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Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 1

MATING BEHAVIOUR OF MONISTRIA CONCINNA

(ORTHOPTERA: PYRGOMORPHIDAE) AND HEIDE AMICULI

(ORTHOPTERA: EUMASTACIDAE) FROM AUSTRALIA WITH

NOTES ON THEIR FEEDING BEHAVIOUR

R.G. BLAND

Biology Department, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, 48859,

U.S.A.

Abstract

The mating behaviour of a representative species of the endemic Australian Monistriini

tribe and Morabinae subfamily is described for the first time. Pair formation and

courtship of these flightless species are simple, consisting of stalking and antennal

pointing by males and, for the morabine, antennal tapping of the female by the male

after he mounts her. Brief notes on food plants and feeding behaviour are included.

Introduction

Monistriine grasshoppers form an endemic Australian tribe of the

Pyrgomorphidae, consisting of 4 genera and 12 species (Key 1985).

They are robust, usually brachypterous insects with aposematic

coloration. These insects feed on perennial forbs and shrubs and

occur throughout much of Australia in habitats ranging from the arid

centre to subhumid areas and cold mountain regions (Key 1985).

Their population density has been quite variable, ranging from high

numbers causing defoliation (Allsopp 1977a, 1977b, Key 1985) to

infrequently encountered and fragmentally distributed races of species

in mountains of southeastern Australia (Key 1985). Biological

information on the Monistriini is sparse, consisting primarily of a

recent monograph (Key 1985 and earlier taxonomic and cytogenetic

references therein) and a few studies on food plants, natural enemies,

and seasonal development (Allsopp 1977a, 1977b, 1978, 1979; Green

1983). There are no references to the mating behaviour of species of

Monistriini in the literature.

Morabine grasshoppers are an endemic Australian subfamily of the

Eumastacidae that consists of 41 described genera and about 250

species (Key 1976, 1977, 1982). They are attenuate, apterous insects

with ensiform antennae. Most morabines occur and feed on forbs

(broad-leaf herbs) and shrubs although about 20% inhabit grasslands

(Key 1974). They are generally polyphagous but their low vagility

and, in many cases, restricted habitats, can result in a very limited

choice of food (Blackith and Blackith 1966) and may account in part

for their low populations. Morabine species from different genera are

commonly sympatric and have apparently evolved isolating

mechanisms that include specific ecological niches and parapatry.

Intraspecific variability also occurs and chromosomal polymorphism

and chromosomal races may be particularly characteristic (Key 1974).

Studies have been made on the anatomy, physiology, development,

genetics, and taxonomy of morabines (cf. references in Key 1976), but

2 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

no information on their mating behaviour has appeared in the

literature.

The purpose of this study was to describe the mating behaviour of a

representative grasshopper species in the Monistriini and one in the

Morabinae. Monistria concinna (Walker) (montane race), a

monistriine of the low mountains of south-eastern Australia, and

Heide amiculi (Sjóstedt), a morabine of New South Wales coastal and

subcoastal heath, were selected.

Methods and Materials

M. concinna individuals were collected 10 January 1989 at Piccadilly

Circus and Mt. Ginini) summit in the Brindabella Range in the

Australian Capital Territory. They occurred sporadically) in open

meadows of forbs and grasses. Individuals were maintained on

Plantago lanceolata L. (English plantain) in the laboratory with an

occasional addition of Taraxacum officinale Weber ex Wiggers

(dandelion). These foods allowed third instar nymphs to develop to

adults and adult males to live for over 4 months. The observation

cage was a 30 x 30 x 20 cm-high glass terrarium with a wooden top

containing a central screen over which was placed a 40 watt

incandescent bulb to produce a temperature averaging 27?C on the

cage floor. Sandy loam and vegetation formed the cage floor and the

photophase ranged from 13 to 14.5 h. Behavioural descriptions are a

composite of 3 females and 5 males.

H. amiculi was collected 19 January and 8 March 1989, from coastal

heath 2 km NE of the village of Jervis Bay, New South Wales.

Individuals were fed Correa cv. Mannii (Myrtaceae), a widely grown

ornamental shrub, which was sufficiently nutritious to allow the

development of a last instar to the adult stage, oviposition, and

longevity for over 3 months. Grasshoppers were kept in an 18 x 18 x

35 cm-high glass terrarium with a screen top. The cage had a 10 cm-

wide vertical strip of screening in the centre for climbing, a sand floor,

and stems of vegetation resembling the habitat. An overhead 40 watt

incandescent bulb provided light and a temperature averaging 30?C at

the vertical midpoint of the cage. Natural lighting was present and the

photophase ranged from ca. 11 to 14.5 h. Behavioural descriptions

are a composite of observations on 4 females and 2 males.

Results and Discussion

Monistria concinna

Feeding Behaviour

Two specimens were captured on Podolepis robusta (Maiden et

Betche) J.H. Willis (Compositae) and fed on this plant for several

days before it was replaced with the more readily available laboratory

diet. As a grasshopper approached a food plant, it lowered its

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 3

antennae to touch the leaf and often moved the bent apical fourth of

the antennae across the surface in a posterior direction four to five

times, each pass taking ca. 1 s.

Mating Behaviour

Pair Formation - Monistriini lack tympana (Key 1985) and have not

been reported to stridulate. M. concinna males apparently use vision

to locate and approach females. Before moving toward the female,

the male's antennae are usually lowered from a raised, spread position

to a parallel, stationary position and pointed toward the female. This

antenna orientation is common to many acridids although M.

concinna did not vibrate its antennae as many do (Uvarov 1977). If

the visual sense is the dominating pair formation stimulus, then

pointing the parallel antennae toward a female and holding them

stationary in this confined airspace may reduce spurious olfactory and

tactile (e.g., wind) sensory input as well as expose a smaller surface

area to these stimuli, thus allowing visual cues from the female to be

received with less signal interference.

Males approached females by slowly stalking, walking quickly, or

making a short jump, generally approaching laterally until about 8 cm

away. Stalking lasted up to 3 min and the time period between the

cessation of stalking and mounting a female ranged from 10 to 45 s

(n=9). A female either remained motionless, moved away or, less

commonly, raised her hind femora slightly to resist a male.

Mounting, Courtship and Copulation - Females rarely jumped or

kicked when mounted. After mounting, the male faced anteriorly,

rotating and vibrating its antennae for 8 to 12 s up to 5 times.

Generally the vibrating antennae did not contact the female. Some

males vibrated one or both hind femora intermittently (ca. 10 cycles/s,

4 to 16 cycles/episode) which occasionally resulted in the tarsi

vibrating against the female's abdominal terga. Females rarely

vibrated their hind femora. If the female began walking the male

would start femora vibration again which usually caused her to stop.

Males occasionally rocked from side to side for ca. 2 s, repeating this

movement several times which sometimes caused the female to rock

weakly in response. Some males palpated the female's nota near the

base of the wings; this oecurred whether she was motionless or

moving. A female generally moved her head and prothorax slightly up

and down for several seconds on an irregular basis until copulation.

The time from mounting to copulation ranged from 2.5 to 8 min

(n=11). Pick-a-back riding (Key 1985) where the non-copulating male

is carried by the female was observed at times.

Aggression - During copulation there often were no aggressive signals

between the copulating male and an approaching or contacting male.

However, the female sometimes moved her head and thorax up and

4 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 199]

down several times in succession, each series lasting ca. 3 s. These

movements were identical to the body movement described above

during the male's attempt to copulate and may be a disturbance

response.

On one occasion a second male mounted a copulating pair, orienting

himself on the opposite side of the female from the first male (who

had moved to one side). The second male vibrated his antennae and

femora with only slight femoral response from the first male. Then

the first male kicked out and the second male jumped off. The first

male repositioned himself dorsally and displayed generalized

disturbance reactions which consisted of slowly raising and lowering

his hind femora and alternating his tibia from a folded to an extended

position. His antennae also vibrated for ca. 1 min during this time,

On another occasion a second male dislodged the first male, and when

the latter attempted to remount the female the newly mounted male

raised his hind femora three times with the tibiae extended about 45°

from the femoral axis. Femora raising and tibia extension are

common disturbance or male rejection signals (Otte 1970).

If a male approached within a few millimetres of, or mounted,

another male, the latter responded with a rapid vibration of his

antennae and one or both femora and then moved away. The

aggressor male frequently vibrated his femora as well after

dismounting.

Pyrgomorph species in other tribes show mating behaviour that is

similar to M. concinna (Srivastava 1957, Fishelson 1960). Srivastava

(1957) noted that the newly mounted male Atractomorpha crenulata

(F.) (Atractomorphini) repeatedly pats the pronotum and head of the

female with his forelegs and antennae, an action not observed with M.

concinna. Also, the female resisted mounted males more vigorously

than M. concinna which could be a reason why more male courtship

was required for successful copulation.

Female stalking without courtship display, and antenna vibration and

hindleg shaking or vibration as found with M. concinna males is

widespread among non-acoustic acridid species in the melanopline

subfamily of North America (Otte 1970) and five subfamilies of South

America (Riede 1987). Many of these species vibrate femora more

persistently than M. concinna males and a few have colored tips on

their antennae or knees (Riede 1987). Hindleg vibration, especially

where the substrate is contacted, is thought to play an important

communication role in vegetation-inhabiting species.

Heide amiculi

An average of only one grasshopper per 2 h was collected due to their

cryptic gray coloration, slender silhouette, unobtrusive behaviour, and

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 5

assumed low population. Individuals occurred up to ca. 0.5 m on

various xerophilous low plants.

Feeding Behaviour

Nine forbs and shrubs, two grasses and one sedge were collected from

the habitat for feeding trials, of which the foliage of four species was

placed in a container of water and presented to grasshoppers for 24 h.

H. amiculi fed only on the shrub Leptospermum scoparium Forst. f.

var. rotundifolium Maiden & Betche (Myrtaceae). The grasshopper

approached the leaf and tapped it two or three times with its antennae

in very rapid succession (occasionally repeating the tapping sequence)

before contacting the leaf with its mouthparts and beginning to feed.

While an individual was eating this species or the maintenance species,

C. cv. Mannii, a blade of Poa grass from a lawn could be placed on

top of the shrub leaf, the latter carefully withdrawn, and the latter

would continue to feed on the grass blade. However, the Poa sp.

alone initiated only limited feeding.

Some morabines may be facultative nocturnal feeders (D.C.F. Rentz

pers. comm.). To test this hypothesis with H. amiculi, two individuals

were starved for 18 h and then each placed in a 7 cm diameter Petri

dish with a leaf of C. cv. Mannii. One dish was covered with black

plastic (complete darkness) and the other with plastic perforated with

pinholes (subdued light) ca. 1 mm in diameter and at a density of 20

per 40 cm2. After 4 h, grasshoppers in complete darkness had not fed

but those in subdued natural light had. If the dish was covered with

unperforated or perforated black plastic while the individual was

feeding, ingestion stopped in darkness but continued in subdued light.

These results suggest that in nature some feeding may occur under low

light conditions (dusk, moonlight).

When the large cage of grasshoppers was placed in complete darkness

for 18 h, the grasshoppers usually moved to other locations to roost

soon after being placed in the dark. When light was restored all were

eating within 20 min. In one series of observations over a 2.5 h

period following the restoration of light, a male's first feed lasted 13

min, the second occurred 105 min later on a new leaf and lasted 2

min, and the third feed began 3 min later on a new leaf and continued

for 6 min. The female's first feed lasted 7-min whereupon she took 7

min to move to a new leaf and continued feeding for another 7 min.

A third feed of 5 min occurred 70 min later, and a fourth lasting 4

min took place 35 min later.

Mating Behaviour

Pair Formation - Morabines lack tympana and have not been reported

to stridulate so acoustical communication is unlikely. A male

approached a female from as far as 7.5 cm. His head and antennae

6 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

were lowered and pointed at her although sometimes pointing did not

occur until he had nearly contacted her. The antennae were —

subparallel but became essentially parallel immediately before he

mounted her. Males moved very slowly and took up to 10 min to

traverse 4 cm. Olfactory and/or visual cues may be involved in pair

formation as suggested by a female that began to open and close her

ovipositor. A male 3 cm behind the female turned instantly and

moved toward her until, after 1.5 min, he was oriented

posterolaterally to her. Prior to this time he had shown no interest in

her. Suddenly he lowered his head until it and the antennae pointed

toward the female and 6 s later he mounted her.

Courtship Before Mounting - No premounting courtship was observed.

A male would occasionally rock weakly just before mounting. At

times a female would rock irregularly from side to side (ca. 3.5

cycles/s) for several seconds. Rocking could often be evoked by

waving an object in front of a female.

Mounting, Courtship and Copulation - After mounting a female by

jumping, a male positioned himself to face anteriorly and immediately

tapped her prothorax in a rapid single burst (ca. 5 or 6 taps/0.5 s)

with his alternating antennae. Females were never observed to resist

males by vigorous jumping typical of acridid grasshoppers.

Immediately upon being mounted or during antennal tapping the

female lowered her hind femora so that they were horizontal and

either parallel to her abdomen or somewhat spread. The male then

lowered the distal third of his abdomen to probe the ventral side of

the female's abdomen. The long cultriform portion of the subgenital

plate was angled away from the female's abdomen and had no tactile

role.

If the male was positioned too far forward, one of the following two

sequences occurred:

1) The male alternated tapping each side of the female's

thorax with his antennae (left antenna tapped the left side, right

antenna the right side) as he simultaneously backed down her dorsum

to insert his terminalia. Copulation time averaged 2.3 h (range 50 min

to 3.5 h, n2 5).

2) Antennal tapping involved a single burst followed by one

or two additional bursts each separated by one to several minutes, but

copulation did not occur. The female remained immobile and the

male either jumped or crawled off usually after 4 to 7 min. Riding on

the back of a female for long periods of time was not observed. Once

a male had dismounted, the female raised her femora to their normal

position within 2 min.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 7

It was not determined what cues from the female stimulated the male

to tap her with his antennae continuously rather than sporadically.

The only other female behaviours observed were uncommon and

consisted of (1) a slight body vibration lasting only a few seconds and

(2) moving her head down and up once, this sequence repeated about

three times over a 3 min period. In both cases antennal tapping by

the male was sporadic and copulation was unsuccessful.

The antennae of males appear to convey important tactile information

since bursts of tapping occurred when contacting a food source and.

after mounting a female. Blackith and Goto (1974) noted that

antennal tapping is typical of eumastacids. They found that the

sensory fields on antennae of three morabine species consisted

primarily of olfactory coeloconic sensilla which were protected by

sclerotized masses surrounded by small numbers of trichoid sensilla.

Trichoid sensilla are typically tactile receptors but the small number of

them suggests that they would produce a weak signal from antennal

tapping. Cursory observations of antennae of male and female H.

amiculi with a scanning electron microscope revealed that the antennal

sensilla were virtually identical to those of the eumastacid species

studied by Blackith and Goto (1974). Coeloconic sensilla consisted

primarily of stout rods and about 3% slender rods. The flat, ventral

antennal surface had most and males had more proximally and distally

than females. Up to 500 coeloconic sensilla could occur on the ventral

surface of a segment. There were no unusual types or numbers of

sensilla associated with antennal tapping. The large number of

coeloconic sensilla indicated a strong dependence on olfactory cues.

Key (1976) noted that morabine species varied considerably in their

internal anatomy and ecological characteristics and differed

substantially from the norm for the Eumastacidae. It would be of

interest to determine if other morabine species depart from the

antennal tapping behaviour and the otherwise simple mating behaviour

of H. amiculi.

Acknowledgements

Facilities for this study were provided by the Entomology Division,

CSIRO, Canberra. D.C.F. Rentz and K.H.L. Key of this division

provided useful collecting information and comments on the

manuscript. Plant identification was confirmed by L. Craven,

Division of Plant Industry Herbarium, CSIRO.

