Published Articles
Butterflies
A Special Ridge – Andrew Atkins
‘Unthinking, you drift into a memory landscape of deeply living activity: all about the song and colour of nature; boundless
micro-stories of survival, instinct and passion’. Anon. …..
Life History Notes on the Scalloped Grass-yellow (Eurema alitha) - Wesley Jenkinson.
During the first week of April 2008 a field trip involving five BOIC members was undertaken to Stanage in Central Coastal Queensland
Life History Notes on the Grey Ringlet (Hypocysta pseudirius) - Wesley Jenkinson.
The Grey Ringlet is another one of Australia’s endemic species for which any published detail regarding the life history is minimal…
Life History Notes on the Wide-Brand Grass-Dart (Suniana sunias rectivitta ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
This small butterfly previously known as the Orange Dart occurs along much of the wetter coastal regions of Queensland into New South Wales. I have found the adults can be very numerous during the late wet season along grassy rainforest margins in North Queensland.
Life History Notes on the Banded Grass-skipper (Toxidia parvulus) - Wesley Jenkinson.
This hesperiid is one of many small species located throughout the eastern Australian states. Even though the species is quite common locally, any published detail regarding the life history appears to be lacking.
Life History Notes on the Grassland or Chequered Copper (Lucia limbaria) - Wesley Jenkinson.
Coincidentally, while reading Andrew Atkins’ and John Moss’ articles about this interesting small butterfly in the last newsletter (Issue No. 48), several larvae were currently being raised at my residence. During a sunny humid day in February 2008, at my home in Beaudesert in South-east Queensland…
The Water-borne Voyages of the Orange Swift (Parnara amalia ) - Andrew Atkins.
Skippers, or indeed other butterflies, are not normally associated with water dispersal, other than across oceans in migratory flights. However there are a few recorded observations of the larvae of the skipper butterflies cutting their shelters from the food plant, falling……..Coincidentally, while reading Andrew Atkins’ and John Moss’ articles about this interesting small butterfly in the last newsletter (Issue No. 48), several larvae were currently being raised at my residence. During a sunny humid day in February 2008, at my home in Beaudesert in South-east Queensland…….
Life History Notes on the Narrow-brand Grass-dart (Ocybadistes flavovittata flavovittata ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
The two most frequently encountered species of Ocybadistes butterflies within South East Queensland suburban gardens are Ocybadistes flavovittata flavovittata (Narrow-brand Grass-dart), and Ocybadistes walkeri sothis (Greenish Grass-dart), with the latter species
Varied Swordgrass Brown Butterfly (Tisiphone abeona ) - John T. Moss.
Without doubt the Swordgrass Brown is my favourite butterfly species and I am not alone in this regard. The “father” of Australian butterflies, Dr. Gustavus Athol Waterhouse (1877-1950), comments in his popular 1932 book …….

Life history notes on the Southern Pearl-white (Elodina angulipennis ) - - Wesley Jenkinson.
This butterfly species, previously known as the Common Pearl-white is frequently encountered in Southeast Queensland, occurring south from Colosseum Creek …

Life history notes on the Striated Pearl-white (Elodina parthia ) - Wesley Jenkinson
This butterfly species, also known as the Chalky Pearl-white (and previously the Chalk White) is frequently encountered along much of eastern Queensland and into New South Wales. It is located in a varied…..

Life history notes on the No-brand Grass-dart (Taractrocera ina ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
This small butterfly, also known as the Ina Grass-dart, mainly occurs along much of the coastal and sub coastal regions of Queensland. The species is relatively common but ….

The life history of the skipper butterfly the Orange Grass-dart (Ocybadistes ardea ) - Andrew Atkins.
The biology of Ocybadistes ardea Bethune-Baker, 1906 (the Orange Grass-dart) is described from the subtropical rainforests of the Sunshine Coast. The skipper is apparently restricted to small breeding areas, and the winter brood duration is….

