BunyipCo

Meet a Metallic Snail Parasite

2012-02-13T18:15:00.001+10:00

This beautiful fly is a parasite of native snails. It is in the Blowfly family, Calliphoridae and in the genus Amenia, probably A. leonina. These flies make ideal photographic subjects because they are not easily frightened by the photographer. A range of Snail Blowflies can be seen on the website.

The bristles on the head form distinct patterns that help in identifying species in the genus. The small black patch on top of the head comprises a few ocelli, a topic covered in several previous blogs.

Not Usually Seen

2012-02-13T17:34:00.000+10:00

While mowing the front lawn recently I noticed this Honeybee, Apis mellifera. It is a drone, a male. Male honeybees are larger and more robust than the females. Their primary function is to mate with a queen. After this they are doomed because they lose most of their genitalia in the process (When you get stung, it's by a female honeybee. it is the modified ovipositor that gives you the jab and it is left in the wound rendering the bee to a very short life thereafter.)

This drone may have been attracted to the flowering pandanus. But you can see he's had a rougfh time. He' missing a leg. Once his job is finished in the hive, he gets short shrift-he's tossed out. Also in autumn I recall seeing many drones on the sidewalks in Canberra, their fcnction completed and left to die or be eaten by birds and lizards.

Drone have larger eyes than those of their female counterparts.

A female honeybee feeding. Note the more slender appearance and proportionally smaller eyes.

A Night Walk in the Highlands

2012-02-04T18:37:00.000+10:00

A walk in the high rainforest (over 1000m) outside of Atherton, Queensland resulted in some nice photo opportunities and some opportunities for the local leeches as well. They were thick in the rain and misty conditions and must make it hell for the local mammals. There were some nice insects out as well. And a few surprises were to make the evening a success.

this Raspy Cricket, Gryllacrididae is probably an undescribed species.

It provides a good example of a median ocellus, a structure noted before on this blog. it is thought this "eye" contains a single lens that detects light. This may be involved in helping the cricket find its way back to its enclosure after a night of foraging.

The White-kneed King Cricket, Penalva flavocalceatus (Karny); Anostostomatidae; Anostostomatinae has a pair of lateral ocelli that may be used in a similar way to the median ocellus noted above.

The White-kneed King Cricket, Penalva flavocalceatus (Karny), aptly named was described from Malanda, not far from where this photo was taken. It was described by a European "orthopterist" in 1929 from a series of specimens collected by some Swedish entomologists who were on a field trip in the area several years before.

The cover of darkness affords mating opportunities for craneflies (Tipulidae). This photo shows the halteres, the modified hind wings of flies that make flies flies! and fly! The halteres serve as gyroscopes keeping the insect on the right course during flight.

And there was an abundance of cockroaches, mainly of two species. This is Beybienkoa tolganensis Roth (Ectobiidae; Blattellinae). The marking on the pronotum (thorax) is distinctive.

Carbrunneria barrinensis (Roth) (Ectobiidae; Blattellinae). was originally described in Beybienkoa, but was found to be in another genus later when glands on the surface of the abdomen were discovered.

Johnrehnia geniculuteola Roth (Ectobiidae; Blattellinae) is in a different genus altogether. This genus has no glandular openings on the surface of the male's abdomen.

A nice find. Ozphyllum kuranda Rentz, Su, Ueshima (Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae) was not known from the Atherton Tableland subsequent to our rainy night walk.

Phricta tortuwallina Rentz, Su, Ueshima (Tettigoniidae; Pseudophyllinae) is a study in "armature". It is protected with spines all over its body. The katydid in itself is quite harmless. Active at night, it feeds on young leaves of a number of rainforest plants and uses the cover of darkness to lay its eggs in the ground. During the day it rests with legs outstretched on tree trunks and large branches. This is an unusual species in that males have lost the stridulatory apparatus that affords other in the genus to produce sound to attract females.

Phricta tortuwallina was described from The Crator, a locality not far from where this photo was taken.

Phricta tortuwallina on a lichen-coveered tree trunk, this katydid would likely go undetected by vertebrate predators.

Phricta tortuwallina spines all over.

Phricta tortuwallina kicks vigorously with the hind legs when captured. The spines are sharp and would probably aid in its escape from the jaws of a bird or lizard.

A Tiger Of A Beetle

2012-02-04T17:05:00.000+10:00

I have reported on Tiger Beetles before on this blog. One sunny morning, I found this typically bark-running species sitting on a leaf in the sun. That presented an unusual photo opportunity.

Tree-running Tiger beetle Dystipsidera flavipes Macleay, family Carabidae; Cicindelinae

Tree-running Tiger beetle Dystipsidera flavipes Macleay, family Carabidae; Cicindelinae

The mandibles are for capturing and holding small prey.

There are at least two species in this genus in Australia. D. flavipes normally perches head downwards on rainforest trees where it captures unsuspecting passing insects. These beetles are frequently attracted to lights suggesting they may be at least partially nocturnal.

Cockroaches By Any Other Name.........

2012-02-02T15:06:00.000+10:00

I am writing a Guidebook to Australian Cockroaches for the Guidebook series published by CSIRO, Australia. For the past couple of years I have been taking many trips into the bush for the purpose of adding to the photographic content of the book.A recent trip to The Lynd in south central Queensland proved a bonanza for the cockroach enthusiast. But even this is a bit much.

Hundreds of primarily a single species congregated on the light sheet, apparently encouraged by the pheromones left by their "colleagues". What you see here is primarily two species. The blackish blattodeans are females of an undescribed species Parasigmoidella. The males are the ones with the tawny wings.

There are at least two other species in the photo. They are both in the genus Johnrehnia. They can be distinguished by the light yellow column on the pronotum (a part of the thorax) bounded by wavy black stripes. Not so pretty but the others that accompanied them were very attractive anyway you look at them.

Balta sp., probably yorkensis Hebard (Ectobiidae; Pseudophyllodromiinae)

Balta godeffroyi (Shelford) (Ectobiidae; Pseudophyllodromiinae)

Ectoneura pallidula Hebard (Ectobiidae; Ectobiinae)

Choristima bimaculata Roth (Ectobiidae; Ectobiinae)

Ectoneura minima (Tepper) (Ectobiidae; Ectobiinae)

Ellipsidion sp. (Ectobiidae; Pseudophyllodromiinae)

Ellipsidion humerale (Tepper) (Ectobiidae; Pseudophyllodromiinae)

Escala vestjensi Roth (Ectobiidae; Blsttellinae)

One seldom encounters native cockroaches by day. Many live in leaf litter where they are probably important decomposers, turning the litter into soil. The numbers of species, adults and nymphs in a square metre of leaf litter in the rainforest or eucalyptus woodland attests to how important these insects must be in the health of the bush. But for the most part, we really have no idea where these roaches are during the day. Some probably live under bark or in bark cracks, others in unfolding leaves.

The Ellipsidion species are a bit unusual in that they are diurnal in their activities. The often can be found on flowers of grasses and other flowering plants where they feed on the pollen and developing seeds. They surely must play some role in pollination. Many are brightly coloured and avoided buy birds and lizards.

A Night Walk in the Tropical Lowlands

2012-01-25T06:59:00.000+10:00

I recently had the opportunity to visit a lowland rainforest site near Babinda. Aside from having some very nice, dense forest, there was a previously cleared area that is the site for a Pitcher Plant, Nepenthes mirabilis. Some very nice insects were out and about in the rainforest. Here's a sample:

A native blattodean, Carbrunneria cerciflavida (Roth), a species that has probably never been photographed before.

Another native blattodean, Beybienkoa kurandanensis Roth.

Another native blattodean, Carbrunneria marci (Roth). The markings on the thorax are species-distinctive in this group of blattodeans.

A bark-dwelling cricket, Myara sp., has taken up residence in a planted, introduced pine tree, Pinus.

This agraeciine katydid, Goodangarkia prasinus (Karny) is "mouthing" the exudates on the rim of a Pitcher Plant. The exudates lure potential prey into the pitcher where they fall into the digestive juice of the plant.

Note the hole in the pitcher near its base. This is commonly made by katydids that consume the partially digested contents of the plant.

A female phaneropterine katydid, Kurandoptera purpura Rentz, Su, Ueshima. The blade-like ovipositor is used to insert the disk-like eggs between layers of a single leaf.

Another phanderopterine, Leucopodoptera eumundii Rentz and Webber. This beautiful katydid has bright yellow underwings that are concealed by the top pair of wings.

Mastigaphoides haffneri Weidner is a green katydid in a different subfamily from the above. It is a member of the Pseudophyllinae, a group with several rainforest genera that are often encountered at night.

Mating grasshoppers of the widespread oxyine species Methiola picta Sjostedt is common along rainforest margins in north Queensland where it feeds on a variety of grasses, native and introduced.

One of several mantids living in the rainforest. This one is a species of Orthodera, at home on an introduced pine.

Just Guarding

2012-01-25T05:50:00.001+10:00

Our resident Amethystine Python spent some hours watching and waiting for something to show up along a drain during a recent storm. I was hoping he did not detect the Boyd's Forest Dragon sleeping on a branch not far from where he was.

The head shows an interesting pattern of scales.

What's Up!

2012-01-18T06:44:00.000+10:00

A recent trip to Mt Baldy proved of interest to this python. I was busily photographing blattodeans along a forest track when I looked up and noticed that my movements had "activated" this snake which was lying in wait for some prey. As I moved the shrubbery, it became more and more alert to the cause. It looks pretty well fed.

Jaws!

2012-01-18T06:38:00.000+10:00

Summer brings on longicornes, family Cerambycidae. Many of the larger ones have formidable mandibles that can easily open a severe wound. I am always impressed that these tough beetles never pose much of a challenge for the Black Butcherbirds that actually hunt for them around the margins of the light sheet and adjacent vegetation. It would seem that they might at some stage get bitten, but I've never observed them have any problems during the dismemberment of the prey.

The large jaws on these beetles are probably for cutting through dead wood on which they feed and in which the females lay eggs that will develop into the rather sizable larvae that will help to decompose the wood and return it to the soil. Each species seems to have slightly differently modified jaws. This probably reflects differences in how they use them.

A Bit Of A Mystery

2012-01-18T05:55:00.001+10:00

For the past few years I have been observing the strange antics of some peculiar "tube critters". These creatures, which appear to be caterpillars, start out by anchoring themselves to a particular spot on the bark of certain select trees. In this case, the Kuranda Quandong, Elaeocarpus bancroftii. As they develop, the case lengths to an ultimate length of about 80 mm. They operate in the radius dictated by their anchor and seem to be feeding on bark. After several months in the same spot, the surface of the tree does not seem to have changed in appearance at all. Selected trees bare 20 of these creatures within a couple of metres of the ground.

The case consists of phrass-bits and pieces of the bark and faecal matter. When Murray Upton visited last year we observed these creatures feeding an moving about on their tethers. At Thanksgiving we captured a few and kept them in humid containers but no adults eventuated. Now the tubes are disappearing, probably being broken up by the weather and ants which were seen around them months ago but that cause no harm. So we must wait till next year to attempt to see what these insects are. We think they are case moths, family Psychidae, but can't be certain until we see an adult.

The other mystery involves white creatures on this patch of lichen. Look carefully and you can see several elongate lumps!

Each one has an amorphous shape. As a group, they "twitched" from time to time and they moved from place to place but for weeks stayed on the single patch of lichen. Other trees and patches were searched but no other sightings were recorded.

Then recently the group disappeared. I though the resident Boyd's Forest Dragon may have either eaten them or disturbed the group when he scuttled up the tree. Then one appeared on the light sheet in an apparent attempt to pupate. It is now in a container and we await the emergence of this odd insect.

They may be geometrid loopers that cover themselves with lichen. They inch along in the pattern of geometrid caterpillars but I've never heard of a geometrid that covers itself with its host plant.

Some Good News

2012-01-15T16:47:00.002+10:00

This morning we were greeted by the sight of two of the five chicks Mr Cassowary is shepherding this year. They are very small and not at all vocal. Judging by last year's events, they will require his full attention for the next several months.

Cute, eh

A Sad Tale

2012-01-13T06:40:00.000+10:00

This is Mr Cassowary last year with one of his chicks. We recently heard that a visitor up the street witnessed a stray dog kill two of his three nearly full grown chicks. The dog had been sighted repeatedly out of its pen. When the owner was informed, he relocated the dog.

This is going to be the fate of these wonderful birds unless all dog owners become more responsible. Between the dangers posed by cars and the threat of stray or feral dogs, the poor cassowaries will be lucky to survive in the wild.