References

ALLSOPP, P.G. 1977a. Insects associated with Eremophila gilesii F. Muell. in

southern Queensland. Queensland Journal of Agricultural and Animal Sciences 34: 157-

161.

8 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 199]

ALLSOPP, P.G. 1977b. Biology and capacity for increase of Monistria discrepans

(Walker) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) in the laboratory. Journal of the Australian

Entomological Society 16: 207-213.

ALLSOPP, P.G. 1978. Seasonal history, hosts and natural enemies of Monistria

discrepans (Walker) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) in south-west Queensland. Journal

of the Australian Entomological Society 17: 65-73.

ALLSOPP, P.G. 1979. Differentiation and increase in size of nymphal instars of

Monistria discrepans (Walker) (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae). Queensland Journal of

Agricultural and Animal Sciences 36: 155-161.

BLACKITH, R.E. and BLACKITH, R.M. 1966. The food of morabine grasshoppers.

Australian Journal of Zoology 14: 877-894.

BLACKITH, R.E. and GOTO, H.E. 1974. Antennal structures of morabine

grasshoppers. Acrida 3: 7-17.

FISHELSON, L. 1960. The biology and behaviour of Poekilocerus bufonius Klug,

with special reference to the repellent gland (Orth. Acrididae). Eos 36: 41-62.

GREEN, K. 1983. Alternative strategies in the life cycles of alpine grasshoppers

(Orthoptera: Acridoidea). Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 12: 125-

133.

KEY, K.H.L. 1974. Speciation in the Australian morabine grasshoppers—axonomy

and ecology. Pp. 43-56. Jn White, M.J.D. (ed.), Genetic mechanisms of speciation in

insects. Australia and New Zealand Book Company, Sydney.

KEY, K.H.L. 1976. A generic and suprageneric classification of the Morabinae

(Orthoptera: Eumastacidae), with description of the type species and a bibliography of

the subfamily. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 37: 1-185.

KEY, K.H.L. 1977. The genera and species of the tribe Morabini (Orthoptera:

Eumastacidae: Morabinae). Australian Journal of Zoology 25: 499-565.

KEY, K.H.L. 1982. Species, parapatry, and the morabine grasshoppers. Systematic

Zoology 30: 425-458.

KEY, K.H.L. 1985. Monograph of the Monistriini and Petasidini (Orthoptera:

Pyrgomorphidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 107: 1-213.

OTTE, D. 1970. A comparative study of communicative behavior in grasshoppers.

Miscellaneous Publications Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 141: 1-168.

RIEDE, K. 1987. A comparative study of mating behaviour in some neotropical

grasshoppers (Acridoidea). Ethology 76: 265-296.

SRIVASTAVA, P.D. 1957. Observations on the breeding habits of Atractomorpha

crenulata (F.) the tobacco grasshopper (Orthoptera, Acrididae). Annals of the

Entomological Society of America 50: 15-20.

UVAROV, B. 1977. Grasshoppers and locusts. A handbook of general acridology.

Vol. 2, Behaviour, ecology, biogeography, population dynamics. Centre for Overseas

Pest Research, London. 613 pp.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 9

NEW FOOD PLANTS FOR SOME QUEENSLAND BUTTERFLIES

Garry Sankowsky

P.O. Box 210, Tolga, Qld, 4882

Abstract

New host plant records are given for Protographium leosthenes leosthenes (Doubleday),

Graphium sarpedon choredon (C. and R. Felder), Graphium eurypylus lycaon (C. and

R. Felder), Graphium agamemnon ligatum (Rothschild), Graphium aristeus parmatum

(Gray), Eleppone anactus (W.S. Macleay), Princeps aegeus aegeus (Donovan), P. fuscus

capaneus (Westwood), P. canopus canopus (Westwood), P. ambrax egipius (Miskin),

Papilio ulysses joesa Butler, Cressida cressida cressida (Fabricius), Atrophaneura

polydorus queenslandicus (Rothschild), Ornithoptera euphorion (Gray), Catopsilia

pyranthe crokera (W.S. Macleay), Danaus affinis affinis (Fabricius), Tirumala hamata

hamata (W.S. Macleay), Euploea sylvester sylvester (Fabricius), Polyura sempronius

sempronius (Fabricius), Phaedyma shepherdi shepherdi (Moore), Yoma sabina parva *

(Butler), Junonia orithya albicincta Butler, Cethosia cydippe chrysippe (Fabricius),

Vindula arsinoe ada (M.R. Butler), Vagrans egista propinqua (Miskin), Cupha prosope

prosope (Fabricius), Hypochrysops ignitus chrysonotus Grose-Smith, Deudorix epijarbas

dido Waterhouse, Anthene lycaenoides godeffroyi (Semper), Jamides aleuas coelestis

(Miskin) and Zizula hylax attenuata (T.P. Lucas). Distributions, including notes on

habitats are given for some host plants and new life history notes are recorded for some

butterfly species.

Introduction

Lists of food plants for Australian butterflies have been given or

summarised by Common and Waterhouse (1972, 1981) and Ackery

and Vane-Wright (1984). The author has previously listed numerous

butterfly food plants that occur in rainforest (Sankowsky 1975, 1978)

and over the past 10 years has observed the use of other (mostly

rainforest) plants as hosts.

Unless otherwise stated ova or larvae were found on the plants listed

and raised to adults on the same species. Records from Tolga were

obtained from cultivated plants in the author's arboretum, all other

records were from wild plants.

Abbreviations

(BRI) Queensland Herbarium, Indooroopilly; (QRS) C.S.I.R.O.

Herbarium, Atherton Qld; R.F.K. C.S.I.R.O. computerised key for

identification of rainforest plants of northern Australia. * Exotic

species of plants.

PAPILIONIDAE

Protographium leosthenes leosthenes (Doubleday)

Desmos wardianus (Bailey) Jessup (Annonaceae). Weipa, Dec. 1986.

Common in the monsoonal rainforests of Weipa and Bamaga. Both larvae

and a pupal case were observed on the vine.

Melodorum uhrii F. Muell (Annonaceae). Mt Tamborine, Dec. 1979.

Occurs in rainforest from about Ingham to Cooktown. This host would

rarely be used naturally as it occurs in wetter rainforest than P. leosthenes

10 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

usually frequents, but in captivity the adults oviposited freely on the vine

and larvae developed at the normal rate.

Graphium sarpedon choredon (C. and R. Felder)

Beilschmiedia obtusifolia (F. Muell. ex Meissn.) F. Muell. (Lauraceae),

Tolga, Jan. 1989. A common tree found in both moist and wet rainforest

from Cape York to Sydney.

Cryptocarya cinnamomifolia Benth. (Lauraceae). Tolga, Dec. 1983. Tree

found only in high altitude very wet rainforest from Cooktown to Tully

River.

Cryptocarya mackinnoniana F. Muell. (Lauraceae). Tolga, Mar. 1989. A

common tree in wet tropical rainforest from Mt Tozer to Mt Dryander.

Cryptocarya murrayi F. Muell. (Lauraceae). Tolga, Jan. 1989. A tree

found mostly in lowland rainforest from Cooktown to Mackay.

Endiandra impressicosta Allen (Lauraceae). Tolga, Dec. 1983. A tree

found in lowland rainforest from Cape York to Tully.

Litsea ferruginea (R.Br.) Benth. & J.D. Hook (Lauraceae). Tolga, Jan.

1989. A small tree found mostly on rainforest margins near the coast from

Cairns to Cooktown.

Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B. Robinson (Lauraceae). Weipa, Dec. 1986.

Commonly found in vine thickets and dry monsoonal rainforest of Cape

York Peninsula, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Litsea leefeana (F. Muell.) Merr. (Lauraceae). Tolga, Jan. 1984. Tree

found only in wet to very wet rainforest from Cooktown to northern New

South Wales.

Neolitsea australiensis Kosterm. (Lauraceae). Burleigh Heads, Mar. 1980.

Common in both wet and dry rainforests of Queensland and the Northern

Territory.

Graphium eurypylus lycaon (C. and R.Felder)

Artabotryus sp. (Annonaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1989. A large vine found only

in rainforest along the Claudie River.

Desmos sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 483 (BRI)) (Annonaceae). Tolga, Jan.

1989. An uncommon vine found from Mossman Gorge to Bloomfield and

along the Claudie River.

Melodorum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 532 (BRI)) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Jan. 1989. A large vine which is very similar to Rauwenhoffia leichhardtii.

It is common along the Wenlock River and in the Weipa area.

Melodorum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 625 (BRI) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Jan. 1989. A large vine found only at Topaz and Woopen Creek.

Melodorum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 770 (BRI) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Jan. 1989. A large vine commonly found in dry monsoonal rainforest

north of Coen.

Melodorum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 822 (BRI) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Dec. 1988. A rare vine found only at Baker's Blue Hills and near Coen.

Polyalthia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 292 (BRI) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Dec. 1988. A large tree which has a fairly restricted distribution, found

only from Pine Ck, E of Cairns to Bellenden Ker.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 11

Polyalthia australis (Benth.) Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1988.

Medium sized tree, commonly found in monsoonal rainforest on Cape

York Peninsula, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The

southern limit is the Mulgrave River near Cairns.

Uvaria membranacea Benth. (Annonaceae). Sweet Ck, N of Cairns, Dec.

1987. A large vine found in moist monsoonal rainforest north of Cairns.

It is common at Bamaga but does not occur at Weipa.

Uvaria rufa Blume (Annonaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1988. A large vine found

in dry monsoonal rainforest north of Coen. It is a common vine at

Weipa.

Graphium agamemnon ligatum (Rothschild)

Ancana stenopetala F. Muell. (Annonaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1984. A small

shrub found only in south-eastern Queensland outside of the range of this

butterfly (Common and Waterhouse 1981) and so would not normally be a

host.

Cyathostemma micranthum (A.Dc.) J. Sinclair (Annonaceae). Tolga, Jan.

1989. A large vine found in moist to wet monsoonal rainforest north of

Cooktown.

Desmos goezeanus (F. Muell.) Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Feb. 1984. A

large vine found in wet rainforest between Ingham and Cooktown.

Desmos sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 483 (BRI)) (Annonaceae). Bloomfield,

Dec. 1984.

Fitzalania heteropetala (F.Muell. F.Muell.(Annonaceae). Tolga, Feb.

1984. A small shrub found in moist to dry (mostly coastal) rainforest

from Proserpine to about Maryborough. It may be the host plant of G.

aristeus at Yeppoon.

Goniothalamus australis Jessup (Annonaceae). Topaz, Dec. 1984. A small

tree which is restricted mostly to high altitude very wet rainforest from The

Big Tableland (near Cooktown) to about Millaa Millaa.

Haplostichanthus johnsonii F. Muell. (Annonaceae). Woopen Creek, May

1986. A small shrub found only from the eastern base of Mt Bartle Frere

to the Johnston River.

Haplostichanthus sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 221 (BRI) (Annonaceae).

Tolga, Feb. 1984. A very common small shrub in lowland rainforest from

Mossman to Bloomfield.

Haplostichanthus sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 342 (BRI) (Annonaceae).

Tolga, Feb. 1984. A common small tree in lowland rainforest between

Cairns and Ingham.

Haplostichanthus sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 402 (BRI) (Annonaceae).

Tolga, Feb. 1984. A small tree only occurring between the Mulgrave and

Johnston Rivers.

Melodorum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 625 (BRI)) (Annonaceae). Topaz,

Aug. 1984.

Melodorum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 822 (BRI) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Feb. 1985.

Miliusa brahei (F.Muell.) Jessup (Annonaceae). Four Mile Beach, Port

Douglas, Nov. 1983. A small tree common in beach or monsoonal

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

rainforest on the east coast north of Proserpine. Ova and larvae were

found on juvenile plants, which appear to be the only situation where G.

agamemnon ova are found.

Miliusa traceyi Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Feb. 1989. A small

deciduous tree found only in dry monsoonal rainforest on Cape York

Peninsula north of Musgrave. It is interesting to note that the author has

not been able to induce any Graphium larvae to feed on Miliusa horsfieldii

(Benn.) Baillon ex Pierre.

Oncodostigma sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 230 (BRI)) (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Jan. 1984. A shrub or small tree found mostly in high altitude very wet

rainforest from The Big Tableland to Mt Lewis but not on Mt Bartle

Frere.

Polyalthia michaelii C.T. White (Annonaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1988. A large

tree with very limited distribution, from Mt Bartle Frere to the South

Johnston River.

Polyalthia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 292 (BRI) (Annonaceae).

Goldsborough Rd (Mulgrave River), Nov. 1982.

Pseuduvaria froggattii (F.Muell.) Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Feb. 1984.

A small tree occurring from the Bloomfield River to Black Mountain, near

Kuranda.

Pseuduvaria hylandii Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Feb. 1984. Tree to 10

m high in rainforest on Mt Bartle Frere and near Topaz.

Pseuduvaria mulgraveana Jessup var. mulgraveana (Annonaceae). Tolga,

Dec. 1988. A small understory tree found in lowland rainforest between

Bellenden Ker and the Mulgrave River valley.

Pseuduvaria mulgraveana Jessup var. glabrescens (Annonaceae). Clohesy

River, Mar. 1983. A small tree found in the rainforest from Kuranda to

Lake Tinaroo in the ranges and at Freshwater Creek, near Cairns. In the

past this species has sometimes been called Mitrephora Sroggattii F. Muell.

Pseuduvaria villosa Jessup (Annonaceae). Glen Allyn, Nov. 1982. A

small tree found in lowland rainforest between the Russell and South

Johnston Rivers.

Rauwenhoffia leichhardtii (F.Muell. Diels. (Annonaceae). Fitzroy Is.,

Aug. 1978. Ova and larvae found on the plant.

Uvaria goezeanus (F. Muell.) Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Feb. 1984.

Uvaria membranacea Benth. (Annonaceae). Bloomfield, Dec. 1984.

Uvaria rufa Blume (Annonaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1985.

Xylopia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 284 (BRI)) (Annonaceae). Tolga, Dec.

1984. A small tree found in dry monsoonal rainforest north of Coen.

*Annona squamosa L. (Annonaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1984. A small custard

apple tree now naturalised in northern Queensland. Originally imported

from South America.

*Annona cheromoya Mill. (Annonaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1984. This is the

most commonly used root stock used in the Tolga area for grafting of the

various cultivated custard apples. It is rarely seen growing wild.

*Rollinia deliciosa Safford (Annonaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1984. This is the

most recent introduction from South America of the custard apple group

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 13

but already some wild plants can be found.

Graphium aristeus parmatum (Gray)

Miliusa brahei (F.Muell.) Jessup (Annonaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1988. Larvae

were collected by Max and Barbara Moulds from near Coen on Miliusa

traceyi Jessup. As the author had very little of this plant they were offered

a range of Annonaceae and the only one they accepted without hesitation

was M. brahei. G. aristeus is commonly seen just north of Cairns and as

M. traceyi is not found this far south M. brahei could be the host plant in

this area.

Eleppone anactus (W.S. Macleay)

Microcitrus inodora (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1983.

A rare shrub found only on the lower eastern slopes of Mt Bellenden Ker.

Microcitrus garrawayae (F.M.Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar.

1983. A small tree found in dry monsoonal rainforest from Coen to Iron

Range and across to Weipa.

* Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1982. A small tree

often used as a rootstock when grafting cultivated citrus.

Princeps aegeus aegeus (Donovan)

Flindersia ifflaiana F. Muell. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1985. A large tree

common in the rainforest north of Mareeba up to Cooktown, occurring

again at Heathlands on Cape York Peninsula. Adults rarely oviposit on it

but larvae readily accept it.

Flindersia laevicarpa C.T. White and W.D. Francis (Rutaceae). Tolga,

Mar. 1988. A small tree found in high altitude rainforest between

Atherton and Mossman.

Flindersia oppositifolia (F. Muell. T. Hartley and Jessup (Rutaceae).