Life history notes on the Yellow Albatross (Appias paulina ega ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
This butterfly species, previously known as the Common Albatross, appears to have limited detail published about its biology and migratory habits. It is encountered along much of coastal and sub-coastal eastern ……

Life history notes and observations of the Orange Emperor (Charaxes latona) - Mark Hopkinson.
The Orange Emperor butterfly, Charaxes latona Butler, 1865 [Lepidoptera: Charaxinae] is a fast-flying and conspicuous insect on the wing and can be found throughout the year along forest margins …

Life History Notes on the Chrome Awl (Hasora chromus ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
This species is well known to North Queensland butterfly enthusiasts and is now becoming more commonly observed in Southeast Queensland. My first encounter with this species was …

Life history notes on the Silky Jewel (Hypochrysops digglesii ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
On the afternoon of the 26th of March 2010 I discovered larvae of the Silky Jewel (Hypochrysops digglesii) feeding on the mature leaves of Apostle Mistletoe (Dendrophthoe vitellina) along the western shoreline of South Stradbroke Island QLD. The mistletoe was growing ….

Life history notes on the White-banded Line-blue (Nacaduba kurava ) - Wesley Jenkinson.
My first experience with Nacaduba kurava came at Tweed Heads NSW (28/1/10) when I noticed a female laying eggs on the new growth of the River Mangrove (Aegiceras corniculatum). She flew before…

Secrets of a Predatory butterfly – Liphyra brassolis exposed! – Densey Clyne
Some years ago cinematographer Jim Frazier and I were asked to film an Australian wildlife sequence for David Attenborough’s documentary series called “Trials of Life”..

Life history notes on the Green Awl, Hasora discolor (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1859) Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This beautiful small butterfly occurs sporadically along coastal regions of Queensland and into northern New South Wales. Its favourite habitat is lowland tropical, subtropical and littoral rainforest where…..

Interesting Variations in Pierid Butterfly Adult Morphology. (A presentation delivered to the Entomological Society of Queensland in May 2006 by John Moss and Ross Kendall and adapted for this issue of the magazine)
Phenotypic variation in butterflies may be classified as individual, geographic, seasonal, other environmental and sexual (especially with respect to mimicry). We examine both individual and seasonal variation in two genera of pierid butterflies …..

Life history notes on the Lyell’s Swift, Pelopidas lyelli lyelli (Rothschild, 1915) Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This skipper butterfly is frequently encountered along much of eastern Queensland east of the Great Dividing Range into north-eastern New South Wales. During favourable wet seasons ….

Life history notes on the Orange-streaked Ringlet, Hypocysta irius (Fabricius, 1775) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
The Orange-streaked Ringlet also previously known as the Northern Ringlet is encountered along much of the eastern coastal districts from north-eastern Queensland southward into northern New South Wales. The species is generally common ….

Life history notes on the Spotted Pea-blue, Euchrysops cnejus cnidus (Fabricius, 1798) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This small beautifully coloured species has previously been known as the Cupid. In eastern Australia it is encountered along much of Queensland and into northern New South Wales. It mainly occurs in …..

Life history notes on the Large Purple Line-blue, Nacaduba berenice berenice (Herrich-Schaffer, 1869) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae – Wesley Jenkinson
The Large Purple Line-blue is encountered sporadically, southwards from north-eastern Queensland, both coastally and west of the Great Dividing Range. It continues …..

Comparison of the immature stages of Philiris sappheira manskiei Ring and Olive, and P. nitens nitens (Grose-Smith) (Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae) - Graham R. Forbes
During 2002, 2007 and 2008 the early stages of the Lycaenid butterflies Philiris sappheira manskiei Ring and Olive, 1997 (Sapphire Moonbeam) and Philiris nitens nitens (Grose-Smith, 1898) (Blue Moonbeam) were studied to determine the differences, if any, between them. The larvae and pupae of both species are described and figured.

A new immigrant butterfly for Australia: Acraea terpsicore (Linnaeus 1758) –Ross Kendall
On the afternoon of April 27th 2013 I received a phone call from Club member Geordie Paton. Using his mobile phone he was calling from “the bush” near Kununurra in the East Kimberley of far northern Western Australia. Geordie said that he had just found…..

Life history notes on the Caper Gull, Cepora perimale scyllara (Donovan, 1805) Lepidoptera: Pieridae - Wesley Jenkinson
This pretty butterfly, previously known as the Australian Gull is encountered along coastal eastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, including areas west of the Great Dividing Range in these two states. The species is also….

Life history notes on the No-brand Grass-yellow, Eurema brigitta australis (Stoll, 1780) Lepidoptera: Pieridae - Wesley Jenkinson
The No-brand Grass-yellow is encountered in the Northern Territory, and coastal and sub-coastal regions from north-eastern Queensland into southern New South Wales. Migration of this species occurs …..

