Australian Jewel Spider: Austracanthus Minax

Austracanthus minax female in its web

Austracanthus minax 
Female

Macro Image of Austracanthus minax 
Ventral side

Macro Image of Austracanthus minax 
showing the abdominal pattern

Location: Lake Clifton

Season: Summer

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Suborder: Araneomorphae 

Family: Araneidae

Austracanthus minax

Austracanthus minax is an easily recognisable spider in Australia. It is called Australian Jewel Spider, given its beautiful patterns. It is abundant during Summer and often associated with the arrival of Christmas, therefore also called Christmas Spider. The genus Austracanthus has just one species with 5 subspecies. 

These spiders weave orbs in and around shrubby regions. They are present in aggregations of vast numbers. There are so many that you look up to find the sky is studded with these spiders like stars in the sky with webs ranging among many trees. They are most abundant in November and December (around Lake Clifton) and their numbers start dwindling by January. 

These spiders have beautiful yellow, orange and white patterns over shiny black abdomen and very distinctive six black spines. The patterns are variable from spider to spider (polymorphic). The above pictures are of three different spiders, taken on three different occasions showing the variable pattern. They have short stubby legs. The females have reddish brown legs whereas males have black legs with brown tips (all the above spiders are females). The underside of the abdomen is black with  concentric yellow patterns. There are morphs that are completely black without the bright coloured patterns. The black forms increase in number during colder months.

Having well developed mouth parts, these spiders can bite but they are not life threatening for humans. 

Golden-Eyed Lacewing & Brown Lacewing

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Chrysopidae

Genus: Mallada

Mallada traviatus

Order: Neuroptera

Family: Hemerobiidae

Genus: Micromus

On a particular non-windy summer night, out of the many insects that got attracted to my kitchen light, these Lacewings were the most interesting. The beautiful Golden Eyed Lacewing is from the family of green lacewings called Chrysopidae. Of the Australian species Mallada traviatus is the commonest. It is bright green in colour with golden eyes and long filiform antennae. It seemed like a strong flier even with the delicate wings. The wings are green with a beautiful blue sheen to them. 

The green lacewing's rather unremarkable looking brown cousin is much smaller in size. The above picture of the Brown Lacewing is a macro image. The magnified mesh squares can be a good guide to elicit the difference in sizes. The Brown Lacewing belongs to the family Hemerobiidae. Hemerobiids have longer more branching venation whereas the Chrysopids have shorter network. Chrysopids have auditory organs at the base of the radial vein. The Hemerobiids have microtrichia, microscopic hairs on the body. 

The larvae of both families of Lacewings are voracious feeders of aphids and other agricultural pests, hence sold for biological pest control.

References: Lacewing, 

University of Florida: Brown Lacewing, Green Lacewing

Gum Leaf Katydid: Torbia viridissima

Gum Leaf Katydid
Notice the visible tip of the inner wing: Phaneroptera

Knock, knock

Who's there?

It's a Katydid

Katydid who?

Torbia viridissima

This Katydid was actually knocking on my front door one non windy summer night. It was attracted to the light and perched on the glass door till we switched the lights off. It is the Gum Leaf Katydid belonging to the subfamily of katydids called Phaneroptera. It is called Gum Leaf Katydid because the wings look exactly like a gum leaf, complete with venation. These katydids are arboreal and this feature makes for an excellent camouflage. They are large and agile. This one has reddish eyes, reddish colouration on the dorsum and reddish legs. The tips of the inner wing are exposed, which is a characteristic feature Phaneroptera, meaning 'visible wing'. 