Tolga, Jan. 1987. A small tree found only on Mt Bartle Frere and Mt

Bellenden Ker at high altitudes.

Flindersia pimenteliana F. Muell. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1985. A

common tree occurring in rainforest between Ingham and Cooktown, often

at fairly high altitudes.

Melicope melanophloia C.T. White (Rutaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1987. A

small tree with a very disjunct distribution, occurring in south-eastern

Queensland and then again in northern Queensland.

Microcitrus garrawayae (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar.

1983.

Microcitrus inodora (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1983.

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC. (Rutaceae). Clohesy River, Mar. 1982.

A large vine occurring in rainforests of northern Queensland.

Zanthoxylum veneficum F.M. Bailey (Rutaceae). Danbulla, Mar. 1983. A

common tree in the rainforests of northern Queensland.

*Zanthoxylum ailanthoides (Sieb.) Zupp. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1983.

A tree introduced from Japan.

Princeps fuscus capaneus (Westwood)

Bosistoa brassii T. Hartley var. brassii (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1986. A

widespread tree found in rainforest from about Iron Range to Ingham.

14 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

Microcitrus garrawayae (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr,

1983.

Microcitrus inodora (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1983.

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.)Dc. (Rutaceae). Clohesy River, Apr. 1983.

*Zanthoxylum ailanthoides (Sieb.) Zupp. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1983.

Princeps canopus canopus (Westwood)

Microcitrus garrawayae (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr.

1984.

Microcitrus inodora (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1984.

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) Dc. (Rutaceae). Clohesy River, Apr. 1984.

*Zanthoxylum ailanthoides (Sieb.) Zupp. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1984.

Princeps ambrax egipius (Miskin)

Microcitrus garrawayae (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar.

1984.

Microcitrus inodora (F.M. Bailey) Swingle (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1983.

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) Dc. (Rutaceae). Clohesy River, Apr. 1983.

*Zanthoxylum ailanthoides (Sieb.) Zupp. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1987.

Papilio ulysses joesa Butler

Acradenia euodiiformis (F. Muell.) T. Hartley (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar.

1984. From south-eastern Queensland. P. ulysses oviposit readily on it at

Tolga.

Euodia micrococca F. Muell. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1982. A small tree

found in rainforest of south-eastern Queensland and northern New South

Wales.

Euodia sp. (Voucher: R.F.K./3921 (QRS)) (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1983.

A small tree found only in very wet high altitude rainforest from Mt Lewis

to Ravenshoe.

Euodia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 652 (BRI)) (Rutaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1987.

A large tree found only in the McDowall and Thornton Ranges, (N of

Daintree) extending down to the lowlands on the eastern slopes near Cape

Tribulation.

Euodia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 894 (QRS)) (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar.

1986. A shrub found only on Mt Lewis and the Windsor Tableland.

Euodia vitiflora F. Muell. (Rutaceae). Julatten, Jun. 1980. A large tree

occurring in wet to very wet rainforest from Daintree southwards to

northern New South Wales.

Evodiella muelleri (Engl.) B.L. Linden (Rutaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1983. A

shrub or small tree occurring in rainforest from Cooktown to the Atherton

Tableland. P. ulysses commonly oviposit on this plant.

Geijera paniculata (F. Muell.) Druce (Rutaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1987. A

small tree found in dry rainforests in south-eastern Queensland.

Geijera salicifolia Schott. var. latifolia (Lindl.) Domin. (Rutaceae). Tolga,

Feb. 1984. Occasionally ova are deposited on this plant in the author's

garden, though none have been observed in the wild. It is a widespread

plant in the rainforest but never common where P. ulysses is found.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 15

Halfordia scleroxyla F. Muell. (Rutaceae). Tolga, Apr. 1984. A common

tree in the wet to very wet rainforests of northern Queensland. Larvae

have not been observed on this plant in the wild.

Cressida cressida cressida (Fabricius)

Aristolochia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 490 (BRI) (Aristolochiaceae).

Tolga, Jan. 1989. A small vine found on the edge of dry rainforest or in

open forest from northern New South Wales to north of Gladstone. This

is the only natural host plant of C. cressida in south-eastern Queensland.

It has sometimes been identified incorrectly as A. pubera R.Br., which is

found only in northern Queensland.

Aristolochia holtzei R.Br. (Aristolochiaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1989. A very

small vine found in the Northern Territory and from Cape York Peninsula

to about Dimbulah, W of Mareeba. As with all the small Aristolochia

species there is usually not enough foliage on one plant to sustain a larva

so they have to search for another vine after the current host has been

devoured. A. pubera R.Br. is the only open forest Aristolochia that can

Support two or three larvae through to pupation.

Atrophaneura polydorus queenslandicus (Rothschild)

Aristolochia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 372 (BRI) (Aristolochiaceae).

Woopen Creek, Nov. 1984. A large vine found only from the western side

of Mt Bartle Frere to the Johnston and Russell Rivers.

Aristolochia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 382 (BRI)) (Aristolochiaceae). Iron

Range, Nov. 1986. A large vine found commonly in the rainforests of the

Iron Range and Pascoe River areas.

Aristolochia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 368 (BRI) (Aristolochiaceae). 50

km N of Heathlands on Cape York Peninsula, Oct. 1988. A small vine

found commonly in open eucalypt and heath forests north of Iron Range.

A. polydorus was laying freely on this vine in the open forest, at least 10

km from the nearest rainforest.

Ornithoptera euphorion (Gray)

Aristolochia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 372 (BRI)) (Aristolochiaceae). Mt

Bartle Frere, Apr. 1982.

Aristolochia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 220 (BRI)) (Aristolochiaceae). Mt

Lewis, Mar. 1982. A medium sized vine known only from Mt Lewis.

PIERIDAE

Catopsilia pyranthe crokera (W.S. Macleay)

Cassia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 450 (BRI)) (Caesalpiniaceae). Paluma

Ra., Mar. 1983. A small tree which is so far known only to occur on the

Paluma Range.

NYMPHALIDAE

Danaus affinis affinis (Fabricius)

Cynanchum ovalifolium Wight (Asclepiadaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1989. A

small vine which occurs in monsoonal rainforest on Cape York Peninsula.

Tirumala hamata hamata (W.S. Macleay)

Cynanchum leptolepis (Benth.) Domin. (Asclepiadaceae). Tolga, Mar.

1989. A large vine that is very common in the monsoonal rainforests of

16 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

the Weipa area. The adults preferred to oviposit on this vine, even when

their normal host plant, Secamone elliptica R.Br. (Sankowsky 1975) was

nearby.

Heterostemma acuminatum Decne. (Asclepiadaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1989.

A large vine occurring in monsoonal rainforest on Cape York Peninsula.

Euploea sylvester sylvester (Fabricius)

Gymnema pleiadenium F. Muell. (Asclepiadaceae). Forty Mile Scrub, Jan.

1982. A large vine occurring in vine thickets in the Mt Surprise area.

Gymnema geminatum R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae). Chillagoe, Feb. 1984. A

very common vine in vine thickets in the Chillagoe area.

Polyura sempronius sempronius (Fabricius)

Adenanthera abrosperma F. Muell. (Mimosaceae). Chillagoe, Mar. 1984.

A small tree occurring in dry open forest in northern Queensland.

Albizia retusa ssp. retusa Benth. (Mimosaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1985. A very

large tree found at Iron Range.

Sp. A (Voucher: Sankowsky 901 (BRI)) (Mimosaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1989.

A small tree found in vine thickets along the Pascoe River.

Paraserianthes toona (Bailey) I. Nielsen (Mimosaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1988.

A large tree found in rainforests north of Mackay. Previously known as

Albizia toona F.M. Bail.

Phaedyma shepherdi shepherdi (Moore)

Bombax ceiba var. leiocarpum A. Robyns (Bombacaceae). Tolga, Feb.

1989. A large deciduous tree found in monsoonal rainforests north of

Cairns.

Celtis sp. aff. C. timorensis (Voucher: Sankowsky 814 (QRS)) (Ulmaceae).

Tolga, Feb. 1989. A small tree found only at Shipton’s Flat near

Cooktown.

Cordia dichotoma G. Forster (Ehretiaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1989. A medium

to large tree found in most types of rainforest from Cape York to

Rockhampton.

Grewia papuana Burret (Tiliaceae). Yaramulla Station, Mar. 1989. A

shrub common in vine thickets in the Mt Surprise area.

Yoma sabina parva (Butler)

Dipteracanthus bracteatus (R.Br.) Nees (Acanthaceae). 3 km S of Pascoe

River crossing, Iron Range road, Dec. 1986. A small perennial herb found

commonly in open forest, especially near the edge of vine thickets, on

Cape York Peninsula.

Sp. B (Voucher: Sankowsky 477 (BRI)) (Acanthaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1988.

A small trailing herb collected only from vine thickets on Big Mitchell Ck

near Mareeba.

Junonia orithya albicincta Butler

Sp. C (Voucher: Sankowsky 334 (BRI)) (Acanthaceae). . Chillagoe, Apr.

1984. A small herb to about 20 cm high and 50 cm wide found in vine

thickets near Chillagoe.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 17

Sp. D (Voucher: Sankowsky 802 (BR))I (Acanthaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1987.

A perennial herb collected in vine thickets just south of Cooktown and

near the mouth of the Claudie River.

Sp. E (Voucher: Sankowsky 803 (BRI)) (Acanthaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1988.

A small herb collected from Mt Pinnacle near Dimbulah.

Hypoestes floribunda R. Br. (Acanthaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1987. A herb

commonly found in gallery rainforest from Cape York to Coen.

Justicia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 285 (BRI)) (Acanthaceae). Tolga, Dec.

1985. A small herb common on creeks just north and south of the Pascoe

River.

Pseuderanthemum sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 245 (BRI) (Acanthaceae).

Scrubby Ck, S of Cooktown, Aug. 1982. A small clumping herb found in

vine thickets from Cooktown to Lakeland Downs. It is interesting to note

that neither Doleschallia nor Hypolimnas oviposit on this plant.

Rostellularia adscendens (R.Br.) R.M. Barker ssp. glaucoviolacea (Domin)

R.M. Barker (Acanthaceae). Dimbulah, Mar. 1983. A small herb

widespread in open eucalypt forests of northern Queensland.

Cethosia cydippe chrysippe (Fabricius)

Hollrungia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 762 (BRI)) (Passifloraceae). Cape

Tribulation, Aug. 1978. A large vine found in wet rainforests north of the

Clohesy River to about Cooktown.

Vindula arsinoe ada (M.R. Butler)

Hollrungia sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 762 (BRI)) (Passifloraceae). Clohesy

River, Mar. 1982.

Vagrans egista propinqua (Miskin)

Homalium alnifolium Thwaites and F.. Muell ex F. Muell.

(Flacourtiaceae). Tolga, Feb. 1989. This species is not naturally found in

northern Queensland as it occurs from about Rockhampton to Yarraman.

Vagrans larvae can only eat soft new growth and the large bright red new

growth of this species is much favoured.

Cupha prosope prosope (Fabricius)

Xylosma terraereginae C. White & Sleumer (Flacourtiaceae). Tolga, Feb.

1989. This shrub is naturally found only in southern Queensland and

northern New South Wales and could be a host in this area.

Xylosma sp. nov. (Voucher: Sankowsky 284 (BRI)) (Flacourtiaceae).

Tolga, Mar. 1987. This is a small and very rare tree found only on Mt

Lewis in northern Queensland.

Flacourtia sp. nov. (Voucher: Sankowsky 262 (BRI) (Flacourtiaceae).

Tolga, Feb. 1986. A small tree found in dry to moist monsoonal

rainforests north of Cooktown.

The adults do not oviposit on Flacourtia territorialis Airy Shaw from near

Darwin, the host of Phalanta phalantha araca.

LYCAENIDAE

Hypochrysops ignitus chrysonotus Grose-Smith

18 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

Acacia flavescens Cunn. ex Benth. (Mimosaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1988. A

small tree common in open forest, east of the Great Dividing Range, north

of Bundaberg.

Grevillea baileyana McGillivray (Proteaceae). Tolga, Nov. 1988. A

common tree in rainforest north of Tully.

Terminalia arenicola N. Byrnes (Combretaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1988. A

tree that grows commonly on beaches in northern Queensland. One

particular tree in the author’s garden had larvae on it continuously for

twelve months.

Deudorix epijarbas dido Waterhouse

Sarcopteryx martyana (F. Muell.) Radlk. (Sapindaceae). Lake Tinaroo,

Dec. 1983. A small tree commonly found in rainforests from Mt Tozer to

Hinchinbrook Island. The seeds were too small for the larvae to remain

inside in the final instar and they were found at the base of the fruit when

not feeding.

Anthene lycaenoides godeffroyi (Semper)

Cassia retusa Rovel (Caesalpiniaceae). Tolga. Dec. 1983. A small shrub

found in dry rainforests from Cooktown to south-eastern Queensland.

Larvae feed on the buds and flowers.

*Cassia auriculata L. (Caesalpiniaceae). Tolga, Dec. 1981. A shrub or

small tree from South East Asia, sometimes grown in gardens. Larvae

feed on the buds and flowers.

Rhyssopterys timorensis (Blume) Juss. (Malpighiaceae). Tolga, Jan. 1984.

A large vine found in dry rainforest from Weipa to Townsville. Larvae

feed on the flowers and buds.

Jamides aleuas coelestis (Miskin)

Arytera pauciflora S. Reyn. (Sapindaceae). Mulgrave River, Jan. 1986. A

small tree found in rainforest from Cooktown to Innisfail. Larvae feed

only on the very soft new growth and mostly on juvenile plants up to 2 m

high.

Zizula hylax attenuata (T.P. Lucas)

Hygrophila angustifolia R.Br. (Acanthaceae). Tolga, Mar. 1985. A small

herb found only in and near swamps, usually in association with Melaleuca

trees.

Notes and Discussion

The author has experimented with various Passiflora spp. as host

plants for Cethosia cydippe chrysippe. If placed on P. aurantia G.

Forster, P. herbertiana Ker Gawler and P. foetida L. var. hispida

Killup the larvae will mature and pupate. In the first generation they

are below average size, but by the third generation they are normal

size. These plants are not natural hosts as Cethosia cydippe chrysippe

never lays on them in the wild.

There are about four varieties (or species) in the P. foetida group.

Cethosia cydippe chrysippe and Vindula arsinoe ada will only survive

on the variety with orange fruit and lightly hairy leaves which usually

grows near beaches in northern Queensland.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 19

It has been reported that the larvae of Vagrans egista propinqua feed

on Xylosma ovatum Benth. (Common & Waterhouse 1981) at Cairns.

This is unlikely as this species grows only in central Queensland and is

a host for Cupha prosope prosope not Vagrans egista propinqua.

Adults do not oviposit nor do larvae feed on two northern Queensland

species, Homalium brachybotrys (F.Muell.) F.Muell. and Homalium

sp. (Voucher: Sankowsky 367 (BRI))

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank staff of the Queensland Herbarium, Indooroopilly and

the C.S.I.R.O. Department of Forest Research, Atherton for

assistance in plant identification, especially Dr L.W. Jessup and Mr

B.P.M. Hyland. I would also like to thank Mr J.G. Tracey for

providing access to the records of the extensive Webb and Tracey

rainforest plant collections.

References

ACKERY, P.R. and VANE-WRIGHT, R.I. 1984. Milkweed butterflies their cladistics

and biology. Pp. vii + 425. British Museum (Natural History), London.

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1972. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xii

+ 498. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv

4 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

SANKOWSKY, G. 1975. Some new food plants for various Queensland butterflies.

Australian entomological Magazine 2: 55-56.

SANKOWSKY, G. 1978. Some new food plants for various Queensland butterflies.

Australian entomological Magazine 5: 77-79.

TRACEY, J.G. 1982. The vegetation of the humid tropical region of north

Queensland. 124 pp. C.S.I. R.O., Melbourne.

