BunyipCo: 2024

Saturday, 14 December 2024

Now There Are Two

A couple of weeks ago Mr Cassowary showed up with only three of the four chicks he had this year. W(See below) We thought perhaps an accident or loose dogs had claimed the one chick. But now we are not so sure.

A few days ago we obsereved the male Cassowry chasing and biting one of the three chicks. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the chick. It was not injured or sick. He kept driving it away from the others. The startled chick stood off from the group hollering for help as chicks do when they are separated from their father.

So what is happening? The male Cassowary is said to be 50-60 years old by people who have seen him all this time. His casque is chipped from ploughing through the understorey but he does not seem to be worse for wear. His gait is normal and his hearing acute. One of his big toenails is almost gone but otherwise he appears normal.

Could it be that he has "decided" that four chicks was just to too many? Or has he some pereception that the food in the habitat is just not so plentiful this year and that he had to reduce his family so the three could survive? Who knows? Do birds get senile?

Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Annual Cattana Wetlands Night Walk

The 2024 Cattana wetlands Nightwalk was held on 28 September. It was a perfect night, warm and dry,

We counted 123 eager participants. Many had returned from previous years but there were other "newies" who had seldom ventured out in the dark to see what was happening in their gardens.

We divided into 4 groups and took off in various directions. Some did not go far and saw a variety of insects, spiders, frogs and lizards within the vicinity of the light sheets. Others were more adventurous and took off to find a crocodile---they were rewarded, fortunately the crocs were under a metre in length!

Lights were set up under the picnic area for folks who did not want to travel far and a variety of moths and other insects delighted them.

A highlight at the light sheet was the day-flying moth, Dysphania numana. It was probably spending the night nearby and was confused by the strong lights.

Night time is great for orthopteroid insects. They are easily seen as they venture out for food and mates and are approachable with a camera. This is a nymph of an agraeciine conocephaline (quite a mouthful!) that is about half grown. It will eventually be fully winged when it becomes an adult.

This is a Raspy Cricket (family Gryllacrididae), probably the genus Nunkeria. The long ovipositor tells us it is a female and that it lays its eggs in the ground. Raspy Crickets are so called because they can produce a sound by rubbing the insides of their hind legs against a series of minute pegs on the adjacent side of the abdomen. This results in a characterisitc rasping sound. These crickets can also produce "silk" from secretions from their moutnparts. The silk comes out in strands and is used by some species to tie leaves together to form a shelter where they spend the daylight hours or in other species to reinforce the sides of their burrows in the ground. Some of these species use the silk to build a cap to the burrow by holding sand grains in place. This is similar to the situation with Trap-door Spiders.

Spiders are always a hit with the night walk crowds, especially the children. This orb-weaver, probably Tetragnatha sp, is a male judging by the expanded chelicerae. It was in the middle of "web management" when we stumbled by.

But the entomological night went to the Cockroaches with one new species and one undescribed genus discovered.

Cockroaches are photogenic at night. If you are careful, they will continue their activities and not scurry away as they would during the day. This one is a member of the subfamily Blattellinae.

This is a fairly common, plain cockroach across the far north tropics. It is called the Pandanus Cockroach, Megamareta phaneropyga. It is nocturnal and not exclusively associated with Pandanus, although they are not usually found very far from that plant. It would never survive your home.

Most cockroaches are nocturnal. They venture forth at night from their shelters in unfurling leaves or from protection in leaf litter. They forage on leaf surfaces for pollen, floral parts and any other "digestible" food. They frequently feed on undigested bits in bird droppings. This is an undescribed species in the genus Carbrunneria.

The patterns on the thorax are ussually species distinctive in colour and design in many cockroaches and have beeen used in identification.

We will probably have another Night Tour at Cattana early in the new year, weather permitting.

2024 Baby Cassowaries---A Bonanza

Mr Cassowary showed up for the first time this season with 4 chicks. They are largere than expected and are probably at least a month old.

They seem quite healthy and enthusiastic. They were even chasing the Brush Turkeys-a behaviour they learn from their father.

But what is their to be their fate? With habitat at a premium, will they be able to compete or will they be forced to the outer limits of the rainforest where suitable sustanance is at a premium? We may never know.

Friday, 18 October 2024

Spring is Springing

Remember to click on the photo to enlarge

With the warm weather approaching, some interesting things are to be seen in the rainforest after dark.

All of a sudden this fellow, a Boyd's Forest Dragon, has been appearing at the light sheet every so often, cleaning up the larger moths. Could this be the same dragon that used to sleep in the tree next to the light sheet all those years ago? See https://bunyipco.blogspot.com/search?q=forest+dragon

Male Hercules Moth, Coscinocera hercules, a common visitor to the light sheet in late spring. The moths come in the wee hours of the morning, not usually shortly after dark.

This katydid, Austrosalomona destructor, is spending the day on a ginger leaf. It is a nocturnal katydid that is an opportunist. It will feed on floral parts and any insects that is can subdue.

This moth is a member of the family Thyrididae, Oxycophina theorina, and has a distinctive stance.

A member of the family Uraniidae, this moth, Phazaca sp, appears to have torn wings. But they are just folded underneath. It is in perfect condition.

Doddiana callizona is name in honour of Dodds, the Butterfly man of Kuranda.

A member of the family Lymantriidae, Euproctis fimbriata.

Geslasma orthodesma, one of the many greenish Geometridae.

Most Geometridae are rather drab, relying on their colour pattern to conceal them from predators as they rest during daytime. This one is Noreia vinocea.

Then there is Hypsidia erythropsalis, a member of the family Drepanidae-anything but dull.

Some moths do not look like moths. This is an Arctiidae, Manulea sp.

Pygospila tyres, family Crambidae, is a wonderful example of the family.

An unknown Geometridae.

The Two-spotted Silent Cricket, Unka boreena, like the bane suggests, is silent and produces no calling song. It wanders about on leaf surfaces after dark feeding on the particulate matter that falls out of the canopy.

A member of the family Pyralidae, this moth, Vitessa zemire, is quite spectacular. Note the white annulations on the antennaThis gives the impression that antennae are shorter than they really are. This provides the moth with an "early warning device" to compete with predators.

One of the many fulgoroid treehoppers that can often be found on the lightsheet.

There are probably more than 20 species of the beetle family Scarabaeidae that come to the light sheet.

Batocera longicornes are always a spectacular site when they are found in the rainforest.

A wonderful longicorne, Tricheops ephippiger.

A Flat Bark Beetle, family Cucujidae, Platiscus integricollis, lives under bark but emerges after dark to seek new habitats and mates.

The katydid, Caedicia kuranda, is present almost the year round in the Kuranda rainforests.

Lastly a small cockroach, Celatoblatta sp., with a gooey substance on its posterior segments. Originally thought to be a sexual attractant, it turns out that is acts as a deterrent to would-be predators like spiders and lizards. They get "all caught up" in the sticky goo and quickly earn to avoid these insects.