Location: South West Coast, Western Australia

Season: Summer, January

Order: Orthoptera

Family: Tettigoniidae

Suborder: Ensifera

Superfamily: Tettigonioidea

Tettigoniidae

Subfamily: Phaneroptera

Torbia viridissima

Gum Leaf Katydid
Notice the male genitalia
The auditory apparatus on the bend of the first limb

References:
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Torbia+viridissima#
http://www.bowerbird.org.au/observations/3660

Aurora Bluetail: Ischnura Aurora

Aurora Bluetail, Male

Aurora Bluetail, Female

Location: South West Coast, Western Australia

Season: Summer, January

Order: Odonata 

Suborder: Zygoptera 

Family: Coenagrionidae 

Genus: Ischnura

Ischnura aurora

The above male and female Aurora Bluetail Damselflies were spotted on two separate occasions, in separate parts of my garden, making me assume that there are many of these living in the area. There is no fresh water source close to the garden. The vegetation is dry but both were on relatively greener and cooler parts.

These are tiny damselflies, about 2 cms in length and very thin. The male has metallic green thorax with black antehumeral stripes. The abdomen is red with a bronze tip and a green ring, ends with a blue 'tail'. The female is all green. It was quite dull in the shade but the metallic green sheen was brilliant in the sunlight. The female also has blue tail which I noticed only in the photograph. The male hovered around and didn't seem like a strong flier. The female was still but unexpectedly flew away out of my reach, which is why the picture isn't in detail.

Please see other damselflies that I have recorded in the family of Coenagrionidae:  Red and Blue Damsel and South West Billabong Fly.

Reference: Ecology Solutions, Wiki, Esperance Fauna

Giant Slantface Grasshopper: Acrida conica

What a camouflage! Spot the grasshopper in the above picture! Here it is when its cover is blown:

Location: The South West Coast, Western Australia

Season: Summer, January

Order: Orthoptera 

Family: Acrididae 

Subfamily: Acridinae 

Tribe: Acridini

Acrida conica

This giant grasshopper, along with a few similar others lives in a dry part of my garden where the weeds have been drying out in the summer heat. It is incredibly hard to spot the creatures, given they blend seamlessly with the surrounding. I have step carefully so I don't accidentally stamp on these. They are seen hopping in daytime when disturbed. They stay still relatively once they hop to a spot, which makes it easy to photograph.

This kind of grasshopper is a rarer brown variant of Giant Green Slantface. The face as seen in the pictures is slant. The dorsal surface as patterns of 'face', with elongated 'eyes' to confuse the predators and help in camouflage. Under the wings is a pinkish abdomen.

The green morph, the Giant Green Slatface Grasshopper made an appearance on the lawn, not far from where the brown morph was found.

 These grasshoppers are from the family Acrididae, a family of short horned grasshoppers. There are 40 species of genus Acrida and they are pests of agricultural crops.

Balloon Winged Katydid In Bunbury: Tympanophora Sp.

Location: Bunbury, South West, Western Australia

Season: Early Summer, November
Order: Orthoptera
 Family: Tettigoniidae
Genus: Tympanophora
Tympanophora insolita

When I saw this perching on the tree, I thought it was a tiny reptile but on close inspection it turned out to be a large katydid. The long antennae, the really long ovipositor and the presence of abdominal segments confirmed that it was a female katydid, not a reptile. The Balloon Wing Katydids are called so because the wings of the male resemble a balloon. The females are wingless, as seen above.

Balloon Winged Katydid belongs to the genus Tympanophora. There are many described species, one of which is local to Bunbury called Tympanophora insolita. The species identification requires detailed anatomical description which unfortunately are not very clear in the photos above. There is limited literature for description of this species, especially for the female but below are some great references pointing towards identification.

   

Reference: A Guide to the Katydids of Australia By David Rentz

Tettigoniidae of Australia Volume 3: Listroscelidinae, Tympanophorinae, Meconematinae and Microtettigoniae By David Rentz

Australian Tympanophora White

Leafcutter Bee: Megachile chrysopyga

Leafcutter Bee
Megachile chrysopyga

Leafcutter Bee at work!
Notice the neat circular cuttings on the leaves

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, December

Order: Hymenoptera 

Family: Megachilidae 

Genus: Megachile 

Megachile chrysopyga

Leafcutter Bees belong to Megachilidae, a family of Australian Native Bees. The one found in my garden is M. chrysopyga. It is black in colour and relatively hairless. The circular white markings on the abdomen is prominent. The tip of the abdomen is golden yellow and the ventral side of the abdomen is pale yellow. There is a tuft of golden yellow hair on its head around the antennae. The golden colour shines brilliantly in the sunlight.