20 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 199]

BOOK REVIEW

Stickiness in Cotton. ICAC Review Articles on Cotton Production Research

No.2. by Hector, D.J. and Hodkinson, I.D. ISBN 0-85198- 646-3, 43 pages.

Priced US$24.25. Published 1989 by C.A.B. International, Wallingford, UK.

Stickiness in cotton has severe economic implications both for the cotton

producer (farmer) and the cotton processor (miller). Contaminated cotton is

downgraded, so returns to the producer are reduced. Cotton stickiness places

an additional burden on the processor in terms of time and expenditure. In

some countries, stickiness is considered the most serious quality factor

confronting the textile industry. It is not surprising, therefore, that this review

was instigated and supported financially by the cotton processing industry.

Hector and Hodkinson provide a very comprehensive review of the current

knowledge of stickiness in cotton. The first section introducing the stickiness

problem outlines the extent of stickiness on a global scale and how this malady

affects the processing industry. The causes of stickiness are covered in the

second section. Although most readers may be aware that stickiness in cotton

is usually associated with honeydew secretions by sap-sucking insects such as

aphids and white flies (entomological sugars), it will come as a surprise to

some that plant exudates (physiological sugars) may sometimes be the cause of

contamination. The cotton white fly is the most serious global problem

causing stickiness. However, in Australian cotton, white fly is not a pest and

the cotton aphid occasionally causes honeydew problems.

The third section examines the various methods used to test for sugars and

stickiness. No quick, simple and reliable method is available to test for

stickiness. Factors affecting stickiness in the mill and methods of managing

contaminated cotton during processing are discussed in the fourth section.

The largest section and the one of most interest to entomologists is the fifth

section dealing with honeydew-producing insects. It discusses the biology of

the most important pests - aphids and white flies - and their relationship with

the host plant and how these pests are controlled - host plant resistance,

biological, cultural and chemical methods. Case studies of stickiness

outbreaks are presented. Finally, the authors make recommendations which

may reduce the probability of the occurrence of sticky lint.

The review is well written and presented although there are several errors in

the text, especially in the section on chemical control. Most noticeable is the

concurrent use of trade names and common names, and uniformity would

have been desirable. There are also several spelling errors.

These errors do not detract from the valuable contribution that this review

article makes to the understanding of stickiness in cotton. While it may not

find a place on everybody's bookshelf, it is certainly a useful reference for

those involved in cotton production and processing. The entomological

background to stickiness in cotton makes this article more widely appealing.

D.A.H. Murray

Queensland Department of Primary Industries

P.O. Box 12

Toowoomba, Qld 4350

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 21

ANNUAL ACTIVITY OF A POPULATION OF CATASARCUS

ASPHALTINUS THOMPSON (COLEOPTERA:

CURCULIONIDAE) IN PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Ian Abbott

Department of Conservation and Land Management, Research Centre, Como, W.A.,

6152

Abstract

A study of a population of the indigenous leaf-eating weevil Catasarcus asphaltinus

during 40 weeks in a Perth garden showed that adults were active mainly between

August and May. Peak abundance was in January, before average weekly maximum

temperatures exceeded 30?C. Peak reproductive activity, evidenced by pairs in copula,

was also recorded in January. Longevity could not be precisely estimated; however

some individuals lived at least 33 weeks. The preferred host species was Eucalyptus

angulosa Schauer, one of 5 species of native plant on which beetles were recorded.

Introduction

The 41 species of the weevil genus Catasarcus Schónherr are largely

confined to temperate portions of Western Australia (Thompson

1968). Despite their extensive distribution, little ecological,

behavioural and reproductive information is available (Thompson

1968; Koch and Jefferys 1970). The discovery of an abundant

population of C. asphaltinus in a garden provided an opportunity to

add to our knowledge. Previously, this species was recorded as a

minor pest in gardens in the Perth area (Thompson 1968). C.

asphaltinus is a relatively large (10-20 mm long), black weevil with red

legs and antennae (see Thompson 1968, p. 410 for illustration). The

aim of the project was simply to mark and record all individuals

present in a well-defined, highly accessible locality at least weekly.

Relevant behavioural notes were made. These data are presented in

this paper.

Methods

The study area was a small garden ca. 35 m? in West Leederville, an

inner suburb of Perth. Before 1977 it consisted of lawn and exotic

plants. In that year most vegetation was removed and a garden of

native plant species was established. The soil was covered by leaf

litter and pine bark. The major shrub/small tree species present in the

garden are one each of Eucalyptus angulosa Schauer, Hakea petiolaris

Meisn., Melaleuca huegelii Endl., Agonis flexuosa (Spreng.) Schauer,

Kunzea baxteri (Klotsch) Schauer and Citharexylum sp. and two

Grevillea banksii R.Br., as well as the climbers Hardenbergia

comptoniana (Andr.) Benth. and Bougainvillea sp. and there are a few

small clumps of small shrubs. The garden is watered at least weekly

during summer. Between August 1986 and May 1987 all adults of C.

asphaltinus found in the study area were marked with typist’s white

correction fluid. The number of adults present was recorded every 1

to 3 days depending on season, apart from rare occasions when the

interval was 5 days. The number of copulating pairs and the identity

22 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

of plant species on which beetles were observed was recorded. Data.

were tabulated on a weekly basis, Saturday to Friday.

Results and Discussion

The number of beetles present in the study area (Fig. 1) increased |

exponentially between August 1986 and January 1987, reaching a.

maximum of 65. This was just before the weekly mean maximum |

temperature consistently exceeded 30?C (Fig. 2). The population then |

déclined linearly (at a rate of 5 individuals/week) to near zero in May |

1987. The period May to August is the wettest and coldest part of the |

year (min 10?C, max 20?C, weekly rainfall 0-75 mm). |

A maximum population density of nearly two Catasarcus beetles/m? |

(65/35m?) is unusually high in south-western Australia. Throughout

the jarrah forest, Catasarcus species are uncommon and usually |

recorded singly (Abbott, unpublished data). However I do know of a |

population (tentatively identified as C. coruscus Thompson) occurring

at comparable high densities, on Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex

Sm., in Quininup forest block, south of Manjimup. |

Although no adults were found before late August 1986 or between

May - July 1987, casual observations after May 1987 revealed the |

presence of 3 beetles marked in August and September 1986. Thus,

not all adults die before May. As no adults were seen on foliage after

May, it is assumed that over-wintering takes place on or in the soil.

NUMBER OF BEETLES PRESENT

5 10 15 20 25 30 a hor

AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY

| SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN |

Fig. 1. Number of beetles recorded weekly during a 40 week period beginning 23

August 1986. Up to week 21, the power equation logjg N— 1.5 logjo t-0.4 provides a

very good fit (r 20.95). From week 23 to week 35, the linear equation N= 162.3 - 4.6t

provides the best fit (r = -0.99)

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 23

MAXIMUM & MINIMUM TEMPERATURE °C

RAINFALL (mm)

| SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN |

Fig. 2. Weather details, calculated on a weekly basis for Perth Regional

Meteorological Office, for the 40 week period beginning 23 August 1986.

NUMBER OF PAIRS OBSERVEDIN COPULA

5 10 "15 20 25 30 35 40

AUG SEP oct NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY

| SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN |

Fig. 3. Number of pairs of beetles observed in copula each week during a 40 week

period beginning 23 August 1986.

24 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

Table 1. Apparent longevity of adult beetles, grouped into 4 equal periods according to

when the beetles were first recorded

Number of weeks seen alive Number of

beetles

Period first recorded Median Range

20.viii.86 - 25.x.86 incl. 17.5 1-33 12

1.xi.86 - 3.1.87 incl. 6.0 1-18 74

10.1.87 - 14.iii.87 incl. 4.0 l-18 -> 43

28.iii.87 - 30.v.87 incl. - 1-3 2

Survivorship of beetles was analysed in four 10 week periods (Table

1). Beetles first recorded in the period August - October 1987 were

seen alive for the longest period (up to 33 weeks, Table 1).

Reproductive activity, evidenced by beetles in copula, was first

recorded in October 1986 and then consistently from December 1986.

to April 1987. Most pairing was recorded during January 1987 (Fig.

3).

Comparison of Figs 2 and 3 showed that copulation was observed.

mostly during the rainless part of the year. Koch and Jefferys (1970)

recorded first instar larvae of C. asphaltinus in April 1969, suggesting |

that the larval period of the life cycle may last 5 months or more.

Egg clusters have been found about 1 cm beneath the soil surface |

(Sundstrom, in Thompson 1968). Egg development (in April 1969)

took 14 - 24 days (Koch and Jefferys 1970). |

Host records for adults were as follows: Eucalyptus angulosa 505

records; Hakea petiolaris 188; Agonis flexuosa 29; Melaleuca huegelii |

10; and Grevillea banksii 3. There was no sign of feeding on the

last two species. Beetles feed on the leaf margin and in extreme cases -

the margin may be totally crenellated. However, the population of |

131 beetles studied had no significant impact on any of the plant

species observed. Previous host records are Casuarina sp. and Banksia

sp. (Thompson 1968).

Beetles are flightless, and I can confirm Thompson's (1968) discussion

of beetles dropping to the ground when disturbed and lying motionless |

for several minutes. They are then virtually impossible to relocate.

They are strong walkers; one climbed a 3 m tall tree in 20 minutes.

Acknowledgments

I thank Janet Farr and James Ridsdill-Smith for comments on this

paper.

References

KOCH, L.E. and JEFFERYS, E.A. 1970. Egg-laying and hatching in the weevil,

Catasarcus asphaltinus Thompson 1968. Western Australian Naturalist 11: 147-148. |

THOMPSON, R.T. 1968. Revision of the genus Catasarcus Schönherr (Coleoptera: |

Curculionidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology Series 22:

359-455.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 25

HOST PLANT RECORDS (FAMILY ASCLEPIADACEAE) FOR

PYRAUSTA INCOLORALIS GUENEE (LEPIDOPTERA:

PYRALIDAE)

P.I. FORSTER

Department of Botany, University of Queensland, Qld, 4072

Abstract

Ceropegia cumingiana Decne, Cynanchum leptolepis (Benth.) Domin, C. ovalifolium

Wight, Gymnanthera nitida R. Br., Gymnema tricholepis Schltr., Heterostemma

acuminatum Decne, Marsdenia hemiptera Rchb., M. rostrata R. Br., Marsdenia sp.

undescribed and Tylophora sp. undescribed are recorded as host plants for larvae of

Pyrausta incoloralis.

Introduction

Pyrausta incoloralis is widespread in south-eastern Queensland

(records at QDPI and UQIC), and also in Malesia (as defined by van

Steenis 1950), Asia and Africa if the synonymy given by Swinhoe

(1900) can be still applied. There is little known on its biology, with

De Baar (1983) recording Cynanchum carnosum (R.Br.) Schltr.,

Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) R.Br. and Secamone elliptica R.Br., (all

Asclepiadaceae), as host plants for this moth in Australia.

Observations

Observations were made on cultivated plants in May 1989 in a

glasshouse at St Lucia. As the glasshouse was unsealed, presumably

adult moths had entered and oviposited on a range of plants with the

resulting larvae being the first indication of activity of the moth. A

voucher of P. incoloralis (Forster 89606) has been deposited at UQIC

and vouchers of the plants at the Queensland Herbarium (BRI).

Larvae of P. incoloralis feed primarily on young leaves. On pupation

the larva web together 2 leaves, usually those of a leaf pair. Pupation

to the adult takes between 11 and 14 days.

Host Plant Records

Oviposition, feeding, pupation and adult emergence were recorded on

the following plants (voucher numbers are given in brackets).

1. Ceropegia cumingiana Decne. Voucher: Liddle [AQ408494].

. Cynanchum leptolepis (Benth.) Domin. Voucher: Forster 3962.

. Cynanchum ovalifolium Wight. Voucher: Forster & Liddle 4090.

. Gymnanthera nitida R. Br. Voucher: not kept.

. Gymnema tricholepis Schltr. Voucher: Forster & Liddle 4233.

. Heterostemma acuminatum Decne. Voucher: Forster & Liddle 4238.

. Marsdenia hemiptera Rchb. Voucher: Bird s.n.

. Marsdenia rostrata R. Br. Voucher: Forster & Orford 2728.

. Marsdenia sp. nov. Voucher: Forster 4567.

10. Tylophora sp. nov. Voucher: Forster 3974.

WO 00-10 tA FW NY

26 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

The distribution of these plants in Australia extends from Victoria to

north-western Australia. Many of these species occur in far northern

Queensland and Malesia (1, 3-6), M. hemiptera has been recorded

from northern New South Wales to the Kimberley in Western

Australia, Marsdenia sp. nov. is restricted to Cape York Peninsula and

Tylophora sp. nov. to the Herberton Range. No feeding was observed

on fresh leaf material of Tylophora benthamii Tsiang or Gymnema

micradenium Benth., although the leaves of the latter were used for

pupation.

Discussion

P. incoloralis fed on a range of species from diverse genera in two

subfamilies of Asclepiadaceae, the Periplocoideae (Gymnanthera) and

the Asclepiadoideae (remaining genera). As with the wide range of

host plants recorded for Euploea core corinna (W.S. Macleay), some

caution should be exercised in extrapolating these glasshouse records

to the field situation (Kitching and Zalucki 1983).

Acknowledgements

Miss M.A. Schneider, UQIC, identified the moth. M. Griffiths,

Queensland Department of Lands raised some individuals of the moth

and established the record of G. nitida.

References

DE BAAR, M. 1983. New food plants, life history notes, and distribution records for

some Australian Lepidoptera. Australian Entomological Magazine 9: 97-98.

KITCHING, R.L. and ZALUCKI, M.P. 1983. A cautionary note on the use of

oviposition records as larval food plant records. Australian Entomological Magazine 10:

64-66.

SWINHOE, C. 1900. Noctuina, Geometrina and Pyralidina. Catalogue of Eastern and

Australian Lepidoptera Heterocera in the collection of The Oxford University Museum.

Pp. vi + 540. Clarendon Press: Oxford.

VAN STEENIS, C.G.G.J. 1950. The delimitation of Malaysia and its main plant

geographical divisions. Flora Malesiana, Series 1, Spermatophyta 1: lxx-Ixxv.

Noordhoff: Djakarta.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 27

THE NOMENCLATURE OF PARALUCIA | PYRODISCUS

(DOUBLEDAY) (LEPIDOPTERA: LYCAENIDAE)

E.D. EDWARDS

C.S.I. R.O. Division of Entomology, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601

Abstract

A lectotype is selected for the name Lycaena pyrodiscus Doubleday, first used in

synonymy and subsequently validated. By selecting as the lectotype a specimen of Lucia

pyrodiscus Rosenstock the current nomenclature can be minimally disturbed.

Introduction

In south-eastern Australia the tribe Luciini contains three common

copper coloured butterflies. The current scientific names for these

are, Lucia limbaria (Swainson), Paralucia aurifera (Blanchard) and

Paralucia pyrodiscus (Rosenstock) (e.g. Common and Waterhouse

1981). The species known as P. pyrodiscus (Rosenstock) has a

remarkable nomenclatural history which it has been necessary to

understand for the preparation of a "Checklist of Australian

Lepidoptera" currently in progress.

Discussion

Swainson (1833) illustrated an Australian lycaenid naming it

Polyommatus (Lucia) limbaria Swainson. Doubleday (1847) used this

name, as Lucia limbaria (Swainson), with "Lycaena pyrodiscus Leach

mss" as a synonym, for five specimens in the British Museum (Natural

History), as follows:

"a, Australia;

b,c, Australia. Presented by the Entomological Club;

d,e, Australia. From Mr Beckers collection".

