Australian invertebrates

These are all invertebrates, from different parts of the country. I am working on a project that involves going through my collection of pics so I am going to post some  of the things i find interesting as i work my way through.

Chequered swallowtail . Qld.

Clearwing Swallowtail  - female.Qld.  they  are called clearwing because much of their wings do not have any scales.

Common Brown butterfly, Vic.

above and below - Long-tailed Pea Blue. Queenscliff, Vic.

                                        
Australian Painted Lady - male, Anglesea,, Vic.

                                             
                                             Meadow Argus, found in all states, but this one is in  Kakadu NP. NT.                            


                 
                                              

Orange Ringlet butterfly, above and below. Qld.

                                                              

                                                                           
                                                                                                              
Common Grass Blue, Anglesea Vic.                                                                                                                  

                                                  
Orange Lacewing butterfly, Darwin, NT.




Scarlet Jezebel butterfly, Qld.
                                                                                           
                                             

                                                          
Fiery Jewel butterfly, Cocklebiddy, WA.

                                                               
Caper White butterflies mating, the chrysalis they emerge from are visible in the top right of the photo.
                                     
                                                                                 

White-veined Sand-skipper butterfly. Eucla. Wa.
                                                                                           
day flying moth, Anglesea, I think it is from a moth family called Foresters. They produce cyanide, which is a deterant to predators.

this is a type of bug,,,think they are called bark bugs,, they are inconspicious and usually go unoticed,,, in the same taxa as cicads, aphids and stink bugs,

shield bug nymph? Kakadu NP. NT.

insects are organised into groups called orders, of which bugs are one, ont of the characterestics that makes a bug, a bug it thr piercing mouthparts. some suck plant liquids and others feed on other invertebrates.

many bugs are species that live in and on water, this is a water strider, probably a male, they comunicate their territory and maybe mating intentions, to others by makeing ripples on the surface. check out the pattern this one is making.

This is a bull ant or bulldog ant. Anglesea, Vic. This species of ant is really aggresive and bites and stings. They seem to have good eyesight to.

This is a Carabid beetle, they are predatory hunters. This one has caught a bee. Parkes. NSW.

lots of beetles visit flowers and are important pollinators, i think this is a Clerid beetle. It is on Victorian Smokebush. Anglesea, Vic                                                                             

This is a Goliath Stick intsect. We found this one struggling on the ground after something had attacked it. So we placed it back in a tree, was still theri in the morning. Insects dont come much bigger than this. Broome,WA.

found this spider creeping across the surface of a puddle on Fraser Island, I love the shadow. I think it is a wolf spider.

Many flies visit flowers, some lay their eggs on them. I love the pattern on the wings of this one, not sure of the family, but it might be related to the fruit flies. Anglesea, Vic.

  
green Scarab beetle, Anglesea, Vic.

above and below,,,grasshoppers, both taken in qld.

Jewel Beetle on Flat-leaf pea Angelesa.

Green tree ants, Qld. These ants are intersting to watch because they work cooperativly together. The rear end of these ants has been eaten in the past by aboriginal people as a sweet citris treat. I have come back to my campsite after a few days away and the tent has been covered by thes guys inside and out!

 Cotton Harlequin Bug - female, Qld.

Hover Flies, Anglesea, Vic. The males prove theri worth to the female by hovering in one place for as long as he can,..trying to impress the female. In this case she is more interested in feeding.

Jewel Beetle, Anglesea, V.c

Hover Fly Anglesea, Vic.

Jumping spider. Kakadu, NT.

Jumping spider, Anglesea, Vic.

Jumping spider, Qld.

 Beetle on Smoke bush, Anglesea. Vic

These little dots are the eggs of lacewings, they lay them on stalks, this way the ants dont find them. Anglesea. Vic.

Longicorn Beetle? Smokebush. Anglesea, Vic

THe next few pics are of native bees, this top one though has been caught by a flower spider, if you look at the green you will see the spiders legs

These two photos are of skipjack ants, Anglesea, Vic, They have a painful sting, and many people are highly allergic to them. the bottome photo the ant is dragging a dead bee by its tounge back to its nest. Although adult ants usually feed on nectar, they take "meat" back to the larva in the nest.

 Soldier beetles? mating on malaluca, Vic.

BOth these spiders are in Cooloola Cove in Qld.

Mouse spider, Mutawintji NP, SA.

Leaf Insect, Qld,

i think this is a terestrial flatworm. Im having trouble identifying it but i have seen a few of them after rain around puddles in the anglesea heathlands.