Notes on the Grey Albatross (Appias melania) - Garry Sankowsky
Sometime in the 1970s I made a trip to Mt Spec (on the Paluma Range, north-west of Townsville) with a birding friend of mine and observed the Grey Albatross butterfly depositing eggs on what appeared to be a Drypetes plant. We were moving around …..

Life history notes on the Rock Ringlet, Hypocysta euphemia Westwood, 1851 Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
The Rock Ringlet is encountered from south-eastern Queensland southward to northern Victoria. Some of the most northern localities recorded in south-eastern Queensland include Flinders Peak (M. & D. Sands, 2003), Springbrook, and Mount Maroon in the Mount Barney National Park, where it is known …..

Life history notes on the Orange Ringlet, Hypocysta adiante adiante (Hubner, 1831) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
The Orange Ringlet is encountered along much of the eastern districts from north-eastern Queensland into southern New South Wales, including areas west of the Great Dividing Range. The species is generally …..

An introduction to Crows of the World, the Euploeas (Lepidoptera : Danainae) – Peter Hendry
The Euploea belong to the subfamily Danainae of the butterfly family Nymphalidae, although some authors place them in a family of their own, Danaidae. They are known as Crows, because of ….

The Danaids, Browns and Nymphs of Tasmania (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) - an historical perspective - Peter Hendry
The butterfly family Nymphalidae is represented in Tasmania by three subfamilies with 14 species in eight genera…..

Artisans of the Gum Trees – Densey Clyne
Through my kitchen window this morning, I watched a Wanderer butterfly laying her eggs on a plant of Red Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), a food plant…..

Life history notes on the Short-tailed Line-blue, Prosotas felderi (Murray, 1874) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This small, beautifully coloured endemic butterfly previously also known as the Small-tailed or Felder’s Line-blue is encountered from Miriam Vale (De Baar and Hockey, in Braby 2000) along the ..

Life history notes on the Hairy Line-blue, Erysichton lineata lineata (Murray, 1874) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae – Wesley Jenkinson
The Hairy Line-blue is encountered rather sporadically from north-eastern Queensland southwards to central coastal New South Wales. It is known from coastal, sub-coastal regions and along ..

Life history notes on the Speckled Line-blue, Catopyrops florinda halys (Butler, 1877) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae – Wesley Jenkinson
This small, beautifully coloured butterfly species is known from two subspecies within Queensland. The southern subspecies are known as ….

Life history notes on the Saltbush Blue,Theclinesthes serpentata serpentata (Herrich-Schaffer, 1869) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae - Wesley Jenkinson
The Saltbush Blue previously known as the Chequered Blue is known from much of the eastern districts from central coastal Queensland including the inland areas southward …

The Red Lacewing butterfly (Cethosia cydippe) - Garry Sankowsky
This is one of Australia’s most beautiful butterflies and I must admit it is my favourite. It is strictly tropical, occurring from Torres Strait to about Townsville, in rainforest where ….

Life history notes on the Ringed Xenica, Geitoneura acantha (Donovan, 1805) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
The Ringed Xenica is encountered from the Blackdown Tableland (Atkins 1974a, 1996d, in Braby, 2000) central Queensland southward to Victoria and South Australia. The species is locally common ….

Life history notes on the Meadow Argus, Junonia villida, (Fabricius, 1787) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This species is another one of Australia’s very well-known and well documented butterflies. Its distribution has been recorded across the continent and the lower regions of eastern Tasmania. The adults frequent a wide ….

Life history notes on the Dingy Bush-brown, Mycalesis perseus perseus (Fabricius, 18775) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae – Wesley Jenkinson
The Dingy Bush-brown is encountered regularly throughout much of Cape York Peninsula, the northern tablelands, sub-coastal and coastal areas with confirmed records south to the Dawson Bioregion ….

The intriguing Apollo Jewel butterfly ( Hypochrysops apollo (Miskin, 1891); its remarkable hostplants and ant associations - John Moss
This medium sized butterfly is one of 18 Australian Hypochrysops species in a genus of spectacularly coloured butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. There are a further 39 species scattered across …

Life history notes on the Blue Tiger, Tirumala hamata hamata (W.S. Macleay, 1826) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This well-known butterfly species is frequently encountered along much of eastern Queensland. The adults are migratory and …

Life history notes on the Brown Ringlet, Hypocysta metirius (Butler, 1875) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkison
The Brown Ringlet, also previously known as the Common Brown Ringlet, is encountered sporadically along the eastern coastal and tableland districts from north-eastern …

Life history notes on the Small Grass-yellow, Eurema smilax (Donovan, 1805) Lepidoptera: Pieridae - Wesley Jenkinson
The Small Grass-yellow is encountered across much of mainland Australia being the most widespread species in the genus. This species is encountered in a variety of open habitats where the host plants are ….