These specimens may be regarded as the syntypes of Lycaena

pyrodiscus Doubleday as they represent Doubleday's concept of

Leach's manuscript name. Waterhouse (1937b), after locating some of

these specimens in the British Museum (Natural History), concluded

that Doubleday had misidentified L. limbaria since Doubleday's

specimens did not agree with Swainson’s figure. Lucia limbaria is now

placed in a separate genus and need not be further discussed here.

Many new names included by Doubleday (1847) are nomina nuda but

Lycaena pyrodiscus Doubleday was first published in synonymy. As

such its validity, according to the Code, depends upon its subsequent

usage.

Rosenstock (1885) described Lucia pyrodiscus Rosenstock as a new

species adopting a Newman manuscript name. He based the name on

a single specimen. An examination of the holotype in the British

Museum (Natural History) shows that it was correctly identified by

Waterhouse and all subsequent authors.

In establishing the genus Paralucia, Waterhouse and Turner (1905) had

cited Lucia pyrodiscus Rosenstock as its type species and included as a

28 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

second valid species Thecla aurifer Blanchard ([1848]. Waterhouse

(1903) treated Chrysophanus aenea Miskin (1890) as a junior synonym

of L. pyrodiscus Rosenstock and this was accepted by all subsequent

authors until 1937. |

In that year Waterhouse (1937b) treated Paralucia pyrodiscus

(Rosenstock) (the type species of Paralucia) as a junior secondary

homonym. of the "Lycaena pyrodiscus Leach mss" that had been

published in synonymy by Doubleday (1847). In so doing he was.

treating, prior to 1961, Lycaena pyrodiscus Doubleday as a senior.

homonym of Lucia pyrodiscus Rosenstock. This brings the names.

within the ambit of Article 11e of the third edition of the International

Code of Zoological Nomenclature which provides that such a senior

homonym is available from its original publication in synonymy if so

treated before 1961. Thus Paralucia pyrodiscus (Rosenstock) is a

junior homonym and invalid. All authors subsequent to 1937 used P.

aenea (Miskin) as the valid name for the type species of Paralucia

until Common and Waterhouse (1972) treated Paralucia pyrodiscus

(Rosenstock) as valid, thus reversing the previous practice.

Waterhouse (1937a) located in the British Museum (Natural History)

two of the five specimens listed by Doubleday (see above). Each of

these bore a label "46-46" and the museum register showed that they

had been purchased from Becker. They were undoubtedly

Doubleday's specimens d and e. Waterhouse identified these

specimens as P. aurifera (Blanchard) (on the basis of Blanchard's

plate) which would thus be synonymous with P. pyrodiscus

(Doubleday). Although he was apparently uncertain of the date of

Blanchard's plate and thus of which of the two names was senior, he

did treat P. pyrodiscus (Doubleday) as a senior homonym and

substituted P. aenea (Miskin) as a replacement name for P. pyrodiscus

(Rosenstock). But he did not replace P. aurifera (Blanchard) by P.

pyrodiscus (Doubleday). It is now known that Blanchard's plate was

published in 1848 (Couchman 1948) so that P. pyrodiscus (Doubleday)

would clearly be the senior synonym. Couchman (1956) while agreeing

that P. pyrodiscus (Doubleday) and P. aurifera (Blanchard) were

synonymous gave priority to aurifera listing pyrodiscus (Doubleday) as

a nomen nudum. Although not in accord with the current Code this is

the accepted usage.

On my behalf Mr P.R. Ackery located in the British Museum (Natural

had identified (correctly) as P. aurifera. Ackery also found a third

History) Doubleday's specimens d and e which Waterhouse (1937a)

had identified (correctly) as P. aurifera. Ackery also found a third

specimen, labelled "Ent Club 44-12" and "146b". This is undoubtedly

Doubleday's specimen b, presented by the Entomological Club in

1844. Waterhouse, in manuscript notes, traced the origin of the label

"146b" to an old register which listed the specimens in the same

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 29

manner as Doubleday. This register cannot now be located.

Photographs kindly sent by Ackery (see Figs 1 and 2) show that

specimen b is conspecific with the holotype of P. pyrodiscus

(Rosenstock). It is clear therefore that Doubleday had a mixed series

including both the species now recognized as P. aurifera and P.

Pyrodiscus (Rosenstock).

A judicious choice of lectotype enables the prevailing nomenclatural

confusion to be resolved and current usage to be substantially

preserved. If specimen b were selected as lectotype of P. pyrodiscus

(Doubleday) (rather than d or e) the name pyrodiscus, while credited

to Doubleday would be used for the species designated by that name

by Rosenstock. P. aurifera would be released from synonymy with P.

Figs 1-2. Lectotype male Paralucia pyrodiscus (Doubleday); (I) upperside; (2) underside.

Scale bar 5 mm.

Pyrodiscus (Doubleday) to be used in the sense of Waterhouse (1903)

and later authors and P. aenea (Miskin) would remain a junior

Synonym and not be needed to be substituted for P. pyrodiscus

(Rosenstock) as the type species of Paralucia. Most importantly the

name pyrodiscus would not become the valid name for the species

always known as aurifera and so not be transferred from one species

to the other. Furthermore the specimen represents the subspecies

found in New South Wales and Queensland and so does not disturb

the use of /ucida Crosby for the well-publicised populations near

Melbourne.

The specimen in the British Museum (Natural History) labelled "Ent.

Club 44-12" and "146b" is hereby designated as the lectotype male of

Lycaena pyrodiscus Doubleday. The specimen is figured in Figs 1 and

The ensuing synonymy in Paralucia is therefore:

30 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991.

Paralucia Waterhouse and Turner, 1905. Type species Lycaena

pyrodiscus Doubleday, 1847 (cited as Lucia pyrodiscus

Rosenstock, 1885).

pyrodiscus (Doubleday, 1847) (Lucia) first published in synonymy,

validated by Waterhouse, 1937.

pyrodiscus (Rosenstock, 1885) (Lucia) nec (Doubleday, 1847)

(Lycaena)

aenea (Miskin, 1890) (Chrysophanus)

lucida Crosby, 1951 (Paralucia)

aurifera (Blanchard, [1848]) (Thecla)

Acknowledgements |

I thank Mr P.R. Ackery, British Museum (Natural History), for.

locating Doubleday's specimens and providing the photographs of the |

lectotype. Dr K.H.L. Key assisted greatly with the manuscript and |

Drs E.S. Nielsen and M. Horak also critically read the manuscript. |

References |

BLANCHARD, C.E. [1848]. Voyage au Pôle Sud et dans l’Océanie sur les corvettes

l'Astrolabe et la Zelée; .... Atlas Zoologie Insectes 25 pls. E. Thunot, Paris. |

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1972. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xii |

+ 498. Angus and Robertson, Sydney. |

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv |

+ 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney. |

COUCHMAN, L.E. 1948. Notes on the Lepidoptera Rhopalocera of Tasmania.

Records of the Queen Victoria Museum 2: 93-96.

COUCHMAN, L.E. 1956. A catalogue of the Tasmanian Lepidoptera-Rhopalocera. |

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 90: 1-33. |

CROSBY, D.F. 1951. A new geographical race of an Australian Butterfly. Victorian |

Naturalist 67: 225-226. |

DOUBLEDAY, E. 1847. List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection |

of the British Museum. Part II. 57 pp. British Museum, London.

MISKIN, W.H. 1890. Descriptions of hitherto undescribed Australian Lepidoptera

(Rhopalocera) principally Lycaenidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New

South Wales (2) 5: 29-43. |

ROSENSTOCK, R. 1885. Notes on Australian Lepidoptera, with descriptions of new ©

species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (5) 16: 376-385, pl. 11. |

SWAINSON, W. 1833. Zoological Illustrations ... Second Series. Vol. III. Baldwin |

and Craddock, London.

WATERHOUSE, G.A. 1903. Notes on Australian Rhopalocera: Lycaenidae. Part III.

Revisional. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 28: 132-275, pls I-

III.

WATERHOUSE, G.A., 1937a. Note on Hesperia lucanus Fabricius (Lepidoptera).

Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London (B) 6: 16.

WATERHOUSE, G.A. 1937b. The biology and taxonomy of the Australasian

butterflies. Report of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the

Advancement of Science 23: 101-133.

WATERHOUSE, G.A. and TURNER, R.E. 1905. Notes on Australian Rhopalocera

Lycaenidae. Part IV. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 29: 798-

804.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 31

A NEW SPECIES OF POGONUS NICOLAI (COLEOPTERA:

CARABIDAE) FROM NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

B.P. MOORE

C.S.I.R.O., Division of Entomology, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A.C.T., 2601

Abstract A

Pogonus variabilis sp. n. is described from northern Australian coastal districts, ranging

from Western Australia, through the Northern Territory to the Queensland Gulf. A

record of P. nigrescens Baehr from north-eastern coastal Queensland is also reported

and its ecological significance is discussed.

Introduction ,

Seven species of Pogonus have already been recorded from Australia

but their distributions are still very imperfectly known. Six of these

species were dealt with in my earlier paper (Moore 1977), when the

genus appeared to be restricted to saline habitats in central and

southern regions of the continent. | However, the subsequent

description of P. nigrescens (Baehr 1984), from near Ravenshoe in

tropical Queensland, indicated a substantially wider geographical range

and perhaps, less strictly halophile habits for some of the species.

In the present paper, a further new species is described from northern

coastal districts and a new record of P. nigrescens from coastal

Queensland is reported. The new data confirm that the genus has an

essentially pan-Australian distribution and tend to uphold the earlier

belief that all included species are halophiles.

Pogonus variabilis sp. n. (Figs 1-2)

Types. NORTHERN TERRITORY: holotype male, South Alligator

River, Arnhem Highway, 11.xii.1982, A. Walford-Huggins, in the

Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC), CSIRO, Canberra.

Paratypes, 3 males, 4 females, same data as holotype, in the author's

collection (now lodged with ANIC). There are other specimens

(topotypes) with the same data in the Walford-Huggins' collection.

Largely pale, yellowish-brown but head and pronotum darker,

brownish to bronze-black; elytra pale, with dark strial punctures, or

with 4 inner intervals anterior to apical declivity also dark; margins of

mandibles, eyes and most of underside, except margins of abdominal

sternites, dark brownish-black; antennae, palpi and legs entirely pale,

straw-yellow. Hindwings fully developed. Head rather large,

impunctate but very finely reticulate; eyes large and prominent, not

enclosed behind by the genae; frontal furrows short, shallow,

semicircular; antennae of average length for genus, the outer segments

increasingly broad and compressed, laterally. Pronotum slightly

transverse (3 x 2.5 mm in holotype), a little broader at apex than at

base, convex, shining, but basal impressions and transverse sulcus

strongly rugose; anterior margin slightly sinuate; posterior margin

32 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

slightly arcuate; sides oblique in front half, broadly sinuate before

hind angles; front angles rounded but subprominent, well separated

from margins of head; hind angles obtuse but well marked; marginal

channel narrow in middle, explanate and poorly defined at extremities;

basal impressions shallow and ill defined; no marginal carina; median

line lightly impressed on disc. Elytra elongate, finely shagreened and

lightly striate, convex basally but more depressed towards apex; striae

strongly punctate near base but progressively weaker towards apex,

evanescent on apical declivity; humeri broadly rounded; 3rd intervals

with 3 small setiferous pores, contiguous with 3rd striae; legs of

average length for genus; male anterior tarsi weakly expanded.

Aedeagus weakly sclerotised; median lobe laterally compressed;

parameres each with 4 apical setae. Length 9-11 mm; max. width 3.9-

4.0 mm.

Diagnostic notes

The type material shows very little variation, all specimens having the

foreparts dark brown, but in 2 females (not types) from Karumba,

northern Queensland (14.iii.1985, at light, K. & E. Carnaby, ANIC),

the foreparts are almost as pale as the elytra. In a male from

Wyndham, N.W. Australia (W. Crawshaw, no date, in the British

Museum (Natural History), London), the foreparts are bronze-black,

as are the 4 inner elytral intervals, except near apex. There is thus a

suggestion of clinal variation from west to east, but alternatively,

distinct subspecies could be involved. More material, from intervening

localities, would be needed to resolve the matter but meanwhile, it is

clear that the new species has an extensive range along the tropical

northern Australian coast. The above-mentioned specimen from

Wyndham is labelled as being a "cotype" of "Pogonus marginalis

Sloane", in Sloane's handwriting, but this name was evidently never

published and no specimen of the species remains in his collection

(ANIC). By virtue of its general habitus and setation, Pogonus

variabilis is evidently close to the type species (the all-dark European

P. chalceus (Marsham)) and indeed, it resembles even more closely the

Mediterranean P. pallidipennis Dejean, but the latter is somewhat

smaller (length. 7-9 mm) and there are pronounced submarginal carinae

near the pronotal hind angles. Within the Australian fauna, P.

variabilis is the largest known member of the genus and among the

more or less depigmented species, it could be confused only with P.

hypharpagoides Sloane, which shares its robust build. The latter,

however, is smaller (length 7.2 - 8.1 mm) and uniformly pale, and has

markedly less prominent eyes.

Pogonus nigrescens Baehr

New record - a male in poor condition (aedeagus missing) among

unsorted material in the Sloane collection (ANIC), with the following

data: Townsville, ix.1903, F.P. Dodd.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 33

Figs 1-2. Pogonus variabilis sp. n.: (1) holotype male (natural length

= 11 mm); (2) aedeagus in left lateral view, with the parameres

detached. Scale-line = 1 mm.

Discussion

The discovery of Pogonus variabilis from a wide range of coastal

districts of northern Australia virtually establishes the pan-continental

distribution of the genus in this country and it now seems likely that

one species or another will be found in every major saline land habitat

that has not yet been investigated. In these circumstances, it is

somewhat surprising that no member of the genus has yet been

34 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

reported from New Guinea (Darlington 1962, 1971). However, this

apparent lacuna may well be due to inadequate collecting, although it

could perhaps also reflect the general paucity of suitable habitats in

that large but generally, well watered country. The type locality of P.

nigrescens, near Ravenshoe, northern Queensland, is a large shallow

depression in open forest that appears to be well removed from any

saline habitat (Baehr 1984, p. 171), a fact which led its author to

express some doubt as to whether this species is as strictly halophilous

as are its better known congeners. However, the record from

Townsville, where there are adequaté nearby saline habitats, tends to

counter this. Certainly, other, strictly halophile species such as

Bembidion (Desarmatocillenus) albovirens (Sloane, 1903) are already

known from the latter locality. One may therefore speculate that the -

unique type of P. nigrescens, which was taken at light, could have

been a stray intercepted from a migratory flight, rather than a local

specimen from the Ravenshoe district.

Acknowledgments

I thank Mr A. Walford-Huggins for providing the type material of P.

variabilis and the authorities of the British Museum (Natural History)

for access to their collections.

References

BAEHR, M. 1984. Pogonus nigrescens sp. n. from north Queensland, (Coleoptera:

Carabidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 23: 169-171.

DARLINGTON, P.J. 1962. The carabid beetles of New Guinea. Part I. Cicindelinae,

Carabinae, Harpalinae through Pterostichini. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative

Zoology, Harvard 126: 321-564.

DARLINGTON, P.J. 1971. The carabid beetles of New Guinea. Part IV. General

considerations, analysis and history of the fauna, taxonomic supplement. Bulletin of the

Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 142: 129-337.

MOORE, B.P. 1977. New or little known Pogoninae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from

Lake Eyre, South Australia. Australian Entomological Magazine 4: 63-67.

