Insects


A guide to Australian insect families (from CSIRO) can be found at:
http://anic.ento.csiro.au/insectfamilies/

Daley, A. & Ellingsen, K., 2012. Insects of Tasmania: An online field guide

A useful introduction to Insects, visit:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/uploads/documents/9362/invertebrate_guide.pdf

A diagram of Insect morphology illustrating terminology with legend of body parts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_morphology#/media/File:Insect_anatomy_diagram.svg

A diagram of an insect illustrating terminology based on a worker ant, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaster_(insect_anatomy)#/media/File:Scheme_ant_worker_anatomy-en.svg

Photographing insects

There are two main ways to photograph insects with a camera: using a macro close-up lens or a zoom lens. If the insect tolerates your getting very close, then you can use the macro lens. For example, some moths will remain quite still when approached, believing they are camouflaged and invisible. However, many insects, especially those that can fly, will move away when you approach. This is especially true for insects like butterflies and dragonflies. So a good zoom lens is very useful for photographing many insects. If you are using a smartphone, then use a macro lens or a macro attachment. E.g. OlloClip for iPhone. If you want to have an insect identified to species then clear photographs are usually needed because minute parts of the anatomy may need to be checked. It is valuable to take several photos from various angles so that these anatomical details can be seen. Many insects are have particular plants that they feed on, and they can be identified more easily when the associated plant is known. So if the insect is resting or feeding on a plant, take note of what the plant is or ensure that a photo shows the plant clearly.

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Discussion

WendyEM wrote:
9 min ago
BTW Peter - what is that fabulous creature under the moth's 'chin' ? I can see frog (unlikely) beetle ? bug ? blattid? ????

Eulechria hymenaea
arjay wrote:
2 hrs ago
Gosh.

Coccinellidae sp01
AlisonMilton wrote:
4 hrs ago
A nymph

Fulgoroidea (superfamily)
DiBickers wrote:
5 hrs ago
This taxon is yet to be classified. Without being too long-winded, there are many Coccinellidae larvae (across several Subfamilies) which have these long waxy filaments, however, because they have not been raised from larva to the adult beetle they cannot be identified accurately.

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri has become a familiar taxon where many larvae are often misidentified for this reason.

These larvae are distinctly different to Cryptolaemus montrouzieri as the lateral waxy filaments are much longer and they also have an obvious “naked” back.

There has now been a larva successfully raised to adulthood which has the Entomologists excited as they were finally able to link that particular specimen to Telsimia (Genus).

Given that it is known these waxy larvae are across multiple Subfamilies we have grouped them together under “Coccinellidae sp01 (Unidentified Waxy Ladybird Larvae)” until further information comes to light.

Coccinellidae sp01
donhe wrote:
7 hrs ago
D. estigmaria has a colored spot with dark zigzag markings on the forewing ?

Dichromodes estigmaria
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