Leafcutter bees are solitary bees and don't live in groups. The female forms a 'lodge' in which she lays her egg and feeds her larva with nectar and pollen that she collects underside of her abdomen. She cuts leaves to line her nests. It is a spectacle to watch these bees at work. They quickly cut precise circles out of the leaves using their strong mouth parts. They carry the cut leaf, one at a time into their nests. They make little 'flying carpets' out of the cut leaves and fly away with them as if they are sitting on the leaf!

Reference: Aussie bee

Blue Banded Bee: Amegilla cingulata

Blue Banded Bee: Amegilla cingulata
in flight

Blue Banded Bee: Amegilla cingulata
in flight

Location: South West, Western Australia

Season: Summer, December/January

Order: Hymenoptera 

Family: Apidae 

Tribe: Anthophorini 

Genus: Amegilla 

Amegilla cingulata

Blue Banded Bee is an iconic Australian Native Bee. It is easily identified by the pale blue bands on the abdomen. The thorax is covered in golden hairs. They have large eyes which are milky green. They can sting but not aggressive. The males have 5 complete bands on their abdomen, while females have 4 complete bands. Unlike other bees, these are solitary bees: they don't have queen, workers, drones, they don't live in hives or in a colony. The males 'roost' together on plants while females collect pollen and dig burrows to rest in them. When the female lays her egg, she stores it in a single nest cell with pollen and nectar to feed the larva. The larva emerges as adult in warm weather. 

They dart and hover in flight with buzzing which gets more intense as it approaches an object.

They are attracted to blue coloured objects. I have witnessed a Blue Banded Bee repeatedly hover around and investigate a piece of blue plastic lying in the garden. This great photo opp was missed by the lack of a camera at hand. They are attracted to flowers of other colours too.

The importance of these native bees for crops is the way in which they pollinate the flowers. These bees, in order to obtain pollen from the flowers, buzz very close to the flower. The resonant vibration dislodges the pollen. This is called Buzz Pollination. It is very effective in crops of solanacae family like tomatoes. 

This bee's predators are cuckoo bees and man in the form of urban development and loss of habitat. Some people build 'Bee Hotels' providing a place for the bees to rest and have the cell nests. The European Bee which is not native to Australia is a stronger forager than the native bee which could cause competition in small areas with less food.

Female digging a burrow
note the 5th ring on the abdomen is incomplete

Male Bees Roosting. One of them is of a different species which makes me think it is a Teddy Bear Bee.

Reference: Australian Museum

Aussie Bee 

Info on Native Bees

Red Bandit Cicada: Pyropsalta melete

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia
Season: Summer, January

 Order: Hemiptera 

Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha

Infraorder: Cicadomorphia

Superfamily: Cicadoidea

Family: Cicadidae

Subfamily: Cicadittinae 

Tribe: Cicadettini 

Genus: Pyropsalta
 Pyropsalta melete

Cicadas are the characteristic of Australian summer. I just have to open my front door to have my ears filled with the noise of raging Cicadas in open woodland outside. Every plant in my garden has an empty cicada exuvia from which the adult cicadas have emerged. You just have to look closer to see what beautiful insects they are. This cicada was found on my porch. Sadly, it had lost half of its left forelimb but it was a very strong flier and flew away making a lot of noise.