SLOANE, T.G. 1903. Studies in Australian Entomology. No XII New Carabidae

(Panagaeini, Bembidiini, Pogonini, Platysmatini, Platynini, Lebiini with revisional lists

of genera and species, some notes on synonymy, etc.). Proceedings of the Linnean

Society of New South Wales 28: 566-642.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 35

OVERSUMMERING OF EGGS OF HALOTYDEUS DESTRUCTOR

TUCKER (ACARI: PENTHALEIDAE): DIAPAUSE

TERMINATION AND MORTALITY

David G. James and Karen J. O'Malley

Yanco Agricultural Institute, N.S.W. Agriculture and Fisheries, Yanco, N.S.W., 2703

Abstract

Diapause termination and mortality were examined in oversummering eggs of H.

destructor collected from two pasture sites near Leeton, New South Wales, which

differed in soil type and drainage. The effect of soil type and moisture on these factors

was also investigated experimentally. Diapause termination was less reliable and

mortality higher in eggs obtained from poorly drained clay than from well drained sandy

loam. Soil type and moisture did not affect timing or extent of diapause termination.

However, moisture increased mortality. Mortality of eggs on permanently wet sand was

significantly greater than in any other treatment. The results from this study indicate

that summer rainfall can have a deleterious effect on survival of oversummering eggs of

H. destructor, particularly on heavy poorly drained soils.

Introduction

Halotydeus destructor (red legged earth mite) is a major pest of winter

crops and pasture in southern Australia (Wallace 1940; Wright 1961;

Hely et al. 1982; James 1987). Most serious damage occurs to young

plants although productivity of established pasture can be seriously

reduced by large populations (Nicholas and Hardy 1976). Chemical

control of earth mites can be unsatisfactory particularly when

population levels are high, and there is a need to develop improved

management strategies which take greater account of pest biology and

ecology.

Mite activity commences following the onset of autumn rain and low

temperatures and continues until late spring (Wallace 1970).

Oversummering occurs as heat and desiccation resistant eggs which are

retained within mite bodies following their death in spring (Norris

1950). Oversummering eggs undergo an aestival diapause which

ensures dormancy until autumn (Wallace 1970a, 1970b). Diapause

development is completed following exposure to high temperatures.

Wallace (1970a) showed exposure of eggs to 52°C and 50% R.H. for

32 days was the most effective treatment to terminate diapause.

Oversummering eggs in mite bodies on the soil surface are exposed to

extremely high temperatures from October onwards. Wallace (1970a)

reported maximum soil surface temperatures of 55-64°C in Western

Australia. It is therefore likely that oversummering eggs regain

competency for development sometime before the occurrence of

autumn rain.

Wallace (1970a) stated that temperatures of 30-50?C were lethal to

moist oversummering eggs of H. destructor. Exposure of moist eggs

to 50°C for one day killed all the embryos. Consequently, summer

rainfall may be an important source of mortality to oversummering

egg populations (Wallace and Mahon 1971).

36 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

This study presents information on the effect of site, soil type and

moisture on egg diapause termination and mortality in oversummering

populations of H. destructor.

Materials and Methods

Egg diapause termination and mortality in field populations

Oversummering egg populations of H. destructor were sampled from

two pasture sites at Yanco near Leeton in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation

Area from November - March in 1988/89 and November - February in

1989/90. These sites were 5 km apart and differed considerably in

drainage and soil type. YAI (Yanco Agricultural Institute) was an

improved dryland pasture on well drained, sandy loam. LFS (Leeton

Field Station) was an improved irrigated pasture on heavy clay with

poor drainage. Samples were collected at two or three week intervals

in 1988/89 and fortnightly in 1989/90. Waterlogged conditions

prevented collection of a sample at LFS in February, 1990.

Surface soil samples were removed from each site and examined in the

laboratory for the presence of dead earth mites. They were collected

as shallow scrapings using a trowel to half fill a 40 x 30 cm plastic

bag.' In the laboratory samples were sieved through 2 mm and 1 mm

mesh sieves to remove most large organic and soil matter. Small

amounts of the sieved material were placed in a petri dish and

examined under a stereomicroscope for the presence of dead mites.

Ten to 25 mites from each sample were placed on filter paper on wet

cotton wool in a plastic cup (10 cm diameter). Following absorption

of moisture, each mite was dissected to expose the contained eggs and

the number recorded. They were then stored at 17.5°C, L:D 15:9, a

temperature optimal for post-diapause development of H. destructor

eggs (Wallace 1970a). Cups were held in a metal tray filled with water

to ensure eggs were continually exposed to moisture. After 14 days

eggs were examined and recorded as developed (hatched or at

deutovum stage), undeveloped (diapause) or dead. Dead eggs lost

their contents and remained as shells only. In each sample 300-800

eggs were examined.

Temperature and rainfall data for the sampling period were obtained

from the YAI meteorological station situated approximately mid-way

between the two sampling sites.

Effect of soil type and moisture on egg diapause termination and

mortality

Dead mites containing oversummering eggs were placed on sand, loam

or clay under wet or dry conditions during November - February,

1989/90. Soil was contained in seedling boxes (40 x 30 x 12 cm, one

per treatment) held outdoors but protected from rain by plastic

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 3

Table 1. Percentage development (upper two lines) and mortality

(lower two lines) of oversummering eggs of H. destructor collected

from Leeton Field Station (LFS) and Yanco Agricultural Institute

(YAI), in (a) 1988/89, (b) 1989/90 and (c) overall means 1988/90.

22 Nov 15 Dec 6Jan 20 Jan 3Feb 14Feb 1 Mar

YAI 0 50.8 58.0 73.7 65.0 75.9 90.7

LFS 0 40.0 17.5 30.0 42.4 46.9 69.6

YAI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LFS 0 0 0 23 11.6 5.5 7.5

(a) 1988/89

22 Nov 6 Dec 20Dec 3 Jan 17 Jan 31Jan 14 Feb

YAI 8.0 16.7 49.6 77.5 86.4 95.7 83.1

LFS 2.2 S30 4.0 68.7 63.7 94.7 =

YAI 0 0.8 1.9 0 4.6 2.9 0

LFS 0 0.9 12.4 11.3 3.4 3.4 =

(b) 1989/90

YAI 59.4

LFS 37.3

YAI 0.7

LFS 6.1

a significant difference from LFS (P <0.05)

sheeting positioned 1 m above the boxes. Saturation of soil in wet

treatments was maintained by placing boxes in water filled trays. In

each box ten groups of 50 - 100 mites were placed on the soil surface.

Mites were obtained from a local field population in October and

contained 100% diapause eggs. They were left to die in the laboratory

and placed in experimental conditions within a week of death. At

fortnightly intervals one group of mites from each of the treatments

was examined. Five to 25 mites from each treatment were placed on

filter paper, dissected to expose eggs and assessed for development and

mortality as described above. In each sample 200-800 eggs were

38 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

examined. Data were analysed using ANOVA and LSD procedures

(P « 0.05)

Results

Egg diapause termination and mortality in field populations

Termination of egg diapause occurred in most of the population

during December. Development occurred in the majority of eggs (x —

71.3 + 4.6) from all January samples except those from LFS in 1989

(Table 1). Egg development was greater and mortality lower at YAI

than LFS when analysed over the two seasons (P«0.05) Egg

development at LFS in 1988/89 did not exceed 60% until late

February and mortalities (x = 13.4 + 3.6) occurred in

January/February.

Table 2. Yanco Agricultural Institute Rainfall data (mm) for

November-February.

1988/89 1989/90

30 yr Actual % of 30 yr Actual % of

mean 30 yr mean 30 yr

Month

November 32.1 53.4 166 31.7 17.3 55

December 30.7 70.6 230 30.3 9.7 32

January 31.7 11.2 35 31.7 31.7 100

February 27.0 1.2 4 28.7 109.2 380

Rainfall was equal to or below the long term average in all months

except November and December, 1988 and February, 1990 Table 2).

Temperatures did not deviate greatly from long term means.

Effect of soil type and moisture on egg diapause termination and

mortality

Soil type and the presence or absence of moisture had no significant

effect on timing or extent of diapause termination as indicated by

percentage of eggs developed over the sampling period (Table 3)

(P >0.05). Mortality was lower on dry soils (x = 3.3%) than wet soils

(x = 16.6%) with mortality on wet sand significantly greater than in

any other treatment (Table 3) (P<0.05). On wet soils greatest

mortality occurred in late December and early January, whilst on dry

soils mortality tended to increase as summer progressed.

Discussion

Mortality in oversummering egg populations and diapause termination

must be considered in any analysis of the seasonal population

substantially influence population size and thus pest status. This study

dynamics of H. destructor. Both factors have the potential to

indicate that site, soil type and moisture can have a significant effect

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 39

Table 3. Percentage development (a) and mortality (b) of

oversummering eggs of H. destructor collected from dry or wet sand,

loam and clay during November-February 1989/90 and (c) means for

wet and dry soils.

22 Nov 6 Dec 20 Dec 3 Jan 17 Jan 31 Jan 14 FebMEAN

Wet loam 2.] 23.6 20.6 69.6 60.2 77.3 34.3 dl.la

Wet clay 7.9 304 81 742 77.0 67.1 808 49.4

Siac) whe 36.4 26.4 40.2 54.5 62.0 25.3 36.6

Dry loam 11.7 18.6 32.1 53.9 60.5 61.8 42.7 40.2

Dry clay 7.5 12.9 35.1 53.9 39.1 47.6 41.6 34.02

Dry sand 6.7 10.1 31.3 34.7 42.5 53.6 64.9 34.8

(a) Development

Wet loam 0 3.5 16.0 15.4 14.4 13.4 10.7 10.5*

Wet clay 0 2.7 34.22 12.5 5.4 12.4 6.5 10.5»

Wet sand 0 3.3 70.8 46.4 10.0 15.9 54.6 28.7

Dry loam 0 3.5 179 All l4) - Ads OS 2.14

Dry clay 0 1.2 0 SA AT 1.5 4.0 2.24

Dry sand 0 4.5 4.0 7.1 7.2 10.8 4.2 5.54

(b) Mortality

Soil Development Mortality

Wet 42.32 16.6^

Dry 36.33 3.34

Values followed by different superscript letter are significantly

different (P < 0.05)

on both diapause termination and mortality.

The well drained dryland site on sandy loam (YAI) was more

favourable to the survival and post-diapause development of H.

destructor than the poorly drained, clay site (LFS). This is in

agreement with the observation that H. destructor prefers light, sandy

soils (Tucker 1925). Differences in effectiveness of diapause

termination and mortality were most marked in 1988/89. This season

was characterised by above average rainfall in November and

December. This would have resulted in prolonged exposure of moist

40 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

eggs on poorly drained soils to high summer temperatures with

consequent mortality (Wallace 1970a). The reduction in development

capability at the poorly drained site may be attributable to the flush of

summer vegetation following rainfall, reducing the exposure of eggs to

high temperatures. The exposure of dry diapausing eggs to hot

temperatures is a necessary precursor to diapause termination (Wallace

1970a). At the well drained site eggs were probably not exposed to

prolonged moisture and minimal growth of vegetation occurred

ensuring maximum exposure of the eggs to high temperatures. In

1989, November and December were relatively dry and although

mortality was higher and competency to develop lower at LFS than at

YAI, it was not as marked as in the previous year.

Different soil types and the presence or absence of moisture did not

have a great effect on diapause termination in the controlled

experiments. This may be explained by the wet treatments not having

vegetation to shield eggs from high temperatures as occurred in the

field following summer rainfall. Continuously wet soils caused higher

egg mortality than dry soils. Wet sand caused highest mortality but it

is important to note that this result has little significance to the field

situation where sandy soil because of its good drainage, would be

unlikely to remain wet for any length of time during summer.

Mortality in wet treatments was usually greatest during late

December/early January declining to some extent in later samples.

Egg death was characterised by swelling, rupturing and resultant loss

of contents leaving only the shell. Consequently, samples taken later

in January and February contained eggs which had not succumbed to

exposure to heat and moisture for more than 3 months. The

population had, in effect, been selected for those individuals less

susceptible to the combination of heat and moisture. It is also likely

that mortality in wet treatments would have been underestimated due

to no account being taken of deaths prior to sampling.

These results indicate that high rainfall in early to mid summer has a

significant deleterious effect on survival of post-diapause

oversummering eggs of H. destructor. The lethality of hot conditions

(30-50°C) to moist oversummering eggs of H. destructor (Wallace

19702), indicates that they are probably vulnerable to rainfall-induced

mortality for most of the summer. This effect would be most marked

on soils which retain moisture, but of minor importance on well

drained soils. The adverse effect of moisture on oversummering eggs

could be a major factor in determining local abundance and

distribution of H. destructor in southern New South Wales. The

possibilities of using summer flooding of pastures in irrigated areas as

part of a management strategy for H. destructor should be examined.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 41

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Glen Warren for performing the statistical analysis

and preparing the figures.

References

HELY, P.C., PASFIELD, G. and GELLATLEY, J.G. 1982. Insect pests of fruit and

vegetables in NSW. Inkata Press: Melbourne.

JAMES, D.G. 1987. Toxicity of pesticides to the red legged earth mite, Halotydeus

destructor. Plant Protection Quarterly 2: 156-157.

NICHOLAS, D.A. and HARDY, D.L. 1976. Red legged earth mite cuts pasture

production. West Australian Journal of Agriculture 17: 33-34.

NORRIS, K.R. 1950. The aestivating eggs of the red legged earth mite, Halotydeus

destructor (Tucker). Bulletin Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research

Organisation No. 253.

TUCKER, R.W.E. 1925. The black sand mite, Penthaleus destructor n.sp.

Entomological Memoirs, Department of Agriculture, South Africa No. 3.

WALLACE, C.R. 1940. Red legged earth mites, their occurrence and control in New

South Wales. Agricultural Gazette New South Wales 51: 431-433.

WALLACE, M.M.H. 1970a. Diapause in the aestivating egg of Halotydeus destructor

(Acari: Eupodidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 18: 295-313.

WALLACE, M.M.H. 1970b. The influence of temperature on post-diapause

development and survival in the aestivating eggs of Halotydeus destructor (Acari:

Eupodidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 18: 313-329.

WALLACE, M.M.H. and MAHON, J.A. 1971. The distribution of Halotydeus

destructor and Penthaleus major (Acari: Eupodidae) in Australia in relation to climate

and land use. Australian Journal of Zoology 19: 65-76.

WRIGHT, W.E. 1961. Red legged earth mites. Agricultural Gazette New South Wales

72: 213-215.

42 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

EXTENSION TO THE KNOWN RANGE OF CHAETOCNEMI

CRITOMEDIA SPHINTERIFERA (FRUHSTORFER

(LEPIDOPTERA: HESPERIIDAE)

M.S. MOULDS

Entomology Department, Australian Museum, P.O. Box A285, Sydney South, N.S.W.,

2000

The banded red-eye, Chaetocneme critomedia, is known from New

Guinea and the Aru Islands with the Australian subspecies, C. c.

sphinterifera, recorded from Cape York to the Claudie River

(Common and Waterhouse 1981). Its life history has recently been

described by Wood (1985).

While collecting moths at UV light in the MclIlwraith Range NE of

Coen, northern Queensland, on 11 January 1990, a male C. c.

sphinterifera was taken just after dusk. The site was in dense

rainforest at an altitude of some 300 m on the old Leo Creek track,

only a short distance after it first enters dense complex mesophyll

forest.

This record extends the known range of C. critomedia southwards by

120 km.

References

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv

+ 682. Angus and Robertson: Sydney.

WOOD, G.A. 1985. The life history of Chaetocneme critomedia sphinterifera

(Fruhstorfer) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Pyrginae). Australian entomological Magazine

11: 84-86.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 43

NEW SOUTHERN RECORDS OF THE YELLOW PALMDART

CEPHRENES | TRICHOPEPLA (LOWER) (LEPIDOPTERA:

HESPERIIDAE) IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Andrew A.E. Williams

Department of Conservation and Land Management, W.A. Wildlife Research Centre,

PO Box 51, Wanneroo, W.A., 6065

Abstract

The yellow palmdart Cephrenes trichopepla is recorded from Perth, Onslow and

Karratha, Western Australia. It may have been introduced through the transfer of

ornamental palms.