Life history notes on the White-banded Plane, Phaedyma shepherdi (Moore, 1858) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkison
This interesting butterfly was previously described as two subspecies Phaedyma shepherdi shepherdi (Moore, 1858) being geographically located from central Queensland to north-eastern New …

Life history notes on the Dusky Knight, Ypthima arctous - (Fabricius, 1775) Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson
This is another of Australia’s common butterfly species that has very limited published biological detail. The Dusky Knight (Ypthima arctous), also previously known as the Dingy Ring, is encountered along …..

The genus Acraea (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae) - Peter Hendry
With the recent migration to Australia of the Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore (Linnaeus, 1758)), (see Creature Feature this issue), I thought it might be timely to take a look at the genus worldwide. It must …..

Australian Rustic (Cupha prosope prosope)
I think one of the most amazing sights I have seen since studying butterflies, would have been the one I was fortunate enough to have observed back…

Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus sthenelus,)
One of the more recent additions to my butterfly garden, this is also one of the more active. It always seemed to want to be somewhere else, pausing…

Four-barred Swordtail (Protographium leosthenes leosthenes)
This is one of my favourite local butterflies and I am sure after you are have seen it for yourselves, it will become one of yours. It is a very…

Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus aegeus)
Are you one of the many people who have seen caterpillars on the citrus trees and wondered what they were? If so, this article should prove to be…

Pale Triangle (Graphium eurypylus lycaon)
Anybody who has owned a custard apple tree will be very familiar with the larvae of this butterfly, as they are quite commonly found upon it. They..

Richmond Birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia)
I have purposely not written about this magnificent insect previously, mainly because of the amount of information that has already been published…
Moths

Cruria donowani - Ross Kendall
With my family, I spent several days between Christmas and New Year at Upper Thane Creek west of Warwick, Qld. There had been good rain in the previous months and the vegetation was growing well. Each day I saw several …

Life history notes on the day-flying moth Cruria synopla Turner, 1903 and its distinction from C. donowani (Boisduval, 1832) - John T. Moss
According to the 1996 Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia, there are six species of Cruria in Australia. Two of these, C. synopla and C. donowani, are widespread in eastern Australia. Adult moths of both species …

The Mistletoe Emperor Moth (Opodiphthera loranthi )
The family Saturniidae contains some of the most interesting and spectacular moths in the world…

The Emperor’s New Clothes ) Densey Clyne
Scratch – scratch – ¬scratch – ¬the sound half wakes me and in a drowsy state I try to figure out the cause. A mouse behind the wainscot? But my cat Thomas cleared my Sydney house of mice ……

The Zodiac Moth… A discovery and study - Maya Harrison, Visitors Services Officer at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
The Zodiac Moth… A discovery and study – Maya Harrison, Visitors Services Officer at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens

The Zodiac Files…the cycle begins – Maya Harrison
Mid-morning April 6 2009, I was fortunate to see a Zodiac Moth (Alcides metaurus) laying eggs on the leaf of a Tree Omphalea (Omphalea celata) in the…

The Genus Grammodes (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae; Catocalinae) - Peter Hendry
The genus Grammodes Guenée, 1852, belongs to the subfamily Catocalinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Worldwide the Catocalinae include about 10,000 species, a figure approaching half the total number…..

Life history notes on the moths Gonodontis luteola (Turner, 1904) (Lepidoptera : Geometridae) and Speiredonia spectans (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae) – Peter Hendry and John Moss
In November 2005 John Moss and Ross Kendall returned from a field trip to the Hendry’s bush block, some 28 km SW of Gin Gin. They were excited by a large collection of various lepidoptera larvae….