Those Noisy Cicadas

2012-01-07T10:05:00.002+10:00

It's the time of year when the cicadas make themselves known by their calls. They are not random callers but seem to divide the time appropriately. As noted below, the Northern Green Grocer commences its season by calling at about 6.45 pm each night. That has now progressed a half hour so they commence calling around 7.15. And the singing period lasts only a few minutes.

Henicobsaltria rufivelum Moulds is at its zenith at the present time. Males sing during the sunniest times of the day, usually in synch. The fellow making most of the noise below was quite angry with me and kept running up and down the trunk of the tree and playing a bit of peek-a-boo without missing a note.

Calling Song of Henicopsaltria rufivelum Moulds

Henicopsaltria rufivelum- a noisy but rather average-looking cicada.

Note the pink ocelli. A good common name might be "Pink-Eye" if this is a consistent character.

There are some other species that frequently show up at the lights like those that follow.

The Floury Baker, Aleeta curvicosta (Germar)-with some of the grey bloom that gives it its common name rubbed off. This cicada has a mostly coastal distribution from the Daintree River south to southern New South Wales.

A more tidy example of the Floury Baker.

A female of Tamasa doddi (Gooding and Froggatt). Named in honour of the Butterfly Man of Kuranda, this is a rainforest species occurs only in coastal north Queendland in the vicinity of Cairns, Kuranda and the Daintree.

Males of Chlorocysta suffsa (Distant) have a bulbous abdomen that must be associated with sound production. This species has a distribution similar to that of the above but with some outlier populations in Iron Range and Cooktown.
Cicada bits n' pieces

This overturned cicada illustrates the long beak that it inserts into the trees to feed. The large brown flanges are called opercula. They protect the tympana. both sexes have these structures but they are better developed in males.

Here we see at the base of the wings the tymbals. This structure produces the sound that is distinctive for each species. The tympanum is within the opening just beneath. This latter structure receives incoming sounds.

Cicada skins are a common site in most forested regions of Australia. Cicadas emerge in the cover of darkness and move slowly to an appropriate perch to complete their moult to adulthood. The larval stages last for a much longer time than the adult lifespan. As nymphs on the soil, they feed on roots and are subject to much predation as are the adults. But they make up for this with shear numbers. With a little careful study you can determine the species by features of the cast skin.

This individual chose to emerge on a wet night. Note the mud and sand grains ahering to the body. That will all be left behind on emergence and the cicada will be hardened up and ready to sing come morning.

The Bible for Australian Cicada information. This book is available on the web and is a must for anyone planning to study these insects in Australia.

Thanks to Max Moulds for help with the identifications.

Birdwing Emerges

2012-01-01T10:13:00.002+10:00

After a couple of weeks development, the chrysalids of the Northern (Cairns) Birdwing, Ornithoptera priamus (Linnaeus), have finally emerged. Two males were the result of the three that were observed. The third one was not found and may have been taken by a predator.

The butterfly measured approximately 165 mm across and the caterpillars developed on a Dutchman's Pipe, Aristolochia tagala. The more spectacular Dutchman's Pipe, A. elegans, is toxic to caterpillars of this butterfly and local nurseries co-operate by not selling it.

A spectacular butterfly to have in one's garden.

For more information check Michael Braby's volume 1 of the Butterflies of Australia published by CSIRO Publishing.

Ma:Mu Canopy Walk

2011-12-23T14:44:00.001+10:00

One of the best kept secrets in the Cairns-Innisfail area is the Ma:Mu Canopy Walk. This should be one of the top tourist attractions in the region but it is never advertised in the media and few tourists seem to know about it.

located on the Palmerston Highway near Crawford's Lookout, it is very easily reached. There is a charge for entry, $20, and it is a about an 600 m walk from the carpark to the canopy walk itself. The canopy walk is about 350 m in length and some 15 m hight. In addition to the elevated walkway and tower, there is a cantilever jutting out from the mountain that provides a great view.

It was with considerable anticipation the the members of the Cape York Herpetological Society joined for a night walk in the canopy. Unfortunately, there were few reptiles and amphibians to view but a disturbing number of Cane Toads (Bufo marinus) greeted us along the track to the walkway.

Insects and spiders, as one might expect, were everywhere. Here are a few photos taken both from the walkway and the track leading to it. It is obvious that there is a lot of insect activity at night,. Have a look around your property after dark and you'll see what I mean.

Night-time is great for dragonfly photography. This is the Green-striped Darner, Austroaeschna forcipiata. It would be virtually impossible to photograph this dragonfly during the day.

One of the silent crickets, Aphonoides lowanna. Many cricket genera have lost the ability to sing. They probably rely on pheromones to get together.

An example of the cricket genus Unka, an Australian endemic genus with several species in the rainforests of north Queensland.

One of several species of Raspy Cricket, probably Xanthogryllacris sp., stopping on the handrail to consume a caterpillar it has found in its night searching. These crickets construct shelters from leaves which they tie together with silk from their mouthparts. They have a complex means of finding their way back to their enclosures after a night's searching that involves both memory and pheromones

A common leaf beetle, Chrysomelidae.

A not-so-common longicorn, family Cerambycidae.

One of the advantages of a canopy boardwalk is the ability to see things that you would otherwise miss down on the ground. Biroella grasshoppers are on example. They live on vegetation high in the treetops and are relatively poorly known. This is Biroella tardigrada Sjøstedt, longtime considered to be in the family Eumastacidae but now in the Marabidae; Biroellinae.

A rainforest grasshopper, Desmoptera truncatipennis Sjøstedt, Pyrgomoprhidae. These grasshoppers spend the day in leaf litter on the ground but ascend the vegetation at night to feed. Inadvertently, they avoid being the food of the ever-present marauding Cane Toads that would find them were they to be on the ground at night.

A catacoline fruit-piercing moth high in the tree tops feeding at night on fruits.

A beautiful male of the genus Chloracantha; Tetttigoniidae; Pseudophyllinae

A pair of a related species of Chloracantha. Males often ride around on the backs of females and facing in the opposite direction.

Night-time is the time when many insects moult their skins. Reasons for this are several. The relative humidity is high, there is generally less wind that would interfere with this delicate procedure and the "cover of darkness" reduces the chance of vertebrate predation. This species of Mastigaphoides is just about ready to begin the moulting process.

The beautiful Eumundi, Leucopodoptera eumundii Rentz & Webber, Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae; Holochlorini. named, in part, after an extinct beer of the same name!

Rentz's Sipyloidea Stick Insect, Sipyloidea rentzi Brock & Hasenpusch, Diapheromeridae; Necrosciinae

Probably the Cyclone Larry Sitck Insect, Siplyoidea larryi Brock & Hasenpusch

Queensland Beak-abdomen Stick Insect, Rhamphosipyloidea queenslandica (Sjøstedt)

A blattodean, Neotemnopteryx sp. resting on one of the guide-wires. Ectobiidae; Blattellinae; Parcoblattini

Another blattodean, this one in the family Blaberidae, Molytria sp. Females of this genus are seldom seen unless the collector looks for them on purpose. They live in the ground and are flightless. Males are regularly encountered after dark on leaf surfaces where they "graze" on the particulate matter than rains down from above. This is all part of the recycling process.

Methana convexa (Walker), family Tryonicidae; Tryonicinae, a common blattodean of the rainforests in the Cairns vicinity. This one is feeding on some minute food substance that is on the handrail.

A tessaratomid, Lyramorpha rosacea Westwood. This is one of several bugs where mothers look after their children!

A Jumper

2011-12-17T10:13:00.006+10:00

Jumping Spiders (family Salticidae) seem to be common in my shadehouse despite the exclusion of most large insects which might serve as prey for them. A number of species are on the hunt all day long. Hopefully, they are successful at times! This one seems to be ia psecies in the genus Mopsus.

Tis the Season

2011-12-12T17:52:00.006+10:00

It's Christmas and the Christmas Beetles (Anoplognathus species) are out and about. In fact, some species seem to be unusually common this year. My friend Jack says that A. smaragdinus Ohaus has defoliated trees in his area.

About 35 species of the genus are known. Most seem to be associated with eucalypts.

We normally get only a few at lights here but elsewhere they are coming in by the hundreds. And this year some unusual colour morphs are appearing.

Anoplognathus smaragdinus Ohaus; Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae Green morph, by far the commonest, outnumbering the ohter colour morphs hundreds to one.
Anoplognathus smaragdinus Ohaus; Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae Red morph, very uncommon
Anoplognathus smaragdinus Ohaus; Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae Mixed morph, probably the most common of the odd morphs
Anoplognathus smaragdinus Ohaus; Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae Blue Morph, the least common and the most sought after by collectors. A real beaut.

Cairns Birdwing

2011-12-12T16:57:00.004+10:00

If you look down the page of this blog you will see the caterpillar of the Cairns Birdwing Butterfly,Ornithoptera euphorion. The three caterpillars have now pupated and the chrysalis is almost as spectacular as the butterfly itself!
Pupa or chrysalis of the Cairns Birdwing butterfly, Ornithoptera euphorion, lateral view. Note the halter of silk that holds the pupa in proper position.
Pupa or chrysalis of the Cairns Birdwing butterfly, Ornithoptera euphorion, lateral view.

Now we await the appearance of the adult!

Moth Cavalcade Continues

2011-12-10T06:02:00.011+10:00

Just enjoy the colours and shapes of the thousands of species of rainforest moths
Westermannia gloriosa; Nolidae; Chloeophorinae
Thallarcha epileuca: Arctiidae; Lithosinae
Epicoma melanospila; Notodontidae; Thaumetopoeinae (Mareeba area)
Lyclene reticulata; Arctiidae; Lithosinae
Lactura suffusa; Lacturidae
Hypsidia erythropsalis; Drepanidae
Casbia sp; Geometridae; Ennominae
Heterallactis stenochrysa; Arctiidae; Lithosinae
Eustixis sp ?parallelus; Lacturidae
The Four O'clock Moth Dysphania numana; Geometridae; Geometrinae
Diasemiopsis ramburialis; Pyralidae (=Crambidae); Pyraustinae
Crocanthes sp; Lecithoceridae
Comana corones; Limacodidae
Cirrochrista aetherialis; Pyralidae (=Crambidae); Pyraustinae
Chorodna strixaria; Geometridae; Ennominae
Platyja exequialis; Noctuidae; Catocalinae (What's wrong with this picture!)
Anthela sp; Anthelidae
Anthela sp; Anthelidae
?Nacoleia sp; Pyralidae (=Crambidae); Pyraustinae (note the parasitic mites)

Neat Weevils

2011-12-09T06:58:00.008+10:00

Poropterus sp; Curculionidae; Cryptorhynchinae

There are more weevils than probably any other group of insects. They range in size from a fraction of a millimetre to some giants of several centimetres. They live in most habitats in the rain forest and it is not uncommon to see several different species during the course of a night search. Not all weevils belong to the one family Curculionidae. There are several related families that can be called weevils.

Anyone working on Australian weevils will require the multi-volume set of splendid works of the late E. C. Zimmerman published by CSIRO Publishing.

Euschizus dictatorius (Kleine): Brentidae; Trachelizini
Uropteroides gestroi (Senna): Brentidae; Trachelizini

Dendropemon albopictus (Jordan): Anthribidae

Same species but note the peculiar "thrichobothria" that occur only on the abdomen of the male

Just waiting!

2011-12-02T11:57:00.005+10:00

A trip to Mt Baldy, near Atherton, Queensland provided a good look at some native dung beetles. This is a 2-spiked male. It is apparently Onthophagus pillara Matthews.
This male above is displaying the antennae which are capable of picking up the scent of fresh dung. The dung they are looking for is that from native mammals, probably marsupials. They are in the right place as Mt Baldy is renown for its possums, gliders, tree kangaroos and native rodents. Or is he on the look-out for females?

The modes of the entomologist often provide encounters like this with dung beetles but one seldom thinks to look skyward for the possums and gliders that are feeding in the trees above.

Thanks to Tom Weir for suggesting the species' name.

Speaking of Caterpillars

2011-12-02T11:36:00.007+10:00

Ornithoptera euphorion (Papilionidae) caterpillar of the Cairns Birdwing

Some weeks ago I noticed a large female Cairns Bird-wing Butterfly egg-laying on a plant outside our window. Three large caterpillars have resulted and they are nearly ready to pupate.

The butterfly is large, with females measuring some 17 cm across. Females look for Pipevine, Aristolochia or Pararistolochia on which to oviposit. They also inadvertantly choose the large and gaudy introduced Dutchman's Pipe, Aristolochia elegans, but this is fatal to the caterpillars. As a result, nurseries in the range of the Cairns Birdwing do not sell this plant even though the flowers are much more spectacular than those of the natural hosts of the species.