This is the Red Bandit. Red Bandit, P. melete is a species of cicadas found in and around Bunbury region out of the 13 individual species. This is a black cicada with orange-red rings around its abdomen. The thorax has orange marking too. It is closely related to Little Orange Bandit, which can be differentiated from Red Bandit by the lack of the thick red band on the abdomen. The name Pyropsalta in Latin 'pyro' which refers to the fiery red band and 'psalta' which translates to a psalm, the 'harp song' referring to the song it sings. It sings a song, mostly a tick-tock song, with constant ticking.

Red Bandit Cicada found in Big Swamp Wildlife Park

The shed exoskeleton of cicada in my backyard

Reference: Australian Cicada List

Wandering Percher Dragonfly: Diplacodes bipunctata

Wandering Percher
Diplacodes bipunctata
Female, paler than red male
Note the two black markings on the sides of the thorax
Pale rectangle on the thorax at the mid dorsal line base of both pair of wings
Black markings on each abdominal segment

Wandering Percher
Diplacodes bipunctata

Wandering Percher
Diplacodes bipunctata

Location: South Western Australia

Season: Summer, December

Order: Odonata 

Suborder: Epiprocta 

Infraorder: Anisoptera 

Family: Libellulidae

Genus: Diplacodes

Diplacodes Bipunctata

Our garden had a lot of these teneral dragonflies flashing their new delicate wings in the sunlight this summer. Wandering Percher is a small dragonfly, 3 - 4 cms in length. The hallmark of the species is the two black dots on the sides of the thorax, hence the name D. bipunctata. The eyes, thorax, abdomen are orangish red in colour. There are black markings on each abdominal segment distinguishing it from Scarlet Percher which has no black markings. The female is paler, more yellow than red. The female has a rectangular pale spot on thorax, in the mid dorsal line, extending to the pterothorax, base of both pairs of wings. Young males are yellow and turn red as they mature. Yellow colour helps the young to blend in the bush for protection.

24/11/2015 ETA: mating Wandering Perchers, the female is laying eggs into the water.

Reference: Ecology Solutions, Brisbane Insects

Chalky Percher Dragonfly: Diplacodes trivialis

Chalky Percher, Female
Diplacodes trivialis

Chalky Percher, Female
Diplacodes trivialis

Location: KRS Mysore, India

Season: Early Winter, November

Order: Odonata 

Suborder: Epiprocta 

Infraorder: Anisoptera 

Family: Libellulidae 

Genus: Diplacodes

Diplacodes trivialis

This dragonfly was spotted perching on the wall in the vicinity of the famous KRS dam in Mysore. These photos are examples of how the humble iPhone can elicit anatomical details with good lighting and a still subject. The best camera is the one you have at hand!

This is a female Chalky Percher Dragonfly. It is a medium sized dragonfly, about 5 to 6 cms in length. Being a female, it is bright yellow in colour with blackish brown markings on the thorax and the abdomen. The wings are clear with yellowish colouring on the wing base of hind wings. The pterostigma is yellow. Male Chalky Perchers, as the name suggests are chalky blue in colour. The young males are yellow but develop a blue colour due to Pruinescence as they mature. I couldn't spot a male anywhere in the surroundings.

 Chalky Perchers supposedly don't fly over one meter and perch on the ground. But this female chalky percher was on the second floor of the hotel where we were staying. It was early morning on a cold day and she was perching to warm herself up. She barely moved. I only noticed in the photograph that she has lost one of her limbs but she was strongly perching with 5 others.

Granite Ghost Dragonfly: Bradinopyga geminata

Location: Bangalore, India

Season: Autumn/Early Winter, October

Class: Insecta 

Order: Odonata 

Family: Libellulidae 

Genus: Bradinopyga

Bradinopyga geminata

Do you see what I see? What a camouflage! This is called the Granite Ghost because it blends with the surroundings such as granite rocks, pavements, stone boulders and walls. This dragonfly was spotted in an urban area in Bangalore, India. It was found sitting on the cement wall. How well it blended with the surroundings simply amazed me. It is grey in colour, with grey eyes and the abdomen is grey with black/white/grey marbling pattern. This morphology helps it to perfectly blend with the surrounding being practically invisible. 