ATTRACTING INSECTS and BIRDS TO GARDENS and CONSEQUENTIAL ISSUES - Murdoch De Barr.
My presentation is on attracting insects, birds, lizards and other fauna to the garden, for the southeast Queensland area, with a view towards a few other consequential issues……

Life history notes on the noctuid moth Aedia arctipennis, Hulstaert 1924 Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Aediinae - Graham J. McDonald
During a visit to Burleigh Heads (Queensland) beach in mid-January 2012, I noted several colourful striped moth larvae (Fig.1) on the Goat’s Foot Morning Glory Vine (also called Goat’s Foot Convolvulus): Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis: family Convolvulaceae (Fig. 2). This vine is common ….

Observations of aquatic, bug-eating moth fly larvae! – Alisha Steward
Moth flies belong to the fly family Psychodidae. The adults are sometimes also called ‘drain flies’ because they are often found close to sluggish or stagnant water in which their aquatic larvae live ….

Weird and Wonderful Moths - Graham J. McDonald
The world of very small and unusual moths often goes unnoticed. Their interesting colours, shapes and patterns only become apparent after taking their images using a good macro lens and DSLR camera…..

More Weird and the Wonderful Moths - Graham J. McDonald
The world of very small and unusual moths often goes unnoticed. Their interesting colours, shapes and patterns only become apparent after taking their images using a good macro lens and DSLR camera…..

Life history notes on the noctuid moth Grammodes justa (Walker, 1858). Lepidoptera:Noctuidae: Catocalinae - Graham McDonald
Introduction: Moths of the genus Grammodes are often characterised by two distinct cream or yellow parallel lines on the forewing, which usually has a dark brown background. In the Grammodes “Group A” complex of six species (Hendry, 2011), the lines traverse the wing from the costa to the dorsum …..
![Life history notes on the noctuid moth Bastilla , Solomonensis papuana (Holloway, 1979) [Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Catocalinae] - Graham McDonald](https://boic.org.au/brisbane/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/87-1.jpg)
Life history notes on the noctuid moth Bastilla , Solomonensis papuana (Holloway, 1979) [Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Catocalinae] - Graham McDonald
The moths of the genus Bastilla are generally a large species and often have a characteristic white or pale coloured band running from the costa to the …

The Australian Arctiid Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Erebidae) with emphasis on Creatonotos gangis - Peter Hendry
In the Checklist of Lepidoptera of Australia (1996), (herein referred to as the Checklist) the worldwide superfamily Noctuoidea contains nine families..

Moths of Tropical North Queensland - Graham J. McDonald
Last June and July, my wife and I returned to Cape York Peninsula to photograph butterflies and moths at Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park and several other places in the Wet Tropics.

Moths of Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park - Graham J. McDonald
Iron Range is located on the eastern side of Cape York Peninsula, a little more than halfway between Cooktown and Cape York, near the settlement of Lockhart River. It contains the largest area of tropical rainforest..

Weird and Wonderful Moths Two - Graham J. McDonald
The world of very small and unusual moths often goes unnoticed. Their interesting colours, shapes and patterns only become apparent after taking their images using a good macro lens and DSLR camera. Knowing where ….

Fruit-piercing Moths –Night Raiders! -Lois Hughes and John Moss
On the Hughes’ property at Mt Cotton, in the Redlands, grows a common menisperm vine with heart-shaped peltate mid-green leaves, Stephania japonica var. discolor or Tape Vine. It twines its way gracefully through the undergrowth and trails across the ground in the …..

Gardenia Bee Hawk (Cephonodes kingii)
The summer of 2001-2002 was an exceptionally good one for the Gardenia Bee Hawk (Cephonodes kingii) around Sydney. They turned up at Belrose…
Bees

Getting a Buzz Out of Bees – Lois Hughes
An introduction to our native solitary bees. For the scientifically minded, the following is a general description of bees. Bees belong…..

Teddy Bear Bees, Amegilla (Asaropoda) – Erica Siegel
So far there are 26 species of Amegilla (Asasopoda) recorded in Australia. Teddy Bear Bees are solitary bees and range in size from 7-20 mm…

Great Carpenter Bee – Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) – Erica Siegel
There are six species of Great Carpenter bees in Australia and they are found in the warmer climate of northern Western Australia, Northern NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. They are one of several buzz pollinators. …

Blue-banded Bee, Amegilla sp. – Erica Siegel
There are over 20 described Blue-banded bees in Australia ranging in size from 8 mm to 18 mm. They are one of three long-tongued bees and known as buzz pollinators……

Peacock or Green Carpenter (Xylocopa, formerly in genus Lestis) – Erica Siegel
Xylocopa bombylans is found along the coast from Sydney to Cape York and X. aeratus is found around Sydney, on the Dividing Range up to approximately the Stanthorpe area…..

