Insects


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

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

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

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

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

Photographing insects

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

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Discussion

Pirom wrote:
Yesterday
Interestingly, it’s clinging to a fern crosier, as is the one on ALA you reference above.

Never would have found it!

Baiocystis chrysoides
ibaird wrote:
Yesterday
I s that a larval or pupal case the moth is clinging to?

Baiocystis chrysoides
ibaird wrote:
Yesterday
A new species sihting fpr NatureMapr of a seldom observed species. Sightings like this at Barren Grounds Nature Reserve confirm the significance to biodiversity of that reserve. Only one other sighting of this species could be found online. An excellent sighting!

Baiocystis chrysoides
ibaird wrote:
Yesterday
Assuming this ID is correct I found for only one other sighting online of this species.
See iNaturalist:-
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?subview=map&taxon_id=1548517
Apparently the same sighting onthe ALA but not maped:-
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/44b9fd0d-fa62-4aca-b4c2-484fb983603e
On Bold (Hobern)
https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=404913

Baiocystis chrysoides
ibaird wrote:
Yesterday
Another one lacking red markings,

Utetheisa (genus)
820,943 sightings of 23,442 species from 14,939 members
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