fly) Order and I believe a Tachinid (ie Family Tachinidae). The subfamily is variously called Dexiinae (Brisbane Insects) or Proseninae in some other classifications (the taxonomic tree in ANIC appeared to be based on different concepts and I couldn't line them up at all). It appears to be Senostoma sp, which according to my Field Guide are often found on flowers.
These two are beetles (Coleoptera) possibly Phyllotocus sp.
Passing by our middle dam I noticed a pair of red Damselflies behaving in a strange way. My first thought was that it was a re-enactment of a famous cartoon .....
.... but on getting a better shot realised they were head to tail.
Reading a little more about this it turns out my first thought was correct! Isn't Google wunnerful!
Their blue congener was just chilling on a lilypad.
A moth has finally paused long enough for a snap (which just meets my quality std of showing the proboscis). I have managed to identify it as Glyphiterix chrysoplanetis.
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