Insects

Insects

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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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Insects

Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
Bees (Hymenoptera, Apiformes)
Beetles (Coleoptera)
Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera)
Cicadas (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea)
Cockroaches (Blattodea, several families)
Dragonflies & Damselflies (Odonata)
Grasshoppers, Crickets & Katydids (Orthoptera)
Leafhoppers & planthoppers (Hemiptera, several families)
Moths (Lepidoptera)
Praying mantises (Mantodea)
Primitive insects
Psyllids, lerps, aphids & whiteflies (Hemiptera, several families)
Sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)
Scale insects & mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea)
Stick insects (Phasmatodea)
True bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera)
True flies (Diptera)
Wasps (Hymenoptera, Apocrita)
Other insects
Lacewings (Neuroptera)
Unidentified Insect Galls

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Hello NatureMaprs!Three new priority species lists of exotic freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates, and vertebrates in the ACT have been added to NatureMapr. Uploading records of these species to N...

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Discussion

JonLewis wrote:
3 hrs ago
Hi @AlisonMilton, there is definitely Camponotus aeneopilosus here, but I think the very cross-looking ant may be another species, but can't be sure. Cheers, Jon
Camponotus sp. (genus)
JonLewis wrote:
3 hrs ago
Hi @AlisonMilton, the first photo is of Iridomyrmex purpureus, the last two photos are of Camponotus suffusus. Cheers, Jon
Camponotus aeneopilosus
LisaH wrote:
3 hrs ago
Thank you
Lamprolina discoidalis
LisaH wrote:
3 hrs ago
Thank you - there is so much to know/learn about IDing. Grateful for your time and sharing your expertise
Callidemum CNM 01 (to be classified)
DiBickers wrote:
6 hrs ago
Morning @donhe, I know this sighting was from some time ago, but are you aware of any name change? When I try to look for photos of Choreutis emplecta on iNaturalist it keeps saying Invalid Taxon… there is a remarkably similar-looking one called Choreutis periploca on iNat, but then The Butterfly House has both listed as active taxon so now I’m befuddled😩
Choreutis emplecta

Species Richness Score (SRS)

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