The range of this butterfly is somewhat restricted. It occurs along the coast in rainforest and verdant gardens where the host plants are present from Cooktown to MacKay, Queensland.

What a thrill it is top have such a magnificent insect as a common garden visitor. How lucky we are!

The Zodiak Moth

2011-12-02T11:11:00.006+10:00

Alcides metaurus (Hoppfer) Uraniidae; Uraniinae

This is a moth, not a butterfly. It is called the Zodiak Moth, a day-flying member of the family Uraniidae. It is large, being at least 10 cm across. The colours are quite individually variable. It was a welcome addition to the Photographic Walk and Talk we had a couple of weeks ago for the Friends of the Botanic Gardens in the Cairns Botanic Gardens.

As spectacular as the moth is, the caterpillar is even more striking. At different stages of development, the caterpillars look quite different. You might not even consider them as the same species. The caterpillars feed on a variety of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. These plants are known for their toxic components. The white sticky sap is a phytotoxin. As a result the caterpillars that feed on these plants seem to be avoided by vertebrates. The moths themselves are slow-flying and are easily approached lending one to conclude that they are also avoided by birds and lizards.

This species is highly localised. Adults are regularly seen at the Cairns Botanic Gardens but seldom seen in our garden in Kuranda. It is assumed that the appropriate host plants are just not in our vicinity.

Beetles on the Bottle

2011-12-02T05:50:00.006+10:00

I guess I should make some mention of our recent "success" at winning the 2011 Ig-Nobel prize for Biology. Darryl Gwynne and I were presented with the award in September at Harvard University at the annual Ig-Nobel ceremonies. These unique, and quintessentially "Harvard", activities were attended by over 1200 enthusiastic students, scientists and members of the public. A sword-swallower helped "get them in the mood" as a warm-up. No tricks, he really did swallow a most formidable piece of steel. He told us that sword-swallowers sometimes make mistakes! I guess they do. But I digress.

Darryl and I made the observations in the early 80's when I was at the start of my career at CSIRO and Darryl was doing extended fieldwork and teach at the University of Western Australia.

On a warm morning, we noticed large aerial Jewel Beetles (Burprestidae) that were cruising and landing on the ground. We were soon to discover that they were settling on cast-off stubbies ("Australian" for small beer bottles). We observed multiple instances of beetles doing the same thing. They were later identified as Julidomorpha bakewellii. The beetle is now called J. saundersii.

The beetles were mistaking the bottles for females of their own species, being attracted to both the colour and the little tubercles at the bottom of the bottle. The bottles were, in effect, super females! But alas, it is a love story with an unhappy ending. Note the ants at the base of the beetle above.
The ants were actively pulling the love-starved beetles to the ground and dismembering them. Note the bits and pieces and the dead beetle to the left of centre at the bottom of the photo.

We did the requisite experiments, placing bottles of various colours, sizes and shapes around the habitat but the beetles were attracted only to the type above. You can see from the condition of the bottle that it had been there for a long time and was responsible for the "happy" ending of many male beetles. This was written up as a short article in the Journal of the Australian Entomological Society. We were and still are, very surprised at the notoriety all this has spawned. At the time we appeared on numerous talk-back shows and were the subject of many news articles. The above article appeared in 2007! A video was later produced by the BBC illustrating the phenomenon. Winning the Ig-Nobel created a spate of interviews and more articles.

By the way, we contacted the Swan Brewing Company suggesting they modify their bottles so they are not attractive to the beetles but never received an answer. However, it was noted that the "tubercles" eventually disappeared from beer bottles. This coupled with the deposit that is placed on beer bottles may have helped conserve the dwindling Western Australian Jewel Beetle fauna. By far their worst enemy is not from mistaken sexual experiences but from development-especially the destruction of their habitat for agriculture and/or mining.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-23T12:24:00.001+10:00

Cavalcade of Moths-They Just Keep Coming!

2011-11-18T10:12:00.011+10:00

Recent attractions to the Light Sheet.
Epiplema (Europlema) coeruleotincta Uraniidae; Epipleminae

Zatrichodes sp. Oecophoridae; Staphmopodinae

Platyphylla sp. Oecophoridae

Opodiphthera sp probably fervida Saturniidae; Saturniinae

Epicoma barnardi Notodontidae; Thaumetopoeinae

A species in the family Depressariidae
Habroscopa iriodes Oecophoridae; Oecophorinae

Cryptophasa flavolineata Xyloryctidae; Xyloryctinae

Coscinocera hercules, female- the Hercules Moth Saturniidae; Saturniinae

Saroba trimaculata Noctuidae; Catocolinae

Aenetus mirabilis Hepialidae

Clicks-Large and Small

2011-11-18T10:07:00.004+10:00

As a follow-on to the note on Click Beetles below, we have been deluged by large numbers of a small species. I suspect it is some sort of agricultural pest. There would be more than 50 at the light each night.

Return of an Old Friend

2011-11-11T08:20:00.003+10:00

Boyd's Forest Dragon munching on a Cane Beetle at night in front of the light sheet.

I was startled the other night when I was in front of the light sheet looking up and something ran across my feet. It turned out to be the Boyd's Forest Dragon, Hypsilurus boydii. I'm sure it was the same individual written about previously in these blogs because he (or she) sleeps on the same branch as it did in 2007 when it was noted here for the first time. It has been 11 months since I have seen this lizard. I thought maybe it had gone to its eternal reward!

A typical pose for Boyd's Forest Dragon--on a tree trunk attempting to be unnoticed.

Nice Things About Living in Tropics

2011-11-10T13:32:00.005+10:00

One of the nice things about living in the tropics is the opportunity to grow unusual plants. Of course, unusual plants grow everywhere but the tropical ones are so spectacular.The Vanilla Orchid, Vanilla planifolia, is one such oddity. Yes, vanilla is an orchid. And you probably did not know that it originates from Mexico. It must be hand-pollinated and done promptly as the flower lasts only for a day. The high cost of vanilla probably is a result of this labour intensive activity. The "vanilla bean" takes about 6-9 months to mature and when it turns brown and starts to smell like vanilla, it is ready to pick

The Vanilla Orchid grows as a vine. It must be about 3m long in order to set flowers. It also requires that it eventually be trained to droop downwards to prompt it to flower.

Flowers come in clusters and never fully open. There is considerable variation to the colour of the flowers. Ours are entirely green, others can have a yellow lip.

This is Amorphophallus bulbifera, Devil's Tongue Lily. I've written about this before but each year it is so spectacular that it deserves some mention. When it firsts flowers, it gives off an odour much like LPG. But this lasts for only a few days. If it gets pollinated by flies or other insects, it develops seeds. This plant has the capacity to spread as rodents , birds and some insect move the seeds about and they readily germinate.
A. bulbifera after flowering and in seed.

A Mob of Syntherata!

2011-11-09T06:25:00.009+10:00

Denis Wilson noted that his lights were mobbed by the large saturniid moth, Opodiphthera helenae (White), the Helena Emperor Moth. At about the same time, we in the tropics, about 2000 km to the north of Robertson, NSW where Denis made his observations, had the same occurrence with a related moth, Syntherata janetta (White). The caterpillars of his moth feed on a wide range of trees but are most commonly associated with Gum Trees (Eucalyptus spp.)

Our moth is known from the Northern Territory and north Queensland south to central New South Wales. The caterpillars feed on a wide range of rainforest trees but eucalyptus is not one of them.

What could be the reason for the outbreak of these two moths at approximately the same time of year at localities so different and so far apart. Maybe it is associated with the phase of the moon (see the moon to the left!) or the fact that these moths emerge every spring at this time. Or, perhaps, the excessive wet period of last year was just what these species needed to provide abundant food plants that has led to the large numbers of adults on the move.

Below is a sample of males of S. janetta illustrating some of the variation distinctive of this species. Additional examples can be viewed on Buck Richardson's Kuranda Moth site.

The most common colour morph of S. janetta.

The least common colour morph of S. janetta.

Not So Precise

2011-11-06T10:52:00.008+10:00

Unlike the Green Grocers seen in the blog below that are very precise when they commence their calling songs, the Four O'clock Moth may appear at 4.00 pm or earlier or later.
Dysphania numana (Cramer) (Geometridae: Geometrinae), the Four O'clock Moth

The seems an unusual geometrid moth and it is. It is a member of genus that has species in the Oriental Region as well as Australia. All are brightly coloured. D. numana is a large moth with some specimens measuring 8 cm across.

The caterpillars feed on a freshwater mangrove, Carallia brachiata (Rhizophoraceae) and on the leaves of Melicope elleryana (Rutaceae). The caterpillars are said to position themselves so that they resemble catkin flowers. Their bright yellow colours and the startling colours of the moth suggest that both caterpillar and moth are distasteful to vertebrates.

The Four O'clock moniker stems from the fact that the moths fly in late afternoon. However, on dark days they can fly earlier and well into the evening, hence the presence of this one at the light sheet.

Like Clockwork

2011-11-06T10:02:00.007+10:00

The Northern Green Grocer, Cychlochila virens Distant

For the past few weeks each night at 6.42 pm (EST) large numbers of Northern Green Grocer, Cychlochila virens Distant, commence their deafening cacophony. The blast lasts for 15 minutes, then there is silence. Evening downpours do not deter these insects. Max Moulds tells me this will continue for weeks with the starting times beginning slightly later as daylight light lengthens. Starting times may vary with locality because Max in his book states these cicadas commence at approximately 7.15, or, perhaps, he made his observations much later in the season.

Its amazing that these big cicadas are so precise with their group calling song and they are all in synchrony as you can hear below. This species lives in lush rainforest in a very narrow distribution in the Cairns region along the coast and on some inland tablelands.

Literature

Moulds, . S. 1990. Australian Cicadas. Pp. 1-217. New South Wales University Press, Kensington, NSW.

The Eyes Have It

2011-10-31T17:18:00.009+10:00

Tis the season! With onset of warm spring weather March Flies (in America Horse Flies) make their annual pesty appearance. Fortunately, their season is short but while they are on the move, they can be very annoying--especially if you are a kangaroo or wallaby. They are active by day. If you have ever thought of travelling by car throughout Alaska, you will experience these flies (and Blackflies) like never before). Australian Tabanidae comprise about 100 or more species.

The larvae of these flies breed in wet soil, along streams, in beach sand and in tree holes and the like. With the exceptional wet season and its augmentation by spring rains, it has set the stage for an exceptional year for March Flies.

This is a well studied group of flies because of their medical and veterinary importance. Livestock can be driven frantic by attacks of the flies. Most species suck blood but there are a few, as with mosquitoes, that feed on flowers. And as with mosquitoes, if you are bitten, you are bitten by the "weaker" sex. No human diseases have been transmitted by March Flies in Australia but "loaiasis" of humans (loa loa) occurs in Africa and trypanosome infections of stock is common in certain Old World countries. Anthrax can be transmitted by March Flies. Within Australia, disease transmission of a filaroid nematode is known in kangaroos and wallabies. Humans do not seem to be affected by this.

A female March Fly (Tabanidae). There is a "bridge" between the eyes of females that identifies them along with the developed mouthparts. The protruding portion, the labellum, serves as sponge to lap up the blood as it accumulates form the wound.

A male March Fly. Note that each compound eye touches the other.

March Flies seem to find their prey by sight. They are active by day but males are often found buzzing around lights. This suggests they are on the move searching for females after dark.

The compound eye consists of hundreds of facets that convey a mosaic image to the fly.

The head comprises a pair of compound eyes. Females have large numbers of facets to their eyes; males do as well but they need them to find females, not potential hosts. Females need a blood meal in order to produce a successful clutch of eggs.

A close look at one of the eyes reveals it is a myriad of individual facets.

A clique of Clicks

2011-10-29T12:13:00.005+10:00

Everyone is familiar with click Beetles. They seem to occur everywhere. Wherever a light is burning in the temperate and tropical world you can expect to see a Click Beetle of some description. Several dozen species occur in the north Queensland rainforests. They range in size from a few millimetres to 45 mm or so. They are mostly dull-coloured but there are notable exceptions like Paracalais clicks that have a camouflage pattern similar to the pattern lichens present on rainforest trees.

The body shape is characteristic and the angles of the thorax are produced. Ventrally there is a spine-like process that fits into a groove. This causes the "click" that allows the beetles to flip when it is disturbed or when they inadvertently fall on their backs. The body integument is very tough and you frequently see birds attempting to "crack" larger beetles, usually with little success.