The adaptation to urban environment is not just in the camouflage. It feeds on mosquitos and larvae which is abundant in urban buildings. 

The Genus Bradinopyga has four main species of which B. geminata is endemic to India. Other species are endemic to Africa. 

References: Indian Biodiversity, Bangalore Citizen Matters

Australian Emerald and Tau Emerald Dragonfly: A Comparison

Tau Emerald Dragonfly
Hemicordulia australiaeBrownish eyes
Inverted T mark on the frons
Orangish leading veins on coastal margin
Brown pterostigma
Yellow mark on 10th abdominal segment
Black 7th abdominal segment

Location: South Western Australia

Season: Summer, December

Order: Odonata 

Family: Corduliidae 

Genus: Hemicordulia 

Hemicordulia Tau

Hemicordulia is a common species of dragonflies in Australia. Australian Emerald Dragonfly, H. australiae and Tau Emerald, H. tau are a bit tricky to distinguish in the field. However, I have learnt a few pointers towards identification. 

Similarities:

Size: Both are medium sized dragonflies, about 5 to 6 cms in length.

Perching pattern: H. tau and H. australiae both perch similarly. They hang on to the tip of the branches perpendicular to the ground. This feature makes it easy to distinguish the Hemicordulia dragonflies from other yellow dragonflies such as female Blue Skimmers, Yellow Striped Hunters which rest parallel to the ground. 

Hemicodulia species perch on higher branches and settle there for longer periods.

 Abdominal markings: Both have metallic dark green pattern over orangish yellow colour. This colour shines brilliantly in sunlight giving the name Emerald. The thorax is yellowish grey. 

Differences between H. australiae and H. tau 

Eyes: Mature H. australiae has bright greenish blue eyes that dazzle in the sunlight. H. tau has brownish eyes. 

Abdomen: H. tau has a yellow spot on the 10th abdominal segment (tip of the tail)

The seventh abdominal segment is darkly coloured in H. tau whereas the yellow marking is present in H. asutraliae.

Head: Inverted T shaped mark on H. tau is the telltale feature, hence the name. This is not present on H. australiae.

Wings: H. australiae has clear wings. The veins are black.

H. tau has brownish red to orange leading viens. The pterostigma is brown. 

Again, I present you with a not-so-spectacular image of H. australiae. It is about time I got a better picture of the Emerald, but some features are still remarkable in the photo below.

Australian Emerald
Hemicordulia asutraliae
Bright greenish blue eyes
No T mark on the frons
Clear wings with black veins.
Black/clear pterostigma
7th abdominal segment has yellow/orange marking

Reference: Wiki, Ecology Solutions, Esperance Fauna

Australian Emperor Dragonfly: Hemianax papuensis

Order: Odonata 

Family: Aeshnidae 

Genus: Hemianax 

Species: H. papuensis 

Hemianax papuensis

It is a large dragonfly, easily identified by its sheer size compared to other dragonflies. It is about 8 cms in length. It is yellow with dark brown markings on the abdomen. The thorax is pale grey and the forehead has a T shaped mark (click on the photo to enlarge). It rests like Australian Emerald Dragonflies, perpendicular to the twig. It settles on higher branches, not easily disturbed. 

How this dragonfly flies is interesting as it uses its own movement to hide itself and attack its prey. It flies in line with the target so as to appear stationary to the target but is actually looming closer. This mechanism of attack is called Motion Camouflage, first described in Australian Emperor Dragonflies.