Introduction

The recorded range for the Yellow Palmdart C. rrichopepla is north-

western Australia north from Broome, across the Northern Territory

including the Alice Springs area, the islands of Torres Strait, and Cape

York to Brisbane (Common and Waterhouse 1981). On the east coast

it has recently been recorded as far south as Byron Bay, New South

Wales (Petrie 1985).

Discussion

In January 1983 the species was first noted at Karratha, 650 km south-

west of Broome. Its arrival coincided with the import from Darwin,

of large quantities of palms, the food plant for C. trichopepla. For a

time it was abundant, but now appears to persist in much lower

numbers (A.N. Start, Department of Conservation and Land

Management, pers. comm.). In late April 1990, I found the species at

Onslow, a further 200 km south-west of Karratha. Larvae and pupae

were common on palms in the town.

On 24 September 1989, I collected an adult male C. trichopepla at

Wanneroo Heights, Wanneroo, 25 km north of Perth. Another male

and a female were subsequently taken at the same locality on 7 April

1990. The site is adjacent to a semi-rural subdivision where several

species of introduced ornamental palms are well established and new

plants continue to be introduced. These are the first records of this

skipper from Perth.

It is probable that C. trichopepla reached Perth in the same manner as

Karratha and will soon become established. This has already

happened with C. augiades sperthias, which it has been suggested, was

introduced to Wanneroo on palms from Queensland in 1977, and is

now plentiful throughout the Perth metropolitan region (Hutchison

1983). There is an interesting parallel in eastern Australia, where C.

trichopepla has recently been found as far south as Byron Bay, New

South Wales. Petrie (1985) suggests that the range of C. trichopepla

may well be extending due to the widespread planting of ornamental

palms.

44 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

The specimens of C. trichopepla from Wanneroo, and examples from

Karratha and Onslow, are housed at the W.A. Wildlife Research

Centre, Wanneroo.

Acknowledgement |

Mr Bob Hay, of Perth, kindly confirmed the identification of the

specimens collected at Wanneroo.

References |

COMMON, I.F.B. AND WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp xiv

+ 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney. |

HUTCHISON, M. 1983. Occurrence of Cephrenes augiades sperthias (Orange

Palmdart Butterfly) in Perth. Western Australian Naturalist 15: 125-126. |

PETRIE, E. 1985. A new southern record for the Yellow Palmdart, Cephrenes

trichopepla (Lower) (Lepidoptera : Hesperiidae). Australian Entomological Magazine

12: 106.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 45

EUPLOEA CORE CORINNA (MACLEAY) AND EUPLOEA

ALGEA AMYCUS MISKIN (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE)

FORM HYBRIDS WITHIN TORRES STRAIT, QUEENSLAND

Murdoch De Baar

Queensland Forest Service, P.O. Box 631, Indooroopilly, Qld, 4068

Abstract

A series of specimens of Euploea core corinna and E. algea amycus from the Torres

Strait area were examined. Shared characters indicate that hybridization may be

occurring between the two taxa.

Introduction

E. core is represented by many subspecies and occurs from India and

south-east Asia through Indonesia to Australia with distinctive

subspecies present on Biak, Admiralty Islands and Rennell Island

within the Papua New Guinea area, but is not represented on the

Moluccas or Papua New Guinea.

E. core corinna occurs on Christmas Island and Cocos Island, at Bali

and Lombok, in northern and eastern Australia and Torres Strait, but

has not been recorded from Papua New Guinea. E. algea is widely

distributed through southern Asia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and

the Pacific; however its sole representative in Australian territory is

the subspecies amycus which occurs only in Torres Strait and the tip

of Cape York Peninsula. Examination of a large series of E. algea

from Papua New Guinea indicates that E. algea amycus is well within

the variation of E. algea violetta (Butler) from Papua New Guinea and

is an extension of it in Torres Strait. The occurrence of E. core

corinna and E. algea amycus in the Torres Strait area of Queensland

represents the only overlap in the distributional ranges of subspecies of

these two Euploea species.

E. core corinna shows very little variation over its range, apart from

the tip of Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait. Variable specimens

from Cape York (Common and Waterhouse, 1981) are based on the

male and female type specimens of E. euclus Miskin, since included in

E. core corinna (Common and Waterhouse, 1981). The holotype of

E. algea reginae Carpenter from north-western Australia is a typical E.

core corinna and is included in E. core corinna (Common and

Waterhouse, 1981).

Among features used to distinguish between male E. core corinna and

male E. algea amycus are the degree of spotting on the upper and

lower wing surfaces (usually greater in E. core), the post median series

of hindwing spots (present in E. core) and the length of the sex brand

(shorter in E. core) As well, the absence of long, spatulate

androconia embedded in the upper hindwing speculum normally

separates E. core andamanensis Atkinson, E. core bumila Evans

(Andaman Island subspecies) and E. core corinna from all other

46 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

subspecies of E. core and all subspecies of E. algea (Ackery and Vane |

Wright 1984). Wood (1987), on examining a large series of Euploea

taken on Murray Island in the Torres Strait, found many specimens

which displayed characters intermediate between E. algea and E. core.

He suggested that E. core corinna and E. algea amycus may be ont

species, E. core corinna. The results of my examination of specimens |

from this area are presented in this paper.

Data

A total of 50 specimens of male E. core and E. algea from throughout

the Torres Strait area from several collections including my own, wert

examined. Thirty of these specimens were considered to be normal É

algea males: Murray Island (12), Campbell Island (2), Yam Island (3)

Darnley Island (1) and Papua New Guinea (12). The remaining 20.

specimens, appeared to be E. core based on the retention of some |

hindwing postmedian band of spots, but many displayed characte!

that were not typical of E. core corinna. These specimens are groupe

as follows:

l. those with normal E. core spotting on wings and without long -

spatulate androconia: Thursday Island (3), Prince of Wales Island (1).

2. those with normal E. core spotting on wings and with lon? |

spatulate androconia: Murray Island (4), Thursday Island (1).

3. those with reduced spotting on wings and without long spatulatt

androconia: Murray Island (1), Yam Island (2), Cape York (1).

4. those with reduced spotting on wings and with long spatulaté |

androconia: Murray Island (5), Yam Island (2).

The first group can be classified as normal E. core corinna based On.

characters listed while groups (2) to (4) are possible hybrids betwee?

E. core corinna and E. algea amycus. Group (2) would normally be

accepted as E. core but had androconia present and as such ale

hybrids. Group (3) most approaches E. core but has spot reductio”

and can be classed as potential hybrids. This group includes the tyP*

male of E. euclus mentioned in the introduction, and had tw?

specimens with very large sex brands: a feature expected for E. alget

Group (4) is closest in appearance to E. algea but still retains some

postmedian spots on the hindwing and as such are hybrids (figs 1, 2):

Discussion

Wood (1987) has suggested that E. core corinna and E. algea amy

are conspecific, using as support the lack of autapomorphies of ^

core and E. algea as outlined by Ackery and Vane-Wright (1984):

However, these authors use the term ’clades’ (approximately

equivalent to species) and admit that in cases such as the clade cor?

and the clade algea that they refer to species complexes as considere

over their Indo-Australian distributions. They also admit in the sam

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991 47

publication that E. core corinna probably deserves elevation to species

status based on the androconia as outlined in the introduction.

The combined observations of Wood (1987) and myself suggest an

alternative explanation for the large number of specimens which

display characters intermediate between E. core and E. algea. The

alternative is that hybridization is occurring between E. core corinna

and E. algea amycus. The islands of Torres Strait are small and

remote (for example, Murray Island is 45 km from the nearest other

island, 120 km from Papua New Guinea, and about 180 km from

Cape York). Isolation may place stresses on the populations of E.

core and E. algea in their distributional overlap, increasing the

likelihood of hybridization. The androconia are an important feature

distinguishing E. core corinna and E. algea amycus as separate species

although they may occasionally hybridize.

Figs 1-2. Euploea hybrids with long, spatulate androconia: (1) Yam Island; (2) Murray

Island, with postmedian band on hindwing underside.

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Dr G.B. Monteith, Mr T.A. Lambkin, Mr A.I.

Knight, and Mr K. Beattie for allowing me to examine specimens in

their care and for helpful discussions. Approval to publish and other

assistance provided by the Queensland Forest Service is gratefully

acknowledged. In particular, thanks are due to Dr F.R. Wylie for

comments, Ms M. Brooks for typing the manuscript and Mr C.

Fitzgerald for printing the figures.

References

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425. British Museum (Natural History), London.

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv

+ 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

WOOD, G.A. 1987. The butterflies of Murray Island, Torres Strait, Queensland.

Australian Entomological Magazine 14: 39-42.

48 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (1) Apr 1991

AN ACCUMULATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF

AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGY

Compiled by G. Daniels

RENTZ, D.C.F.

(1988). The shield-backed katydids of southern Africa: their taxonomy, ecology and relationships to the faunas of

Australia and South America (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Tettigoniinae). /nvert. Taxon. 2: 223-335.

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Lord Howe Island, South Pacific. Invert. Taxon. 2 (1988): 1013-1077.

RENTZ, D.C.F. and JOHN, B.

(1990). Studies in Australian Gryllacrididae: taxonomy, biology, ecology and cytology. Invert. Taxon. 3: 1053-

1210.

RHEINHEIMER, J.

(1989). Notes on the hosts plants of some adult Australian weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Aust. ent. Mag.

16: 27-31.

RONDONUVWU, S.A. and AUSTIN, A.D.

(1988). A new species of Uracanthus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): a pest on ornamental cypresses in the Adelaide

Region. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 112: 109-117.

ROTH, L.M.

(1989). The cockroach genus Margattea Shelford, with a new species from the Krakatau Islands and redescriptions

of several species from the Indo-Pacific Region (Dictyoptera: Blattaria: Blattellidae). Proc. ent. Soc. Wash.

91: 206-229.

(1989). — Paranauphoeta rufipes Brunner in Queensland, and a description of the female of Calolampra elegans Roth

and Princis (Dictyoptera: Blattaria: Blaberidae). Mem. Qd Mus. 27: 589-597.

(1990). A revision of the Australian Parcoblattini (Blattaria: Blattellidae: Blattellinae). Mem. Qd. Mus. 28: 531-

596.

(1990). — Revisionary studies on Blattellidae (Blattaria) from the Indo-Australian Region. Mem. Qd Mus. 28: 597-

663.

ROZARIO, S.

(1989). Description of the five nymphal instars of Eurymeloides punctata (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Eurymelidae).

Gen. appl. Ent. 21: 56-64.

SAMSON, P.R

(1989) Morphology and biology of Acrodipsas illidgei (Waterhouse and Lyell), a myrmecophagous lycaenid

(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae). J. Aust. ent. Soc. 28: 161-168.

SAMULESON, G.A.

(1989). — A review of the hispine tribe Aproidini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Mem. Qd Mus. 27: 599-604.

SCAMBLER, D.J.

(1990). A revision of genus Psilomorpha Saunders (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae). Invert. Taxon. 3

(1989): 163-173.

SCHEERMEYER, E., KITCHING, R.L. and JONES, R.E.

(1990). Host plants, temperature and seasonal effects on immature development and adult size of Euploea core

corinna (Lepidoptera: Danainae). Aust. J. Zool. 37: 599-608.

SCHMIDT, F.

(1989). Les Hydrobiosides (Trichoptera, Annulipalpia). Bull. Inst. r. sci. nat. Belg. (Ent.) 59 (Suppl.): 1-154.

SCOBLE, M.J. and EDWARDS, E.D. L

(1988). — Hypsidia Rothschild: a review and a reassessment (Lepidoptera: Drepanoidea, Drepanidae). Ent. scand. 18:

333-353.

(1990). Parepisparis Bethune-Baker and the composition of the Oenochrominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Ent.

scand. 20: 371-399.

SHATTUCK, S.O.

(1990). Revision of the dolichoderine ant genus Turneria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Syst. Ent. 15: 101-117.

SHAW, S.R.

(1990). A taxonomic revision of the long-tailed- wasps of the genus Megalyra Westwood (Hymenoptera:

Megalyridae). Invert. Taxon. 3: 1005-1052.

SHIELDS, O.

(1989). — World numbers of butterflies. J. Lepid. Soc. 43: 178-183.

SIMPSON, G.B.

(1990). Immature stages of Protaetia fusca (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) with notes on biology.

J. Aust. ent. Soc. 29: 67-73.

SIMPSON, G.B. and MAYER, D.G.

(1990). Morphometric analysis of variation in Nala lividipes (Dufour) and Labidura truncata Kirby (Dermaptera:

Labiduridae). J. Aust. ent. Soc. 29: 287-294.

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Australian Entomological Magazine

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AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL MAGAZINE

Vol. 18, Part 1, 19 April 1991

CONTENTS

ABBOTT, I. Annual activity of a population of Catasarcus

asphaltinus Thompson (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Perth,

Western Australia 21

BLAND, R.G. Mating behaviour of Monistria concinna

(Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) and Heide amiculi

(Orthoptera: Eumastacidae) from Australia with notes on

their feeding behaviour 1

De BAAR, M. Euploea core corinna (Macleay) and Euploea

algea amycus Miskin (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) form

hybrids within Torres Strait, Queensland 45

EDWARDS, E.D. The nomenclature of Paralucia pyrodiscus

(Doubleday) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) 27

FORSTER, P.I. Host plant records (family Asclepiadaceae) for

Pyrausta incoloralis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) ioe

JAMES, D.G. and O’MALLEY, K.J. Oversummering of eggs

of Halotydeus destructor Tucker (Acari: Penthaleidae):

diapause termination and mortality 35

MOORE, B.P. A new species of Pogonus Nicolai (Coleoptera:

Carabidae) from northern Australia 31

MOULDS, M.S. Extension to the known range of Chaetocneme

critomedia sphinterifera Fruhstorfer (Lepidoptera:

Hesperiidae) 42 |

MURRAY, D.A.H. Book review of Stickiness in cotton 20

SANKOWSKY, G. New food plants for various Queensland

butterflies 9

WILLIAMS, A.A.E. New southern records of the yellow

palmdart Cephrenes trichopepla (Lower) (Lepidoptera:

Hesperiidae) in Western Australian 43

RECENT LITERATURE — An accumulative bibliography of

Australian entomology. Compiled by G. Daniels 48

ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTICES inside back cover

ISSN 0311 1881 _» E

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ENTOMOLOGICAL

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Volume 18, Part 2, 28 June 1991

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Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 49

THE BIOLOGY AND ABORIGINAL USE OF THE HONEYPOT

ANT, CAMPONOTUS INFLATUS LUBBOCK, IN NORTHERN

TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA

John R. Conway

Department of Biology, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510 USA

Abstract

Three Earthwatch expeditions excavated two nests, plotted colony distribution and

observed foraging of the honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus, in Northern Territory,

Australia in July-August, 1987. Nests were associated with mulga trees (Acacia aneura

F. Muell. ex Benth.) and had either single or multiple entrances. Two colonies

contained 1063 and 4019 ants. Workers with swollen abdomens, called repletes,

comprised 49% (516) and 46% (1835), respectively, of the populations. Six wingless

queens were in the smaller colony. Replete abdomens were clear to dark amber; the

largest was 15 mm long and weighed 1.4 g. The larger colony had 66 replete chambers

with up to 191 repletes per chamber, reached a depth of 1.7 m, and radiated as far as

2.4 m from the entrance. Honeypot ants foraged during the day at extrafloral nectaries

on mulga phyllodes as far as 9 m from nests and on a blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua sp.)

carcass. A raid of one honeypot ant colony on a smaller colony lasted several days and

involved interactions with four ant species. Honeypot ants are eaten by some Aboriginal

people and are significant in their Dreamtime, culture, and livelihood.

Introduction

The Australian ant fauna is among the richest and most diverse in the

world, particularly in semiarid regions, but there is little information

concerning the biology of many species, such as the black honeypot

ant, Camponotus inflatus (Taylor, 1972; Greenslade and Greenslade,

1989; Andersen and Yen, 1985).