Click beetle larvae live in the soil and are often called Wireworms. Several species are economically important because of their depredations to roots of crops like wheat and other grasses. Adult clicks live in foliage; some are predaceous, others feed on plant material.

it is estimated there are 70 genera in Australia with 667 described species. Andrew Calder has produced a monograph on the Australian fauna.

A Click Beetle, Paracalais sp. in a typical position-on its back.

The same beetle right-side up.
A close look at the colour pattern revels that it comprises modified hairs or scales.

A large specimen of Lanelator sp. Note the sharp angles of the thorax, a characteristic of the Elateridae.

Reference

Calder, A. E. 1996. Click Beetles Genera of the Australian Elateridae (Coleoptera). Monographs on invertebrate Taxonomy, Vol. 2. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Vic.

Beetles on the Move

2011-10-29T09:07:00.004+10:00

It's that time of year again. There are many beetles at the lights each night. The Long-horns (family Cerambycidae) are among the most spectacular because many are large and some quite colourful. They range in size from some minute species a half centimetre long to some real giants 70 mm or more in length. The larvae live in and feed on wood, mostly decaying wood. There are some species that do inhabit living trees and shrubs and feed on living tissue. Some Long-horns are pests of the timber industry. The adults of many species are commonly found on flowers where they feed on pollen and the floral parts themselves. They are effective pollinators. For the most part, Long-horned beetles are part of the recycling process-turning dead wood back into soil.

This beetle is Archetypus frenchi (family Cerambycidae; subfamily Prioninae). It measures around 50 mm and is rather formidable.

These jaws are not for predation but for chewing into wood for egg laying and for defense. Such large beetles are a potential food source for many reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals.

This is another prionine cerambycid. It is even larger than Archetypus. Curiously with their great size, appearance and appeal as specimens for a collection, Australian prionines are in need of revisionary studies. About 1200 Australian species have been described but there are many undescribed species waiting in line for taxonomists to name them.
Many cerambycids can deliver a painful bite. They have very good eyesight and use it effectively.

Thanks to Jack Hasenpusch for the identification of Archetypus.

Return to Oz!

2011-10-26T13:27:00.005+10:00

Anyone familiar with this blog will note a lengthy hiatus between the last offering and now. We were in the USA for almost 2 months visiting relatives and friends and attending the Ig-Nobel ceremonies. DR and Darryl Gwynne were awarded this year's prize in Biology for an observation made in Western Australia in the early 1980's. But more on this later.

Recent rains of around 300 mm have brought out the spring insects in quantity. It was nice to be greeted on the first night by Ozphyllum kuranda Rentz, Su and Ueshima.

O. kuranda is an occupant of understorey vegetation. Like many rainforest species, it can be common at times and then seemingly disappear for several years. There are two known species in the genus, this one from coastal forests from Mackay to Kuranda and another, O. naskreckii from similar habitats in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland to just north of Brisbane. Both species are plant feeders and males produce a very loud zip-like call that even this old bloke can hear.
Ozphyllum katydids are very soft-bodied and rather sluggish in their behaviour, relying more on camouflage to avoid detection. The short, round wings suggest that they cannot fly much, if at all. Gliding or short flights are probably about the best these katydids can manage. The disk-like eggs are probably laid in cracks in bark but no observations have been made.

The closest known relative of Ozphyllum is probably Cosmophyllum, a genus known from Chile. This suggests that these katydids are remnants of a time long ago when the southern continents were conjoined.

Literature

Rentz, D. C. F., Su, Y. N., Ueshima, N. 2007. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: Ozphyllum, a new genus of Phaneropterine katydids with comments on its relationships and ecology (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae). Zootaxa 1629 57-68. (pdf's available)

Stopped Dead In It Tracks

2011-09-09T15:03:00.003+10:00

This adult Balta sp. cockroach (family Ectobiidae=Blattellidae of many authors) was killed in its tracks by a parasitic disease, either a bacterial infection or a fungal disease. Insect diseases are sought by researchers in Biological Control. Several kinds of insect diseases have been employed to control pest insects. A fungus, Metarhizium, has been used to successfully control grasshoppers and locusts in many countries. These fungi are usually quite host specific and do not transfer to non target organisms. Some have been genetically modified just for this purpose. Could the disease that killed this cockroach have potential in controlling other cockroach species that infest homes, hospitals and restaurants?

A Close Call

2011-09-07T06:20:00.004+10:00

We have had a few days of rain following a period of very dry weather. As a result very dry rainforest vegetation became wet and sodden in a couple of days.

This huge branch, which was rotten at its core, just could not cope with the weight of water-soaked Basket Ferns and came crashing to the ground during the day.

As you can see, it was right in front of the light sheet! This would have been a major catastrophe, for me, had I been standing there at the time. No additional damage was done. I could find no insects of any kind amongst the foliage as I dismembered the fallen limb. Pity.

Reprodctive Strategies

2011-08-14T17:19:00.014+10:00

It's been a cold "winter" in the tropics. No freezing temperatures at Kuranda but many nights around 10C or lower. I am told that this "cold" weather usually only last a few weeks but this year it has been continual since May.

A few things have been showing up at the lights, especially if there is some moisture in the air and if is a bit windy. With the orthopteroid insects, there have not been many but those that have been see are worth noting.

Many orthopteroids have a single generation per year. In the tropics there are some that have continual generations, others that are very seasonal and still others that hang on during the winter months. It is the latter, the rainforest crickets and katydids that overwinter as adults that are dealt with here. A study of seasonality of insect species in Panama revealed that some 37% occurred throughout the year and the others have distinct seasonal periods of adult activity. It is too soon to offer a figure for the orthopteroid insects for this site in Kuranda.

This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it complete. It is just an observation based on this winter. I maintain a database of all the orthopteroid insects ( and earwigs) that I see at this site in the Kuranda rainforest. I keep a log of the dates they are seen.

It is peculiar on another note that some katydids and crickets that might be commonly seen one year may go unseen for several years hence. Just what it is that influences this type of phenomenon requires some very detailed work. Could it be some host plant that comes and goes? Are there climatic conditions that affect these species? For example, could fungus attack these species more voraciously during wet periods and thereby reduce their numbers?

Here are a few examples noted this year of orthopteroids that overwinter as adults, at least in the Kuranda rainforest.

Crickets

Metioche vittaticollis (Gryllidae; Trigonidiinae; Trigonidiini)

This little leaf-running cricket seems especially common this year. It has been found in the mixed eucalypt forests in the Mareeba area.
Homoeoxipha lycoiodes (Walker) (Gryllidae: Trigonidiinae; Trigonidiini)

This species is widespread throughout the Pacific and Asia. Its incessant chirping calls have been reported before in this blog. They seem to sing most warm days and evenings throughout the year.
Amusurgus tinka Otte and Alexander (Gryllidae; Trigonidiinae; Trigonidiini)

This is one of many "silent" crickets. These will be the subject of a future blog. This is the commonest of five species in the genus found at this site. It lives on the ground in leaf litter and has been found at the lights every month of the year and usually each night.

Katydids

Paraphisis (Tapangiphisis) alumba Rentz (Tettigoniidae; Listroscelidinae; Phisisdini) - Yungaburra Spider Katydid

This species has only recently been discovered in Kuranda. It is known from the Atherton Tableland to Mt Lewis, Qld., so it is not really surprising to find it around Kuranda. It is a predator and matures throughout the winter with adults appearing in early spring. It has been recorded each month of the year. This species is nocturnal and feeds on a variety of small insects. It can be observed nervously searching leaves of rainforest shrubs and trees after dark.

Caedicia goobita Rentz, Su, Ueshima (Phaneropterinae; Group Ephippithytae)

This katydid is known only from the rainforests in Kuranda where adults have been observed every month of the year.

Acauloplacella (Acauloplacella) queenslandica (Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae; Phyllomimini)- The Chirping Leaf-mimic

The chirping calls of this katydid can be heard most nights of the year when the nocturnal temperatures are warm-about 25C. This species is a leaf eater and exists with at least two others in the genus in the Kuranda rainforests. It is not know if the other species share the same biological characteristics.

Cockroaches
Platyzosteria (Melanozosteria) sp. (Blattidae; Polyzosteriinae)

Cockroaches are the most diverse of the orthopteroid insects in the rainforest. At my place I have recorded over 90 species. This is almost unbelievable but the records prove it. They occur is all habitats from treetops to the soil and in decaying wood etc. This female is carrying an ootheca (egg case) which she will deposit in a crack in some decaying wood when it is ready. Records suggest that this cockroach occurs as an adult throughout the year.

Johnrehnia tibrogargana Roth (Ectobiidae; Blattellinae)

The ectobiines (formerly the family Blattellidae) are the most diverse group in terms of species in this rainforest. There are literally dozens and dozens of species. Most are nocturnal and graze on the fallout from the canopy on leaf surfaces after dark. During the day they hide in the leaf litter. There myriads of nymphs and adults of many species can be found. They are important decomposers.

Neolaxta mackerrasae Roth (Blaberidae; Perisphaeriinae)

This flattened cockroach spends the day under bark or in accumulations of twigs and debris in the forks or crotches of large trees. At night males frequently come to lights. Females are wingless and resemble little trilobites. Adults have been observed during the wet season and well into the dry (Jan-Aug.).

Mantids
It's quite unexpected to find any mantid during the winter (dry season). Adult
Kongobatha diametata Hebard (Iridopterygidae: Tropidomantinae; Tropidomantini)-Snake Mantid

The most common mantid at lights in the Kuranda rainforest. This species has been recorded every month of the year and can be seen almost anytime a light sheet is in operation. It spends the daytime in the canopy sheltering on the undersides of leaves.

Metoxypilus australis Westwood (Amorphoscelidae; Paraoxyplinae; Paraoxypilini)

This little tree-running mantid has been recorded as an adult every month of the year.

Nice Aquatics

2011-07-24T12:16:00.016+10:00

One of the nice things for an aquarist about living in the tropics is the chance to experience the diversity of decapod stream life.

Freshwater crabs occur is several places around Australia and we have some in the streams and lakes here in the north. This little fellow is probably in the genus Holthusiana. It was found in a temporary pond during the wet season.

Holthusiana sp.

Holthusiana sp. Appears to be a small female. it has moutled at least once and does not seem to bother the fish. It feeds on plant material and flake fish food.

Each stream and lake up this way seems to have a variety of shrimp of many species in several different families. Many are quite colourful like the one below. It breeds in the community tank with plenty of fish present. There is abundant plant life that must hide the immature shrimps.

An unidentified freshwater shrimp.

Riffle Shrimp, Atyidae

These shrimp live in the fast-flowing portions of rainforest streams where they can be found amongst rocks and debris.

This is a Riffle Shrimp, Australatya striolata

These shrimp feed by gathering plant material and detritus off rocks and plants using brush-like setae on the tips of the claws of the first and second pairs of legs.

They are fairly easy to keep in the tank. This species likes fast-flowing water and positions itself in the stream of the return flow from the filter.

Setae on the front legs used to collect small food items.

Thanks to Keith Martin for suggestions.

Yellow-spotted Honeyeater

2011-07-06T15:57:00.007+10:00

The Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Meliphaga notata, is one of three very similar species as common residents in the rainforests and gardens around Kuranda. All three have distinct calls. This species is distinguished by its fairly large size and the yellow patch behind the eye and the stripe that runs from the bill to below the eye. It is wide-ranging extending south to Victoria.

The other species are identified as follows:

Lewins Honeyeater, Meliphaga lewinii, has a crescentic earpatch, and a more rapid song. It is about the same size, maybe a little smaller than the Yellow-spotted

The Graceful Honeyeater, Meliphaga gracilis, is the smallest of the three, has an elongate bill and a larger more elongate earpatch.

The song of the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater is loud and easily recognised.

A Sad Situation

2011-07-06T06:11:00.008+10:00

This little Striped Possum, Dactylopsila trivirgata, is a real cutie. It comes to the bird feeder night after night and enjoys hoeing into a couple of cut oranges. They are normally consider to be insectivorous but feed on fruit and leaves as opportunities arise.

But a closer look reveals something disturbing.

A closer look reveals that this little guy is missing his left eye and his ear is damaged as well. What could be the cause? Not a snake attack and surely not an attack from an owl. The owl would have won. Possums fight a lot amongst one another but I would doubt that a fight would cause such a seemingly debilitating injury. My friend Peter Shanahan feels this little possum was the victim of an attack from a feral cat. Seems logical.

Even with the loss of one eye, it is remarkable that the possum can make accurate jumps from tree to feeding tray and to the rather thin trunk of a tree fern without mishap. He seems to have compensated for the lack of perception caused by the loss of the eye quite nicely.