Reference: Wiki

Common Glider Dragonfly: Trapezostigma loewii

Common Glider Dragonfly
Male

Male Common Glider Dragonfly in flight

Common Glider Dragonfly
Male

Location: Big Swamp Wildlife Park, Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, January

Order: Odonata
Family: Libellulidae
Trapezostigma loewii
(previously Tramea loewii)

This dragonfly is easily identified by the red colour base on the hind wings and the red coloured body. The larger wings for its body and the red base make this dragonfly look large. It is a strong flier. It glides in the sky which gives it the name Common Glider. The wing base gives it the name Saddleback Glider. It flies high and perches on the highest branch.

Reference: Brisbane Insects, Wiki

Blue Spotted Hawker: Adversaeschna brevistyla

Blue Spotted Hawker in flight

male

Location: Big Swamp Wildlife Park, Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, December

Order: Odonata 

Family: Aeshnidae 

Genus: Adversaeschna

Adversaeschna brevistyla

This is a large dragonfly, about 7 to 8 cms long. It is a strong flier and hovers around about 3 to 4 feet above ground. It tends to stand still in flight and exhibits swift bursts of motions. I have seen Blue Spotted Hawkers hovering around water, while being chased away by territorial Blue Skimmers. This dragonfly is brown in colour with yellow stripes on the thorax and yellow spots on the thorax. The wings are golden in colour. What stands out is the blue eyes and the blue spots on the base of the wings, hence the name. Blue eyes are specific to males, females have brown eyes. The blue spots are visible from a distance, even when in flight. 

Reference: Ecology Solutions, Brisbane Insects, Wiki

South Western Billabong Damselfly: Austroagrion cyane

South Western Billabong Fly, Male

South Western Billabong Fly, Male 

South Western Billabong Fly, Female

South Western Billabong Fly, Female

South Western Billabong Fly, Male and Female Mating
Bluer one on the right is male, the left paler fly is female

Location: Big Swamp Wildlife Park, Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, January

Order: Odonata 

Suborder: Zygoptera 

Family: Coenagrionidae 

Subfamily: Coenagrioninae 

Genus: Austroagrion
Austroagrion cyane

This is a very tiny damselfly, about 3 cms and very thin and needle-like. It is relatively easy to spot the males as the bright blue colour stands out when they perch on plants. They are often seen fighting for a perching spot. They live close to waters, near the shallows. I have rarely seen them fly over water. 

The males are bright blue in colour. The females are paler and  have blue rings on the tip of the abdomen. The couple above were mating high up on a tree. They were staying still for a long time, rarely moving. They stayed in the wheel position for a long time (throughout my 20 mins skype convo plus atleast 10 mins to get a good photo!).

I think this damselfly is South Western Billabong Fly. It is considerably smaller than Wandering Ringtail, with no ring at the tip of the abdomen. I don't think it is a Blue River Damsel because the blue eyes of this damselfly has a black bar, not spots as described for Blue River Damsel. Esperance Fauna Blog has beautiful pictures and description of South Western Billabong Fly which confirmed my identification.

References: Esperance Fauna, Wiki, Brisbane Insects

Red And Blue Damsel: Xanthagrion erythroneurum

Red and Blue Damsel perching

Red and Blue Damselfy couple. The brighter one is the male, paler is the female.

Location: Big Swamp Wildlife Park, Bunbury, Western Australia
Season: Summer, January

Order: Odonata 

Suborder: Zygoptera 

Superfamily: Coenagrionoidea

Family: Coenagrionidae 

Genus: Xanthagrion 

Xanthagrion erythroneurum

I found these in the Big Swamp Wildlife reserve in Bunbury, where they are abundant this time of the year. They stay at the edge of the shallow waters, occasionally flying over the water. They perch on to the vegetation and easily disturbed by other damselflies and dragonflies. The mating couple fly low over the water, resting on twigs floating on the water surface. 

They are extremely tiny, about 5 cms and extremely thin, almost invisible to the naked eye! The males have bright red head and thorax, dark abdomen and blue bands on the tip on the abdomen. The females are paler, the head is pale red and the blue tip is not easily visible. 

Sources: Wiki, Esperance Fauna