Homalictus bee – Homalictus urbanus - Erica Siegel
There are about 40 species of Homalictus bees and they are found in all states of Australia, both along the coast and inland. ….

Lipotriches – Family HALICTIDAE – Subfamily Nomiinae – Erica Siegel
The Family Halictidae are short-tongued bees and have dagger shaped tongues according to Dr Ken Walker (Bowerbird Bugle March 2016). Lipotriches used to be known as Nomia bees but …
Others

An Introduction to Paropsine Leaf Beetles
These beetles belong to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Chrysomelinae, the largest subfamily in Australia, which includes some 750 species …

Anyone for Slugs? - Densey Clyne.
No, thank you very much, you will be thinking. Slimy pests with no redeeming features at all – away with them! Well yes, some of them, but others deserve a closer look…

A Slightly Slimey Tale – Jill Fechner
As a child of the 70s my backyard was a constant delight. Each summer tiny Eastern Bearded Dragons perched in our lemon tree. Our bushhouse was home to Eastern Sedge frogs tucked up …

My Favourite Palynivore – Densey Clyne
Wandering around my garden I brush against a small plant and catch a tiny movement out of the corner of my eye. I scan the foliage; whatever I disturbed has disappeared…

Safe Sex for Insects – Densey Clyne
If you’re going to be a male in this world, it’s best to be a human one. Human males, traditionally providers and protectors, evolved to be physically bigger, stronger and more aggressive than females. But in the immensely larger world of the insects …..

Silken Cradles – Densey Clyne
A long time ago I shared my Sydney garden with a very special spider – Ordgarius magnificus, known in those days as Dicrostichus magnificus. I called her ….

Camouflaged Insects - Murdoch de Barr
I have put together a series of Brisbane garden articles to illustrate that it is not always necessary to go on long excursions to uncover interesting insect observations……..

An Aphid Story – Bernie Franzmann
I knew aphids were members of the true bugs (Hemiptera) but I didn’t know much more about them. I had the idea that they were sort of mysterious creatures that ….

Large, predatory water bugs – Alisha Steward
Many families in the Order Hemiptera (‘bugs’), Suborder Heteroptera (‘true bugs’), are aquatic, living in rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and other wetlands – and almost all aquatic bugs are …..

Golden Green Stag Beetle (Lamprima latreillii) --- A picture story –Hongming Kan
Last summer, I wrote a short article on my experience of capturing the Brown Stag Beetle (Rhyssonotus nebulosus) in Brisbane and ….

Brown Stag Beetle Rhyssonotus nebulosus in Brisbane - Hongming Kan
One day in late 2008 in Yugarapul Park, I accidently stepped on a rotten tree trunk lying in the bush and snapped it while chasing a beautiful butterfly near the Bulimba Creek. I found a pair of Brown Stag beetles …..

Tube Spittlebugs (Clastopteridae: Machaerotinae) – Ross Kendall
On page 43 of the March edition (#68) of Metamorphis Australia I asked if someone could identify the tube-like structures pictured here Grace Lithgow toere. Soon after the magazine had been posted off, we received ….

Tube Spittlebugs – Ross Kendall
Publication of the story of Tube Spittle Bugs in our 70th edition of September 2013, prompted our long-time member and gifted artist Grace Lithgow toere. Soon after the magazine had been posted off, we received …..

Ladybird photo gallery
This gallery of images ..

Story of a New Ladybird – Bernard Franzman
This ladybird is common in backyards in south-east Queensland. I found it at Gatton in 2000. There were quite a few of them…..

Ladybirds – Bernie Franzmann
There are some insects that almost everyone detests, e.g., bed bugs and lice. But equally, there are some almost everyone likes, e.g., butterflies and of course ladybirds…

One cicada, two cicadas, three cicadas… twelve! - Lindsay Popple
Every summer in Australia (and indeed in many other parts of the world) the forests, woodlands and grasslands become host to the acoustic rhythms of cicadas. To the human ear, these sounds ….

Diurnal predation of lepidopterous larvae by the carabid beetle Calosoma austral Hope 1845 - Richard Zietek
Early this year, 5th March 2014, I made a collecting trip to a property called “Noonbah” owned by naturalist Angus Emmott. The property is situated approximately a half hour drive west of Lochern National Park …