Canoodling Cassowaries

2011-07-01T11:03:00.006+10:00

With the scuttling of this year's chicks, the cassowaries have developed other interests.

The other day while I was attacking our storeroom, the curious cassowaries showed up. After a bit of a look-see, their interests turned to other activities.

Talking things over.
Mrs Cassowary has ideas.
Mrs Cassowary laid down on the wet ground and Mr Cassowary approached. Both were silent.
Once atop, the male would use his left leg to "stroke" the side of the female. I use the term loosely. He actually scraped her fairly roughly and I expected to find feathers on the ground.

After a while they departed. I have no idea whether a successful copulation took place, but they will doubtlessly try again. This is the second time in a few years that they have mated in nearly the same place.

My friends Sue & Phil Gregory noted that the female made a rumbling sound when they observed mating in the past.

I apologise for the second-rate nature of the photos but with birds of that size and their notorious unpredictability, I did not want to venture too close. You understand!

An Odd Moth

2011-07-01T09:59:00.005+10:00

The recent spate of wet warm weather has prompted an extraordinary emergence of moths.

This is Krananda extranotata Prout, family Geometridae; Ennominae. Some years ago when I first encountered it, I thought that the generic name was a annotation of "Kuranda" but since the type species of the genus was from Bengal, it has a different meaning. The generic name probably refers to an Asian word that means "tambourine", probably a reference to the translucent appearance of the moth.

Australia seems to have only one species in the genus and it seems uncommon around Kuranda.

The End of the Beginning

2011-06-21T15:13:00.006+10:00

Each year around time, it is time for the male cassowary to desert his offspring.
Ever since the birth of his three chicks in late October the male has looked after the chicks, protecting them and initiating them into the rainforest world. If he has done his job properly, he has taught them where and what to eat and where to find it. Now in mid June the female is often in the presence of the male and this suggests that the mating season will be soon upon them and then nesting will occur.

But before that, last year's teeners must be dispensed with. Where days earlier, the male allowed the bubs to crawl all over him and seek refuge under his bulk at night, all of this suddenly changes.

One of three "teenage" Cassowaries

The male drives the bubs away like a mother hen with her clutch when it is time to send them on their way. He is quite insistent chasing the chicks off into the bush.

The bubs just stand there looking and crying their intense distress call. But to no avail. the male does not come to their rescue. This screaming continues for some days. It is a common sound in the rainforest this time of year.

But things can become worse. The male will drive the young teeners well out of his territory, using a great deal of force and bluff if necessary.

The bubs are most vulnerable at this time. They must be able to find food in the midst of the dry season which is the most stressful time of the year. They must also avoid dogs, dingos, pigs and vehicles. A big ask for young callow birds. But the most successful will survive.

It has been our experience that once the male drives away the bubs, after a short period of time, we never see the juveniles again. They just move away and establish their own territory. They eventually lose the ability to produce the distress call and live in a mostly silent, solitary world.

A Flying Seed-cracker, Broughton's Snout-nose

2011-06-13T14:57:00.008+10:00

Over the course of the year we find a number of insects at the lights that really are out of place in the rainforest.

Broughton's Snout-nosed Katydid, Euconocephalus broughtoni Bailey, is one such insect. This katydid lives in grassy verges. it is most commonly found along roadsides. Every so often one or more show up at the light indicating that this katydid does some high altitude flying at night. (This is similar in some respects to the behaviour of the Pygmy Grasshopper mentioned in a previous blog.) For a katydid, this species is rather robust and you would think it incapable of long flights.

This is an uncommon katydid. It is a member of the tribe Copiphorini of the large and varied tettigoniid subfamily Conocephalinae. Other members of this tribe are more common. Several species of Pseudorhynchus are more commonly encountered in similar ecological situations.

The slant-face of this and most other copiphorines seems adapted for two activities. Feeding is one and the other may have to do with escape strategy, at least in some of these grass-feeders.

When threatened, they dive deep into the grasses and stick their heads in the substrate. The protruding part of the katydid resembles a blade of grass or a dead stem. They remain motionless in this position until the danger passes.

The mandibles are formidable and the katydid can deliver a painful bite that draws blood suggesting it must be a carnivore. But it is not. The head is full of powerful muscles that are used in cracking the tough seed coats of the grasses the katydid eats.

Note that the mandibles are not bilaterally symmetrical. The seed is probably positioned on one side and then cracked on the other. Also note that the maxillary palps are positioned just in front of the mandibles. These structures contain many sensory hairs that relay the message to bite.

Also note the pair prongs between the first pair of legs. These are often present in katydids and can vary in length and width depending upon the species. Their function is not known.

The reason for this blog is to present the Calling song of this katydid. It is similar to the songs of many Pseudorhynchus species but quite different.

The sound is produced by stridulation. On the underside of the left forewing, where the arrow points, is a file. It resembles the teeth of a comb. Through rapid back and forth movements of the wings, the file moves over a modified vein on the right wing, and the sound is produced. The structure of the wing is of the utmost importance in producing the right sound. Females are attracted only to males that they recognise. In this group, only males produce sound.

Australia's Largest Insects

2011-06-10T12:48:00.008+10:00

The recent aquisition of a truly Giant Stick Insect has prompted this bit of "crowing". Australia's largest insects are to be found in the general vicinity of Kuranda.

But first we have to establish what we mean by "largest". In this sense I am using the term to describe the "longest" and "heaviest" of Australian insects.

Australia's longest insect is the Gargantuan Stick insect, Ctenomorpha gargantua Brock and Hasenpusch.

It was a rather excited Margit who phoned when the giant above hurtled its way into her garden and lit of the wall of her patio. She attempted to feed it but found it dead in a day or two.
The female of the Gargantuan Stick Insect above measured approximately 56 cm from the outstretched tip of the foreleg to the end of the flag-like cercus. It actually shrank a bit after it dried out. It was found on the Atherton Tableland.

Above we see it barely fitting in an insect drawer! The stick insect alongside it is the rather common and large Wuelfing's Stick Insect, Acrophylla wuelfingi Redtenbacher. This insect is known to most northern gardeners who often find it on a variety of fruit trees. The body length of the Acrophylla above measures 21.2 cm.

The world's longest insect is also a stick insect. It is Phobaeticus chani Bragg, a species from the rainforests of Borneo and named after a friend, Datuk Chew Lun Chan. The one with the record measured 56.7 cm. BUT in their Guide to Australian Stick insects, Brock and Hasenpusch illustrate a Kuranda resident holding a female of a specimen reputed to be even larger. He measured it at 61.5 cm long. So had this specimen been kept, it would have been the record holder for the world's longest insect. Records are made to be broken. Sorry Datuk!

The heaviest insect in Australia is actually a cockroach, the Burrowing cockroach, Macropanesthia rhinoceros Saussure, described long ago in 1895 from Queensland. A number of disjunct populations are known of this species in the Australian tropics.

Adults of this cockroach can weigh more than 30 gr.

The Giant Burrowing Cockroach is like a miniature bulldozer. It lives in habitats where the soil is sandy. It establishes a burrow system and drags suitable leaves and and seeds to feed its young which are protected by the mother and live in the burrows. Adults can survive for 5 years or so and are interesting pets that can be kept in plastic containers and fed on muesli. They require little or no water.

In the autumn, males emerge and look for females are often seen crossing roads. To my horror a fellow living in the Mt Garnet area, where the species is common, told me he "collects them for his chooks!"

The "rhinoceros" part of the name of this insects is appropriate. It uses the scoop-like portion of the thorax to dig in sandy soils. The stout, spiny legs are very strong and well suited to digging. Beneath the thorax are a pair of eyes and short antennae. A remarkable insect. (As a cockroach it is a great ambassador- it is clean, disease free and does not produce any disagreeable odours.)

More Moths

2011-05-27T10:58:00.007+10:00

There seems to be an unending parade of moths to the lights each night. For one interested in studies of colour and from, this is surely the place to be.
Aethaloessa calidalis, family Pyralidae; Pyraustinae. This moth seems most active during the day. The bright orange colour is probably a warning to vertebrates to stay away.
Pollanisus sp., family, Zygaenidae.There are a number of species in the genus. All the adults are rather elegant small moths. The larvae probably feed on the leaves of Hibbertia sp.
Saptha libanota, family Choreutidae seems to be a diurnal species. Nothing is known of the larval habits of this species.
Lyclene pyraula, family Arctiidae, another common visitor at the lights that is seldom encountered during the day. Fresh moths are always spectacular.
Asota orbona; family Aganidae, female.
Anomis flava (Fabricius), family Noctuidae; subfamily Catocalinae, is an old name as its author Fabricius indicates. This moth in the Ethiopian and Oriental regions and in the islands of the Pacific as well as northern and Easter Australia. The larva feeds on cotton and other malvaceous plants.
Bracca rotundata Butler, family Geometridae; subfamily Ennominae, has a narrow range from Cooktown to Eungella, Queensland. It seems to be avoided by birds. Moths attracted to the light sheet remain there throughout the day, undisturbed by the variety of birds that eat the other moths.
Phazaca mutans, family Uraniidae, subfamily Epipleminae has an unusual stance that contributes to its resembling an imperfection in a leaf.
Vitessa zemire, family Pyralidae, subfamily Pyralinae, is an example of a moth with connections to India and the Pacific. It is less common than many other moths. It
Glyphodes canthusalis (Walker), family Pyralidae; subfamily Pyraustinae, has a rather narrow distribution in rainforests from Cape York to northern New South Wales.
Spodoptera picta (Guen.-Men.) is broadly distributed from Asia, India and the Pacific where it extends south from Thursday Island to central New South Wales. The larva lives on Crinum lilies, a number of which are native, and others are introduced. These lilies are widely used as garden plants and the moths spread in this manner.
Daphnis placida, family Sphingidae, subfamily Macroglossinae, is common in the Northern Territory and eastern Australia from Torres Strait to northern New South Wales. The larvae feed on the rainforest tree Alstonia constricta and Ervantamia angustisepala.
Nacoleia diemenalis (Guen.), family Pyralidae, subfamily Pyraustinae, is a leaf-roller and causes damage to a number of crops. Garden beans are a favourite. It is a widespread moth and is known from Africa, India, indonesia and Taiwan as well as Austrlia.
Nyctemera secundiana, family Arctiidae, subfamily Arctiinae. This is a widespread and common species that seems to be active day and night. It's slow-flying habit suggests that it is "advertising" to the vertebrate community that it is distaseful and should be avoided.
The same species in typical resting posture.
This is Utetheisa aegrotum, family Arctiidae, subfamily Arctiinae. It is hard to believe that it is in a different genus from Nyctemera. Note the spots on the thorax as opposed to the stripes on the thorax of the former.

Musings!

2011-05-27T10:38:00.006+10:00

During a morning patrol of the shadehouse, I discovered this small mosquito, Tripteroides sp. (kindly identified by Dr Scott Ritchie) feeding on the sap of the flower stem of a Sophorolaeliacattleya orchid.

You can see from the photo the mozzie has its beak in the flower. This is probably one way that viruses can be spread from pant to plant. The Mosquito family, Culicidae, has many members that feed on plant sap. They are often quite colourful.

This handsome weevil, Enteles vicinus Faust, is the first of its kind seen around here. It reminds one of "New Guinea weevils" many of which are large and colourful. Relatives of this species are associated with bananas.

What's This?

2011-05-24T17:20:00.009+10:00

That's odd!
From the other side. This seems even odder!

What you see is the contortion made by an adult male Tree Cricket, Xabea atalaia Otte & Alexander, all in the interest of sex. If you look carefully at the bottom photo you'll see the cricket's wings coming out at about an 80 degree angle.

The male tree cricket either makes a hole or finds a hole in a leaf. He then inserts his head through the hole and then commences his calling song. The body is bent so that the vibrating forewings are framed in the hole. The curvature of the leaf acts as a band shell. This provides the song of the cricket with a loud and resonant quality since the leaf is acting as an amplifier. The cricket always inserts his head in the hole so that the curved portion of the leaf is where the wings are.

The adult male photographed above.
When viewed closely, Xabea tree crickets often have beautiful patterns on the head and thorax.
The leaf with the hole used by the cricket above. The shrub the cricket was using had much damage from caterpillars and I suspect the cricket found the hole and used it. Other crickets were found on the shrub.

This is not the only Tree Cricket that enhances its calling song using leaves in this way. Other species of Xabea do the same thing and the North American Tree Cricket Neoxabea bipunctata (DeGeer) uses leaves in a similar manner.

Aquatic Insects On The Move

2011-05-17T06:16:00.014+10:00

The recent spate of dry weather is reducing the marshy hinterlands to the usual dry grasslands. As a result aquatic insects whose numbers have grown considerably over the recent wet season, are taking to flight, probably to find more suitable habitats.

Most of the flights take place at night. Many of these nocturnal wanderers are deflected from their flights by electric lights. This has resulted in some unusual visitors.

Recently Pygmy Grasshoppers have descended on the region in their millions. They frequented the lights around service stations in the Cairns district as well as along the storefronts on the main street of Atherton. All of the specimens I found were of the widespread Australian species Paratettix nigrescens Sjostedt.

The Pygmy Grasshopper, Paratettix nigrescens Sjostedt; family Tetrigidae.

Pygmy Grasshoppers are, as you would guess, small. This fellow measures about 8 mm in length. These insects feed on algae and diatoms along the margins of streams and lakes. They also invade on marshy ground-so long as it stays marshy where their numbers can swell. In Australia, they can often be found on perennially wet lawns. [Note the pad-like forewing called the tegmen.]
Most pygmy grasshoppers occur in a number of colour morphs. This affords camouflage on gravelly substrates where they are virtually invisible until they fly.

Along with the grasshoppers there has been an unusually large number of water beetles showing up at the lights.

Gyrinid beetles rarely appear at my lights even though a stream is only about 20m distant. But around 10 May many could be seen. These are the beetles you see on the surface of lakes or in quiet areas of streams where they feed on particulate matter that drops onto the water. They, in effect, have four eyes. Each eye is horizontally divided into two. Half is above water, the other half below. So the beetle can scan both worlds. When threatened, the beetles dive underwater and hang onto a branch or rock until the danger passes, then they release and float to the surface.
Many other water beetles, primarily in the families Hydrophilidae and Dytiscidae, fly at night.
This is the colourful dytiscid water beetle, Hydaticus vittatus, a common water beetle over much of eastern Australia.
This is a Pygmy or Dwarf Cricket, Pteronemobius regulus (Saussure). This genus is cosmopolitan with species occurring around aquatic habitats throughout the world. They don't often enter the water but live on mucky ground around the margins of streams and marshes. Several species often live sympatrically at a given locality. Males sing with distinctive soft continuous or pulsating calls, heard mostly at night.

The Perching Dung Beetles of Wongabel

2011-05-07T13:07:00.010+10:00

On a recent nocturnal photographic trip to Wongabel Arboretum, not far from Atherton, north Queensland, we noted number of perching dung beetles on foliage after dark. This is not an uncommon observation in tropical Australia but I was surprised to discover from colleague, Tom Weir, that three friends had written about this phenomenon some years ago.

Howden et al. (1991) reported that they found some 22 species of Scarabaeinae dung beetles at Wongabel.

A perching dung beetle, Onthophagus dicranocerus Matthews on Lantana at night. Body length approx. 11mm.

It seems that in the New World Tropics, dung beetles sort themselves on their perches by size. That is, the smaller species are found closer to the ground than the larger ones.

So the Howdens and Ross Storey recorded the height on each perch for 561 individual dung beetles at Wongabel. [Something for you to do on a dull night, but we did not observe anyone else in the rainforest measuring dung beetles or doing anything else for that matter!]

They discovered that there is no clear evidence at Wongabel that the smaller species positoned themselves closer to the ground than the larger ones.

A female O. dicranocerus atop a leaf and waiting to pick up a signal that dung is near through sensory receptors on her antennae.

Why do these beetles perch? It is most likely for the detection of fresh dung, be it from Wallabies, possums or other mammals or, perhaps, birds. But oddly enough, perching seems confined only to the dung beetles in tropical rainforests. Elsewhere in Australia they do not perch at night.

A male O. dicranocerus partially disturbed by me and the falling rain. His antennae are partially withdrawn. Note the paired projections off the head that gives the species its name.

The typical perching behaviour for rainforest dung beetles is with the lamellate antennae extended and flared.

The lamellate antenna of one of the dung beetles poised to pick up scents of a potential feast or sex!

Some general observations by the Howdens and Storey

1. The beetles preferred smooth, shiny leaves and seemed to avoid aroids and hairy or spiny leaves. [Having an experience with the nettles of Wongabel, I can agree with the dung beetles!] 2. Perching occurs on rainy or clear nights.

3. There is no stratification for height of perching based on the size of the beetle.

4. The five common perching species perched, on average, below the 60 cm level and all averaged under 10 mm in length.

5. Some generic differences were noted.

6. Australian native species shared no lineages with other continents.

7. In time the Wongabel perchers have had to shift their food preference from dung of other mammals to marsupials.

8. The perching habit of Australian beetles may have evolved independently from those of the New World.

9. Perching in some species seems to be a foraging strategy.

A note: It shows what can be accomplished with a little thought and a specialization in a group of insects. With the current trend towards the diminution of taxonomists, this sort of thought process will be lost.

Thanks to Tom Weir for comments.

Literature.

Howden, H. F., Howden, A., Storey, R. 1991. Nocturnal perching of scarabaeine dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in an Australian tropical rainforest. Biotropica, 23(1): 51-57.

Another visitor

2011-04-15T05:55:00.004+10:00

The fluttering of the fruit moths was a bit much for this White-lipped Treefrog. He sat there for more than a half hour. Then the Striped possum showed up and started to defend the feeder noisily threatening the frog. After a while the frog disappeared making me wonder if it had been eaten by the possum. It seemed a bit too large for that scenario. It was as big as my hand.

But alas, the next morning the frog (I assume it was the same individual) was strategically perched on top of the black light fixture where it is warm and provides the frog with a "box seat" for incoming insects.

A Hump-nosed Cricket, Loxoblemmus pallens (Serville)

2011-04-14T16:24:00.009+10:00

This is an example of a large genus of Asian and African crickets found living on the ground in leaf litter. Loxoblemmus crickets can be found in rainforests or in mixed woodland. They are often common and heard singing after dark. In their book on the Australian Crickets, Otte and Alexander (1983) list two species in the genus from Australia.

This species, L. pallens (Serville), is found only in Australia where it has a patchy distribution along the cost of Queensland north of Bundaberg. At times it is relatively common. Both sexes are short-winged and cannot fly. We found a population in some native woodland north of Mareeba, Queensland. Males have a pronounced hump between the eyes.

Calling Song of the Hump-nosed Cricket, Loxoblemmus pallens.

Oscillogram of the calling song of the hump-nosed cricket. The song is a continuous chirp broken at rather regular intervals.

Reference

Otte, D., Alexander, R. D. 1983. The Australian Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Monograph 22. Pp. 1-477.

An elegant Visitor

2011-04-10T12:53:00.007+10:00

Striped Possum

This is the Striped Possum, Dactylospila trivirgata; Petaluridae, an infrequent visitor. It is larger than a squirrel and somewhat smaller than a small cat.

It is peculiar in that it has the fourth finger modified into an elongate probing tool. It uses this to pry insect larvae from underneath bark.

It is said to be an insectivore and maybe it was attracted by the moths seen in the blog below. Not much is known about this species so it may be eating some of the fruit as well.

The Striped Possum occurs in rainforests and adjacent eucalypt woodland on the east coast of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland and north to New Guinea.

These possums have a powerful, unpleasant smell they emit when threatened. Fortunately, this fellow seems to like our place and has never given us the "juice". It is said to be noisy. I hear growls and chattering from the tree tops at times and this fellow may be the culprit.

Moth Feeding Frenzy

2011-04-09T13:53:00.007+10:00

The attraction of certain moths to fruit has been noted before in this blog. It is always a spectacular site to approach the bird feeder in the dark and see the sparkling eyes of a bunch of large moths. You can do it yourself and see what you get. In different parts of the world, yo can expect very different moths.

Orchardists know these moths because of the damage they do to ripe or near ripe fruit.
A group of noctuids feeding on rotten fruit at the bird feeder.
This noctuid moth has its proboscis well inserted into this orange.

The coiled proboscis of a noctuid moth.
This is the "business end" of the moth's proboscis. It is serrated and clothed with stiff hairs. The action of the muscles of the feeding tube allow the moth to pierce the skin of the fruit and commence feeding. Although the moth will not eat much, the damage it causes to the fruit is by exposing the flesh of the fruit to fungi which will invade and discolor the fruit almost immediately. The cos to the farmer would be enormous were this to go unchecked. The large nets you see over orchards and individual trees limit this damage.

The Imperial Fruit-sucking Moth, Phyllodes imperialis, is impressive in size and colour. The larva is just as spectacular.

A Southern Frog with Northern Connections

2011-04-09T13:32:00.006+10:00

The Wood Frog, Rana daemeli, is the only representative of its genus in Australia. Rana is a large genus primarily off the Northern Hemisphere. Common examples are the Leopard Frogs, primarily R. fisheri, the Northern Red-legged Frog, R. draytoni, and the American Bullfrog, R. catesbeiana, a species originally from the Eastern US but which has been spread to other parts of the country and, because of its large size, has been exported to places like India where it is grown for "frogs legs", a popular food item. (I must admit, they are very nice should you ever have the chance to try them. I had them once at a Sydney restaurant!)

But back the the Wood Frog. This species occurs in the rainforest where it is abroad at night seeking insects. It has been seen around lights and smaller individuals must be eaten by large opportunistic Cane Toads, Bufo marinus. You can listen to the call of this frog on the website in the link.

A Few Interesting Beetles

2011-04-05T15:52:00.014+10:00

For the last month or so this Ground Beetle, Gnathaphanus phillippensis, has been everywhere. We find it in the rainforest as in the Mareeba-Atherton area as well. It is attracted to lights and has been seen in numbers in service stations, around street lights, in shopping centre foyers etc. It is an Australian beetle in the family Carabidae, the Ground Beetles, and probably is responding to the peculiar weather conditions we are experiencing this wet season.

Gnathaphanus phillippensis on the light sheet. The beetles aggregate and remain together for a time.

Ground Beetles are usually predaceous and many have been used to control other insects. Whether the abundance of this beetles will have any effect on the local fauna is yet to be seen.

A nitidulid that lives in palm frond sheaths

Whenever a palm frond falls, and that is often in the wet season, a look on the inside of the sheath usually reveals numbers of this colourful little beetle. It looks like a Rove Beetle but my colleague Tom Weir tells me it is a Sap Beetle, probably the genus Brachypeplus, family Nitidulidae.

Sap Beetles, family Nitidulidae, are small and usually not very colourful. Some species feed on pollen, fungi, vegetable matter; others live in bee's nests. I usually see them on decaying fruit in the bird feeder. Some nitidulids can cause considerable damage to stored dried fruit. But this species seems to live only under the palm sheathes where it is moist. As the fronds dry out, the beetles leave.

A Passalid Beetle

Passalid beetles are called Bess-bugs or Bess Beetles. About 500 species are known in the family Passalidae. There are 35 species in 9 genera recorded from Australia, (Hangay and Zborowski, 2010).

Bess-bugs have a distinct biology. Most species show parental care for eggs and young. They live in and under decaying wood and move around at night. They are infrequently attracted to lights. We find two species in the rainforests around Kuranda. This large one, 43 mm, and a smaller, more slender species about half that size.

Passalid beetles often carry mites. Some individuals are literally covered with them.

Defensive scratching of a passalid beetle when held in hand. The beetle produces sound by "stridulating". That is, the sound is produced by a rubbing of the wings against the dorsal surface of the abdomen. The larvae can also produce a squeaking sound. Sound is probably important in keeping individuals in contact with one another as well as warding off potential predators.

Reference

Hangay, G., Zborowski, P. 2010. A Guide to the Beetles of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Vic., Pp. 1-238.

An unusual Katydid

2011-04-05T14:33:00.011+10:00

Meet Phyllophorella queenslandica Rentz, Su, and Ueshima, the Queensland Small Hooded Katydid. It was only recently described (see Rentz et al., 2009). It is a member of the subfamily Phyllophorinae of the large katydid family, the Tettigoniidae.

Hooded Katydids appear to be most closely related to Bush Katydids of the subfamily Phaneropterinae. They are plant feeders just like most of the Bush Katydids.
Hooded katydids are aptly named. The hoodlike thorax, called the pronotum, is variously developed amongst all the species.

The Phyllophorinae are distributed in the Old World tropical rainforests with species known from the Indo-Malaysian or East Indian region. Twelve genera comprise the group. Some species are among the largest of katydids. The one above is a very large New Guinean representative of the genus Sasima.

Australia has two known phyllophorinae species, P. queenslandica and Siliquofera grandis, the latter a katydid of gigantic size. This giant is known from New Guinea as well as Iron Range in north Queensland. P. queenslandica is known from a few localities from Bamaga in the far north, south to Kuranda along the east coast.

The Phyllophorinae is odd in that males do not possess the usual katydid feature of a stridulatory file and scraper on the left forewing. This is the structure that produces the Calling Song distinctive of each species and important in aiding females to find their mates. How males and females get together in this group is yet to be studied.

However, they do produce a sound. When disturbed, nymphs and adults alike produce a rasping sound by rubbing a series of parallel transverse ridges on the sternum against a series of tubercles on the hind coxae. (See below)

Reference

Rentz, D. C. F., Su, Y. N., Ueshima, N. 2009. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: The Phyllophorinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phyllophorinae). Zootaxa, 2075: 55-68.

A Noisy Little Cricket

2011-03-22T17:20:00.011+10:00

This little cricket visited our lights recently when we set them in mixed wet sclerophyll vegetation near Mareeba, Qld. It is a plain cricket with greenish grey eyes. Males sing with a continuous loud series of chirps. It is a member of the Trigonidiinae, a large subfamily of Cosmopolitan species what occur in the temperate and tropical climes of most continents. Some have extensive geographic distributions.

The Trigonidiinae has been considered as a separate family by several authors. All species are small and many are colourful. Some genera produce no sounds at all. These will be dealt with in a later blog.
Anaxipha longipennis (Serville), male. Measures 11 mm from head to tip of the second pair of wings.

A. longipennis was recorded by Otte & Alexander from Australia but the Australian representative may represent something else as the species does not appear on the distribution maps in the Orthoptera Species File.

The Calling Song may hold a clue to the identification of this little cricket. It is performed at night and consists of a continuous sequence of chirps.

Oscillogram of the Calling song of A. longipennis. The song may be continuous for more than 30 seconds or until the cricket is disturbed.

Literature
Otte, D., Alexander, R. D. 1983. The Australian Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Monograph 22. Pp. 1-477.

The Last song of Summer

2011-03-22T12:02:00.008+10:00

My friend Jack Hasenpusch told me once that the loud calling song of the Mundurra Balloon Katydid, Hexacentrus mundurra Rentz, signified the end of summer to him. These katydids can be heard calling deep within tall grasses in the tropics late in the wet season. They are seldom found singing from more than 75 cm off the ground and they usually perch head downwards. But this year was different. They started calling very early. I heard the sounds of these katydids in early December at Aloomba, south of Cairns. I had not heard them so early before.

On cool nights males commence the Calling Song with a series of buzzes. It is believed that this is a "warm-up", warming the muscles for the blast that is to follow. There is a brief pause after the warm-up buzzes and then the body of the song. It is loud and easily heard from a moving car. Other species of Hexacentrus have very low calls, scarcely audible from 2m distant, but not this species. It's loud call makes it very easy to sample its distribution.

The Mundurra Balloon-winged katydid is a predator. Other katydids or grasshoppers seem to be the preferred foods. This katydid is one of 24 in the genus Hexacentrus scattered throughout the Pacific, Africa and Asia. Many, but not all, occur in tropical climes. All have distinctive calling songs but none that I know of are as loud as H. mundurra.

Females present a different appearance from the males. The wings are held close to the body and, of course, they have a long ovipositor. Females are very difficult to locate. They seem to prefer to maraud deep in the grass, hunting for other katydids, grasshoppers and beetles. Eggs are laid in the soil and hatch the following spring.

In Volume 3 of my Monograph of the Tettigoniidae of Australia, Rentz (2001), I provided the known distribution of the species. On the east coast, populations start south of the Tropic of Capricorn, near Bundaberg, Qld. and extend north in a continuous band right across the top end of the continent and south to north of Broome, W. A. Further work needs to be done to refine the western limits of the distribution of the species. There are no authentic accounts of H. mundurra in New Guinea and, perhaps, publication of this sound recording may help to determine if anyone has heard it there. Other Hexacentrus species are found in New Guinea.

Literature

Rentz, D. C. F.2001. Tettigoniidae of Australia. Volume 3. The Listroscelidinae, Tympanophorinae, Meconematinae and Microtettigoniinae. CSIRO Publications, Collingwood, Vic. Pp. 1-524.

Another Moth Night!

2011-03-13T14:12:00.034+10:00

It has been raining nightly for some weeks now. So it was with some interest that we accepted Melissa's invitation to set up our light sheet on her protected porch in the hills behind Smithfield. This is at the base of the Kuranda Range and we were happy to see much native vegetation and a perfect place to set up a light sheet. It was typical lowland rainforest at about 100 m elevation.

Here are some of the moths. Some are common but they make a colourful display. Check Buck Richardson's link for some 900 species identified for the region. This is just a small part of the total number of moths that must occur in our rainforests. The smaller moths, the microleps, are not included and they are a huge part of the total number of species that must be present.

Identifications can also be derived from the Australian Moths Online site and checking the recent Guidebook to Australian Moths by Zborowski and Edwards. Note: most of the Pyralidae are now considered by some to be in the family Crambidae.

Eudocima iridescens; Noctuidae female

Eudocima iridescens, Noctuidae, female

Eumelea stipata Turner; Geometridae

Eumelea rosalia (Stoll); Geometridae

Ischyja sp.; Noctuidae

Ischyja sp.; Noctuidae
Maruca vitrata; Pyralidae (Note distinctive stance)
Maruca vitrata; Pyralidae

Aetholix flavibasalis; Pyralidae

Saroba trimaculata; Noctuidae

Strepsinoma foveata; Pyralidae

Palpita limbata (Butler); Pyralidae
Eugoa sp.; Arctiidae

Glyphodes caesalis Walker; Pyralidae

Agrioglypta itysalis.; Pyralidae
Striglina cinnamomea; Thyrididae

Lasiolopha saturata (Walker); Nolidae

Parotis sp.; Pyralidae

Gerontha acrosthenia Zagulajev; Tineidae. Note the hind legs protrude like "tails".

?Acrocercops sp.; Gracillariidae

Conogethes pluto (Butler); Pyralidae

Dichomeris ochreoviridella; Gelechiidae

Anticrates metreta (Turner); Lacturidae

Tropidtamba lepraota; Noctuidae

Oxyodes scrobiculata; Noctuidae

Mecodina praecipua Walker; Noctuidae

Chrysothyridia invertalis; Pyralidae

Asota caricae euroa Rothschild; Aganaidae

Asota heliconia dama (Fabricius); Aganaidae

Tridrepana lunulata (Butler); Drepanidae

Astatochroa fuscimargo (Warren); Drepanidae

Antitrygodes parvimacula; Geometridae

Squatter Pigeon, An Unusual Find in A Rainforest

2011-03-12T11:42:00.006+10:00

Squatter Pigeon wandering along rainforest margin

The Squatter Pigeon, Geophaps scripta is nomally a bird of the inland arid country. Yesterday, I saw a small pigeon running about our place. It was reluctant to fly and I thought it might be a young bird of a local species. But I did not look closely to make a positive identification. This morning our neighbour, Gillian, came by to ask if we wanted to see something really rare. It was up on our lawn. And there it was, the same bird as yesterday. It was busy with searching for seeds in the lawn and was fairly easy to approach and identify.

The Squatter Pigeon is aptly named. The birds are reluctant to fly and are easily captured or shot. The early settlers were soon to discover this behaviour and hunted them relentlessly. This and the destruction of their habitat for agriculture has probably led to their vulnerable status.

But how did this bird get to the rainforest, especially if it is so reluctant to fly? Well it may be an escape from an aviary or was just off course. Who knows? There are populations in grassland country around Mareeba. The reddish ring around the eye indicates it is a local, a member of the northern population of this species. So maybe it is just off course but it's a long walk to Mareeba!

With its bumbling ways, it would seem to be a “sitting duck” for a goanna or a snake so its days in the Kuranda rainforest may be limited.

A Nice cricket

2011-03-10T06:02:00.008+10:00

Adult male of the New Guinea Rainforest Cricket, Cardiodactylus novaeguineae (Haan).

The New Guinea Rainforest Cricket, Cardiodactylus novaeguineae (Haan) occurs at coastal localities on the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland as well as several coastal islands such as Dunk Island and Green Island, off Cairns. The name is a misnomer; the species is not known from New Guinea. However, other related species occur there.

The Orthoptera Species File lists 50 species in the genus from northern Australia through the islands of the south Pacific. Only a single species has been recorded from Australia.

Nymphs of the New Guinea Rainforest Cricket are distinctive with their reddish heads and lateral stripes and developing wings. There are no other crickets like them in the rainforest.

This cricket is common when it is encountered. They have a "patchy" distribution. This means that within their geographic range they are found some places and not others. I have not found it on our block here in Kuranda, but it is common at the Caravan Park only a few kilometers distant.

Adult male.

This is a large cricket, males measuring approximately 28 mm. It is found close to, but usually not on the ground. It prefers low shrubbery and tree trunks along rainforest margins and in mangroves. It would seem to be a sitting duck for marauding Cane Toads, Bufo marinus, but they do not seem to make a dent in the cricket population numbers even though the female crickets oviposit in the ground.

The Calling Song of males of the New Guinea Rainforest Cricket is very distinctive and easily recognised. Males sing after dark on warm nights.

More information on this and other Australian crickets can be found in Otte and Alexander (1983).

Literature

Otte, D. and Alexander, R. D. 1983. The Australian Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Monograph 22, Pp. 1-477.

Cassowary Chatterings

2011-03-01T05:33:00.009+10:00

Readers of this blog will know that each year we follow the progress offspring of the local pair of cassowaries.

This year three chicks appeared in early October. To date they are progressing nicely.

From their earliest days, the chicks make a variety of sounds depending on their activities.

The feeding sound is not unlike that made by a group of young chickens.

The sounds of Cassowary chicks feeding. The enthusiasm of the chortles is directly related to the quality of the food.

The Cassowary distress call.

If the chick gets out of sight of his father, who looks after the chicks for their entire young lives, it produces a sound like the above. If it is really distressed, the call is much more strident and much much louder. At no time have I ever seen the father rush to the aid of a supposedly distressed bub. (However, I have not tested this by grabbing one of the chicks!!).

Soon the father Cassowary will somehow decide that it's time for the chicks to be on the their own. He will drive them away and the distressed chicks will be heard calling throughout the rainforest.

They will just stand around calling and wondering what has come over their father. Just a day before he was a caring and protective creature and now he has completely changed.

As adults Cassowaries are generally silent. I have heard the male only make a booming sound that carries for a great distance through the undergrowth. I've not heard the female make a similar sound. Both sexes produce a sort of hiss when they are around one another.

Cyclone Yasi; The Aftermath

2011-02-15T20:50:00.008+10:00

For most of the tracking of Cyclone Yasi, it appeared that it would make a direct hit on Cairns. But at the last minute on the 3rd of Feb. 2011 it diverged slightly to the south sparing Cairns from a major disaster. Tidal surges and water to more than a metre in the business district was predicted. But all of that went south to the vicinity of Silkwood, Mission Beach, and, to some extent Innisfail. You may recall Cyclone Larry some 5 years ago hit Innisfail head-on and caused much destruction. Those poor folks were just about recovered when Yasi made its appearance and suddenly veered south. The path of destruction of Yasi stretched from Port Douglas in the north to well south of Hinchinbrook Island.

Cairns did not escape without some damage. Many big trees were felled and a few buildings were flattened. The Botanic Gardens seem to always take the brunt of these cyclones. The gardeners told me that it was not as bad as with Larry, but it was still a mess. Several big trees and palms came down. On the positive side, if there is such a thing with cyclones, it opened the canopy a bit and is letting light in where it had been dark for years. This will accelerate growth for plants in those areas. There was no major damage to buildings.

Curator David Warmington has provided a few photos of the damage cause to the Gardens by Cyclone Yasi.

The Barron River Falls at Kuranda just after the cyclone passed--water and silt heading towards tot ocean---and the Great Barrier Reef. Buck Richardson photo

Tinkling crickets

2011-02-14T19:24:00.009+10:00

Most of us hear the very low pleasant sounds of crickets coming from the undergrowth in the rainforest or along rainforest margins.

Cricket Classification

Most crickets are classified in the family Gryllidae. There are currently eight subfamilies in this large family. Recently some taxonomists have elevated some subfamilies and tribes to full familial status. As an example, the Mole Crickets, once considered as a subfamily of the Gryllidae, are now considered in their own family, the Gryllotalpidae. In addition, the Scaled Crickets are now in their own family, the Mogoplistidae. Most taxonomists follow the classification presented on the Orthoptera Species File (OSF). This is an active catalogue of the Orthopteroid insects of the world. (http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/HomePage.aspx). It is kept up to date and a Committee adjudicates on controversial matters.

Cricket songs, when compared to those of katydids, are melodious to the human ear. Katydid songs are more metallic, buzzy or tinny. The pitch (carrier frequency) of the two taxa is usually very different. Cricket songs have pure carrier frequencies between 2000 to 9000 cycles per second. Katydid sounds are generally much much higher in frequency.

Here I present the Calling songs of two cricket species. One is a widespread species, the other more local.

Homoeoxipha lycoides (Walker) seems most at home in tall dense green grasses. The crickets can be found in their greatest numbers along roadsides and forest margins. Numbers can be large and the sounds of an aggregation of calling males are very distinctive, though very low in volume. Males sing mostly during the day and early evening. These crickets are often attracted to lights. The call is a continued, prolonged wavering trill, a series of pulses. The pulses come at about 51 per second in distinct groups of 8. The wingstroke in this species is much greater than that described below for O. coorumbena.

Ornebius coorumbena Otte & Alexander is nocturnal. The crickets occur in low shrubby vegetation in the rainforest to about 2m. They feed on detritus that falls from the canopy onto leaf surfaces. They are not usually attracted to lights. Their calls can be the dominant cricket sound at certain times of the year. Males call, isolated from one another, never in aggregations. The song consists of groups of pulses (chirps) with 7 pulses separated by about a second. Each of the 7 pulses corresponds to a wing closure.

These notes served as the basis for an article in Audio Wings. This is the journal of the Australian Wildlife Recording Group. There are two issues a year containing articles dealing with wildlife sounds ranging from insects to birds, mammals and reptiles. There are important reviews of new recording and analyzing gear. A workshop is held every second year in the field where wildlife recordings are made, analyzed and techniques compared and reviewed.

For more information on this club, contact the President, Mr Fred van Gessel fvangessel@optusnet.com.au

Finally I am very grateful to Mr Ken Hickman who has helped me to understand the fairly complex nature of embedding sounds into this blog. Thanks Ken.

Literature

The "bible" for Australian cricket information is:

Otte, D., Alexander, R. D. 1983. The Australian Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Monograph 22. Pp 1-477.

This book is available from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia or over the web.

A Couple of Big Fellows

2011-02-13T13:50:00.006+10:00

A wander in the rainforest after dark can reveal creatures you would not normally se during the day. Meet a Raspy Cricket, Chauliogryllacris sp., family Gryllacrididae. This large insect is soft-bodied and would desiccate if exposed to the drying condition of sunlight and wind during the day. It's massive head conceals mostly muscle that power the mandibles. Although it can give a painful bite, it is an omnivore and feeds on a range of foods ranging from other insects to fruits and seeds.

The mandibles are used primarily to dig into rotting wood where it makes a burrow and covers the entrance with silk fibres that it produces form its mouthparts. This is a characteristic of the family Gryllacrididae. Nymphs as well as adults produce silk.

the white spot in the centre of the head is the median ocellus. The two small yellow spots just above the first antennal segment are lateral ocelli. The function of these "eyes" varies from one group of invertebrates to another but here they may be involved with a homing behaviour that is similar to that displayed by ants. Raspy crickets "take a picture" of their surrounds before they move out for a night's marauding. This enables them to return to their burrow and not have to expend the energy to construct another.

Chauliogryllacris is a big cricket. The body of this female measured 50 mm. the antennae were extraordinarily long, measuring 165 mm.

The Queensland Palm Katydid, Segestidea queenslandica, has been featured several times in this blog. This is an unusual dark form. It is big with the body measuring some 90 mm from there head to the tip of the wings. This species is facultatively parthenogenetic, that is unmated females can produce eggs that hatch. The hatchlings are always females. Males in this species are rare but this year on one night three were heard along the Kennedy highway near Kuranda. They were singing from Wait-a-while vines (Calamus sp.) high in the trees. This was the first time I had heard this species even though I have encountered dozens of examples over the years. Soon I'll present a recording of the song of this katydid.

Spud is no dud

2011-01-25T07:13:00.004+10:00

We were all surprised with on the 24th of Jan. "Spud" was fully opened. You could almost see it happening. The small produced was quite different from that of "Hannibal", who seems a bit sick. It may not open fully but may still produce pollen and the cross pollination may occur.
Within a few hours, the frilly edges had started to discolor and shrivel. So Spud may not last for long.
A couple of out-of-town visitors were happy they were able to see the giant flower.

Developments

2011-01-22T15:01:00.012+10:00

Well as a tropical low develops over the city of Cairns, the Titan Arum in the Cairns Botanic Gardens continues to develop. It is a wet time but hundreds of people, both locals and tourists alike, visit the gardens each day to "see if it has opened". It might be a couple more days till it does but the spathe is starting to unfold and with it the smell is attracting an array of local insects. here we see a group if visitors and the arum, named Hannibal, in the background. Judi and Donn Corcoran have been keeping vigil at the "site" every day for a week. They have met a lot of folks!

The life cycle of the Titan Arum. The bulb can be massive weighing more than 100 lbs in some examples. [The would be a challenge, but would not deter our local Brush Turkeys from attempting to dismember a plant] (from the web)

Not only children find the smell repulsive. The foetid odour has been likened to rotting fish, gym socks, porta potties and the like. But it is the smell that attracts the potential pollinators.
"Hannibal" is in the foreground and "Spud" is just behind it. The idea is to have two plants flower at the same time. The reason is that the plant requires cross pollination to set seeds. In nature the strong odour wafts through the jungle deceiving a variety of insects that normally congregate on dead matter.

Fortunately, it does not appear that there are very specific pollinators, otherwise we might not have any luck with the plants in Cairns. The Titan Arum is native to Indonesia and we have few insects in common. It is thought that certain bees, called Sweat Bees, halictids that are attracted to human sweat for the salt and mineral content, are the pollinators in nature. But there are other more general visitors to dead animals that are also involved and we have plenty of them here in Cairns.

A patch was cut at the base of the plant so we could get an idea of what was going on inside. You can see the flies resting on the spathe.
Looking inside we can see the female parts sticking up and ready to be fertillised. The pollen is in the yellow capsules at the top, But it will not be released for a while. Since the plant must be cross pollinated to produce seed, holding back the pollen plant for a while would allow pollinators, in nature, to visit and bring pollen from other plants. This is the reason we have two plants that we hope will flower simultaneously. If you look carefully, you can see several insects in the flower.This is a bug, probably lygaeid. It is very small and we wonder what it is doing there.

This is one of several species of blowfly that we have observed on the plant. This sort of blowfly is attracted to decaying animal matter. What is surprising about the flies on the Arum at this point is that they do not seem interested in feeding. They are "just there". [Look carefully!]
Two smaller blowflies.
Perched atop the female flower but with no mouthparts engaged in feeding.Here are a couple of blowflies and, either a small blowfly species of a fly of the family Muscidae and a Flesh Fly, Sarcophagidae. Flesh Flies breed in carrion and dung and usually have a greyish and striped appearance.
A flesh Fly and Blow Fly side by side.
Blowfly bliss. This fly seems quite content resting on the stigma. It made no attempt to feed. It was just "drawn" there.As noted above, careful observers would have seen these little cuties at the base of the stigmas. They are Springtails, order Collembola. These are arthropods that are no longer considered to be insects. They are of a different lineage. They are found in most habitats. They would have had to do some fancy "springing" to find themselves within the developing Arum titan. The would probably feed on the pollen and even some microorganisms that might also be attracted to flower.

This is "Spud", the second Titan Arum. It looks about a week away from flowering. We'll keep you posted. (By the way, the names were chosen by "Jacko", the gardener who has been caring for the plants. How he chose the names, well you'll have to ask him. He says all this is like waiting for the first child to be born!)

Botanical Bonanza

2011-01-19T18:41:00.005+10:00

In a few days time the Cairns Botanic Gardens will host the opening of the giant Arum Titan, Amorphophallus titanum. This is a lily of truly gigantic proportions. The plant is not yet as advanced as the one below. From the ground to the tip of the spadix is well over 4 ft at present and it grows several inches per day.

And there are two of them getting ready to flower. It is hope that they will flower together so that some cross pollination will result in fertile seed.

Arum lilies have flowered in the gardens before and they have flowered elsewhere. The Sydney Botanic Gardens had a successful flowering in 2004.

This was the plant a couple of weeks ago.

The tip of the spadix has grown considerably and the bract dropped off today. It's now a question as to when it will open. The best guess is the end of the week or on the weekend.

Although the flower will be spectacular, it won't last more than a few days. During that time it will produce a foetid odour reminiscent of rotting meat. The pollinating agents are probably blowflies of the family Calliphoridae. We will keep close tabs on this phenomenon and report back on the pollinators, should they show up at the flower.

Tableland Treasures

2011-01-14T06:37:00.011+10:00

A recent evening trip between thunderstorms to the Atherton Tableland did not reveal many orthopteroid species, but there was quality material in what was observed.

We were perplexed at the condition of the forest but then came realise that it had been in the path of Cyclone Larry a few years ago. That explained the tangle of branches and timber on the ground in the forest itself. We were in an area of about 1100m elevation, considerably higher than that of Kuranda which is about 330 m. It was cooler, of course, species component of plants quite different. The orthopteroid fauna in large measure was also quite different. Some of the results of our investigation are noted below.
This delicate little katydid is an undescribed species in the genus Chloracantha. it is a member of the tribe Simoderini in the subfamily Pseudophyllinae. It is known from a handful of specimens from the Atherton Tableland and the Kuranda region.

The Silent Spiny Katydid, Phricta tortuwallina Rentz, Su and Ueshima, was only recently described Rentz et al. (2005). It differs in many respects from the more widespread and more common Spiny Katydid, Phricta spinosa (Redtenbacher). It is smaller, more spiny, with the spines of the thorax vertical in position and, unusually lacks a stridulatory file. This is one of the few katydids where the males do not produce a call.
This Silent Spiny Katydid was feeding on the seedhead of a tall grass plant along the margin of the rainforest.
Caedicia goobita Rentz, Su and Ueshima is an uncommon resident of the rainforests in the Kuranda region. It was hitherto unknown from the Atherton Tableland. It was also recently described, Rentz et al. (2008)
This agraeciine katydid is one of several species in an undescribed genus. It is fairly common in the Atherton Tableland but not know from the rainforest in Kuranda or the Daintree region.

A nice find. This Raspy Cricket, Acanthogryllacris curvispina (Karny), was described in 1929 from Malanda, not far from where we were searching. It received its name because of the two prominent spines on the hind femora. It apparently has a very restricted geographical distribution and has not been found far from its type locality.

An unusual cricket, Transaevum laudatum Johns, lives in burrows underground and emerges after dark to forage. This species also occurs in the rainforests around Kuranda.

The white-kneed King Cricket, Penalva flavocalceata (Karny), spends the day underground in vertical burrows underground, emerging at night to feed. It seems to be an opportunistic feeder. This female unsuccessfully attacked a large cicada that was attracted to lights.
The Bull Cricket, Gryllotaurus bicornis Walker, is so named because males have short horn at the base of the antennae on each side of the face. This is a female and was feeding on the seed heads of a grass in the evening. This species seems restricted to higher elevations and has not been found in Kuranda.

Literature Cited

Rentz, DCF, Su, Y-N., Ueshima, N. 2005. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae. The genus Phricta Redtenbacher (Orthoptera: Pseudophyllinae; Phrictini). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 131: 131-158.

Rentz, DCF, Su, Y-N., Ueshima, N. 2005. Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: New Phaneropterine katydids from Queensland Rainforests (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae). Zootaxa 1964: 1-39.

Otters!

2011-01-14T05:59:00.004+10:00

No, there are no otters in the Barron River. Recently we spent Christmas holidays in Sarawak and at the Cultural Centre in Kuching, I observed a troupe, pack, bevy (or whatever you would call them) of otters in a large pond on the premises. This was not far from the river and the otters seem to have moved in and taken over the pond. I sent photos to the Camera Trap Codger for identification and he prompted this blog.

It seems that these are Asian or Oriental Small-clawed Otters, Aoynx cinerea, the world's smallest otter. They form small family groups and defend them strongly against non-family intruders. The Codger informs that zoos get into trouble when they try to introduce new members to a group. The newcomers often received fatal injuries or lost limbs.

This is the pond harboring the group of otters. I counted nine with several juveniles amongst them.
Otters are often inquisitive and members of the group kept a close watch on those oddballs on the bank.
The group was actively feeding and although they are known to prefer shellfish rather than fish, I saw them feeding on what appeared to be catfish.
I was a considerable distance away from the group but you could hear them crunching (or crushing) their food. I now believe they were crunching on some sort of shellfish at least part of the time.