Many ants forage for nectar (Cleland, 1965; Tindale, 1961), and/or

honeydew, but honeypot ants store these secretions in the crops of

certain swollen workers, repletes, hanging from domed chambers in

the nest. This behaviour culminates in two Formicinae, C. inflatus in

Australia and Myrmecocystus mexicanus Wesmael in North America,

in which repletes develop abdomens the size of grapes (Greenslade,

1979; McCook, 1882). These species have undergone convergent

evolution, independently developing the same adaptation to store

transient nectar supplies in a semiarid environment.

C. inflatus appears to have a widespread but patchy distribution over

the arid interior: from Hooker Creek in. the Northern Territory to the

Murchison in Western Australia to the Everard Range in South

Australia (Spencer and Gillen, 1899; White, 1915; Basedow, 1925;

Spencer, 1928; Bicchieri, 1972; Gould, pers. comm., 1987). This

species is usually associated with mulga trees (Acacia aneura) which

provide nectar, insect prey, and shelter from high temperatures and

evaporation (Low, 1978).

The purposes of our study were to determine nest density, foraging

distances, food sources and intra- and interspecific interactions.

50 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Careful excavations provided information on nest architecture,

population size, and repletes. We worked with Aborigines to learn

about the significance of this ant in their diet and culture.

Materials and methods

Three Earthwatch expeditions studied C. inflatus in the Northern |

Territory of Australia in July-August 1987. Two expeditions worked

at Kunoth Paddock, a small part of the Hamilton Downs Cattle

Station, 50 km north-west of Alice Springs. This site was chosen

because it contains numerous honeypot ant nests (including a number

previously excavated by Aborigines) and had been mapped and

studied. It is tall shrubland consisting of perennial mulga on red

sandy loam at an elevation of 683-710 m. The climate is arid to

semiarid with an average rainfall of 263 mm. Most work occurred in

July, the coldest month, which has average maximum and minimum

temperatures of 19°C and 4°C (Low, 1978).

Colony distribution and foraging were assessed by mapping nests on

one hectare and marking some workers with acrylic paint. We

determined one nest’s architecture by centring a north-south, east-west

string grid over its entrance and recording the depths and dimensions

of passages and chambers in each quadrant excavated. Nest and

ground temperatures were measured with a digital thermometer. All

ants were collected. We weighed 277 repletes on a balance and

measured their abdominal lengths.

A C. inflatus nest was also excavated 3.8 km from the Ranger Station

in Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) and the coordinates and depths

of passages and chambers recorded. All ants were collected and 503

repletes weighed in the field with a spring balance and their abdominal

lengths measured with calipers.

To learn how Aborigines use honeypot ants I camped with a family

near Alice Springs, worked with guides at Uluru National Park, and

interviewed women at the Institute of Aboriginal Development in Alice

Springs.

Results

The density of C. inflatus nests at Kunoth is 24-26/ha, but was

difficult to determine with certainty since some were inactive and/or

partially excavated by Aborigines. There were 16 active nests; 6-7

excavated inactive nests; and 2-3 probable nests based on worker

activity in the vicinity. Minimum distances between nests ranged from

5 m between active nests to 2.4 m between active and inactive nests.

Six nests were 0.2-1.7 m away from mulga trees.

The entrance to the excavated Kunoth nest was 2.5 x 3.8 cm. Another

nest had two entrances 4-5 cm apart, but one was more active.

Excavation of the Uluru nest uncovered four passages leading to the

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 51

surface 18 to 55 cm from the entrance suggesting that either the

entrance changed position over time or that multiple entrances had

been present.

Little is known about the subsurface architecture except Froggatt's

(1896) description of the entrance leading into a 5-6 foot vertical shaft

going to a large chamber at the bottom with a number of honeypot

ants. He also noted horizontal foot-long passages containing 3-4

honeypot ants which lead off the main shaft about a foot below the

surface. Our excavations provide a more detailed picture of the nest.

The Kunoth nest radiated from the entrance 2.4 m SW, 1 m SE, 1m

NE, and 0.4 m NW, and reached a depth of 1.7 m. The shallowest

passage was 1.9 cm deep. Repletes were in 66 chambers 0.2 to 1.7 m

deep. The number per chamber ranged from 1-191, an average of 28

per chamber. Refuse middens, some containing dead honeypot ants

and pupal cases, were in a passage 5.7 cm deep and rooms at 1 m and

1.7 m. Nest temperatures ranged from 9.4-17.2?C.

The smaller Uluru nest radiated 0.95 m SW, 1.3 m SE, 1.1 m NE, and

1.8 m NW, and reached a depth of 0.54 m. The shallowest passage

was 3.5 cm deep. Repletes were in 16 chambers 26 to 54 cm deep with

1-125 per chamber, an average of 31 per chamber. The largest

chamber was 18 cm long, 15 cm wide and 3 cm high. Another small

honey ant colony, Plagiolepis sp., was found 0.95 m south-west from

the C. inflatus entrance with three replete chambers at depths from 26-

42 cm.

Although the Kunoth and Uluru nests differed greatly in size, both

radiated asymmetrically from the entrance and had widely scattered

dome-shaped chambers off several vertical passages. Some chambers

were separated by only 1-2.5 cm from the ones below. Both nests

extended into the root zones of nearby mulgas.

The populations of the excavated nests varied considerably. The

Kunoth nest housed 4019 ants: 1835 repletes and 2184 workers.

Numerous small larvae (652 counted) and large larvae (11 counted)

were at depths from 17.5 cm-1.7 m. The Uluru population was 1063:

516 repletes, 541 workers, and 6 wingless queens (3 physogastric).

Larvae were also present. Eggs, pupae, external parasites and

myrmecophiles were absent from both nests.

I observed C. inflatus feeding on one blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua sp.)

carcass about 0.6 m from a nest entrance. We also observed honeypot

ants foraging on one or more mulga trees 1.8 to 9 m from their nests

between 0925 and 1500 h at Kunoth Paddock at ground temperatures

of 12-30°C. They chewed and scraped front tarsi on mulga "leaves?

(phyllodes) and drank the exudate and licked yellow bud-like

structures, but they usually drank from single, sunken extrafloral

52 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

nectaries at the base of phyllodes (Cleland, 1965). Only one forager

developed a swollen abdomen.

Various substances were given to honeypot ants to determine food

preferences and observe trophallaxis. Workers and repletes fed on bee

honey and lerps, but not on dilute bee honey, sugar water or a

disabled cricket. Only one worker developed a swollen abdomen.

Regurgitation was observed between repletes, workers, and a worker

and a replete.

We noted intraspecific hostility on two occasions at Kunoth Paddock.

On 5 August a worker 3.8 m from her nest fought a honeypot ant

from another colony. They used their mandibles and sprayed acid

from abdomens slung forward beneath their bodies.

The second instance involved a raid by a large honeypot ant colony on

a small nest 4.5 m away. The battle may have resulted from the

establishment of a new colony in the territory of the larger nest.

Fighting was first observed about noon on 16 July in an area 40 cm by

40 cm around the small nest entrance. Since no brood or repletes were

carried away, it was probably not a slave raid (Holldobler, 1976). The

battle diminished as the afternoon progressed, but resumed at 0930 the

next day when 63 dead ants were collected. On 18 July the raiders left

their nest for battle at 0915 but 20 minutes later some were also on a

mulga tree.

Four ant species entered the battle area between July 16-21.

Rhytidoponera sp. workers from nests 12.6 m and 31.1 m away fought

each other and honeypot ants and carried off their remains.

Encounters between Camponotus denticulata Kirby soldiers from a

slit-entrance nest (Greenslade, 1979; Spencer, 1928) 8.2 m away and

honeypot ants led to some fatalities, but often resulted in sprayed

soldiers staggering away and wiping their heads. Two smaller

unidentified ant species, one from a nest 2.4 m away, also carried

away dead honeypot ants.

We observed the common Aboriginal practice of eating repletes

("tjala") singly by holding the head and thorax between two fingers

and biting off the distended abdomen (Froggatt, 1896; Winfield, 1982;

Bryce, 1986; Devitt, 1986). This method is identical to the use of

Myrmecocystus repletes by Indians of the American Southwest and

Mexico (Curran, 1937; De Conconi and Moreno, 1979) and indicates

convergent evolution of their utilization by native peoples on both

continents. Australian and North American repletes have a flavour

like cane molasses, but often have an acrid aftertaste due to formic

acid. Aboriginal women at Uluru told me that if a large number are

eaten without water, the effect is like drinking too much wine - your

head feels funny, your belly burns, and you feel dry inside and need to

drink a lot of water.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 53

The continued use of honeypot ants by Australian Aborigines provides

insights into how they might have been utilized by North American

Indians. We were told that Aboriginal women usually gather

honeypot ants, a skill taught to young girls by senior women. We

found 26 Aboriginal excavation pits at Kunoth Paddock; one to three

associated with each nest. The digs covered areas of 0.09-5.72 sq. m

(¥=1.1) and ranged in depth from 10-100 cm. Partial excavations

appear to be common and may preserve the species since queens,

workers and brood move down when a colony is disturbed.

Discussion

A major question is why honeypot ants occur in some patches of

mulga and not others. Nelson (pers. comm., 1987) believes honeypot

ants only thrive in undisturbed mature mulga stands and are abundant

at Kunoth Paddock because cattle do not enter this area. Other

factors, such as temperature, humidity, soil type, predation and

availability of nectar and honeydew may also determine distribution.

Honeypot ants may protect mulga trees. Lamont (1979) reports

extrafloral nectaries may be universal in Acacia of south-western

Australia, where their year round secretion attracts ants to defend

nectaries, or the whole plant, against herbivores (Buckley, 1982). We

only observed one C. inflatus worker eating a small red insect or mite

on a phyllode, but Aboriginal women said grubs ("muyamuya") on

mulga leaves are fed to honeypot ant larvae. We did see workers

move along the length of each phyllode, the same foraging pattern

used by other ants to detect insects on acacia (Majer, 1979; New,

1984).

It is questionable whether extrafloral nectaries alone could sustain a

honeypot ant colony since their secretions are not abundant and

contain mainly glucose and fructose which do not provide a complete

diet (Buckley, 1982). Further study is needed to determine whether the

interaction between A. aneura and C. inflatus involves obligate

mutualism and co-evolution similar to other ant-plant associations.

Honeypot ants are reported to get nectar from a variety of sources at

other times of the year. Mulgas provide nectar when they flower at

the end of August (Bicchieri, 1972; Hart, 1974; Nelson, pers. comm.,

1987). Morton (pers. comm., 1986) believes ants use spring-flowering

shrubs, such as Cassia, and Aboriginal women at Uluru said repletes

store nectar from black corkwood blossoms (Hakea sp.), red

Eremophila latrobei flowers ("mintjingka"), and yellow mulga flowers

(“inuntji”). Others report honeypot ants gather nectar from the

"mulga apple," an acacia gall (Basedow, 1904; Spencer, 1928;

Mckeown, 1944).

Primary 'honey' sources for C. inflatus may be ’lerps’ (sugary scales

secreted by psyllids) and scale insects (Coccidae) (Spencer, 1928; Kean,

54 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199]

1987) which cover mulgas for about three weeks in the spring (Latz,

pers. comm., 1984). Lerps infest the bark and leaves and exude clear

droplets, especially after rain (Bryce, pers. comm., 1987). Bicchieri

(1972) reports lerp infestations over large areas of A. aneura but not

in other areas; one factor which might contribute to this ant’s

discontinuous distribution.

Replete abdomens range in colour from clear to dark amber as in

Myrmecocystus mexicanus, but the clear to clear-amber ones are few

in number (19 of 277 Kunoth repletes) (Conway, 1977, 1990a). These

colour variations, which have also been reported by Aborigines

(Devitt, 1986), may be due to different storage products. Dark amber

repletes store fructose and glucose (Basedow, 1904; Badger and.

Korytnyk, 1956; Conway, 1977) and clear ones may store water

(Snelling, 1976). Australian repletes reach larger sizes (15 mm gaster;

1.4 g) than M. mexicanus repletes (12 mm gaster; 0.98 g) (Conway,

1990 a, b).

I saw no evidence of predation on honeypot ants and Jakamara, my

Aboriginal guide, said the nests are not dug out by mammals as

sometimes occurs in Arizona (Chew, 1979; Conway, 1990a).

Froggatt (1896) mentions extensive Aboriginal excavations of honeypot

ant nests around Ayers Rock. Aborigines still expend much time and

effort locating and excavating nests but most digs are partial and last

less than an hour (Devitt, 1986). Others have reported digs as deep as

1.2-1.8 m (Spencer, 1928; Hart, 1974; Winfield, 1982) and several

meters in diameter (Bicchieri, 1972). Honeypot ants were originally

sought by Aborigines as a sweet, but now the digging is often a picnic

with a purpose, a mother teaching children their way of life with its

values and customs (Hart, 1974).

Honeypot ants also play a role in Aboriginal mythology. Aborigines

believe all creatures and topographical features result from the |

activities of their totemic ancestors during the Dreamtime. Each |

animal and plant has a "Dreaming! - the story of its creation and

importance. I was told the totems and ceremonies associated with

honeypot ants are still extant at Aboriginal settlements such as

Papunya and Yuendumu north-west of Alice Springs.

Honeypot ants also have commercial importance. Honeypot ants have

been depicted by Aborigines for thousands of years in ground mosaics

and cave paintings. Today Aboriginal paintings on canvas, as well as

T-shirts and postcards depicting honeypot ant dreaming are sold to

tourists. Thus, honeypot ants still play an important role in the diet,

Dreamtime and livelihood of Aboriginal people (Hart, 1974; Devitt,

1986).

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the 25 Earthwatch volunteers who excavated the

nests. Thanks also to Dr Anne Kerle and Dr Mike Fleming who

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 55

provided information, logistical support and hospitality during our

stay in Alice Springs. Dr Steve Morton, CSIRO Alice Springs, and

Des Nelson visited the Kunoth site and shared their knowledge of the

ecology of the area. Bill Pryor, Manager of the Hamilton Downs

Station, granted permission to work on Kunoth Paddock. Suzy Bryce

at The Institute of Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs shared

her expertise on the use of honeypot ants by Aboriginal people. Lynn

Baker, Scientific Officer, and Chip Morgan, Park Superintendent,

assisted work at Uluru National Park. Special thanks are extended to

Jakamara, my Aboriginal guide in Alice Springs and the Aboriginal

women from the Mutitjulu Community at Uluru who provided first-

hand information on honeypot ants through their interpreter, Susan

Woenne-Green. Peter Latz (Northern Territory Conservation

Commission), Richard Gould (Dept of Anthropology, Brown

University) and P.J.M. Greenslade (CSIRO Div. of Soils-Canberra

Laboratories) also provided information. This research was supported

by a grant from The Center for Field Research and a Faculty Study

grant from the University of Scranton.

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semi-arid mallee region of north-western Victoria. Australian Journal of Ecology 10:

25-30.

BADGER, G.M. and KORYTNYK, W. 1956. Examination of honey in Australian

honey-ants. Nature 178: 320-321.

BASEDOW, H. 1904. Anthropological notes made on the South Australian

Government North-West prospecting expedition, 1903. Transactions of the Royal

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BASEDOW, H. 1925. The Australian Aboriginal. F.W. Preece and Sons, Adelaide.

422 pp.

BICCHIERI, M.G. (Editor) 1972. Hunters and gatherers today. Holt, Rinehart and

Winston, Inc., New York. 494 pp.

BRYCE, S. 1986. Women's gathering and hunting in the Pitjantjatjara homelands.

Institute of Aboriginal Development, Alice Springs.

BUCKLEY, R.C. 1982. Antplant interactions in Australia. Dr W. Junk Publishers,

The Hague. 162 pp.

CHEW, R.M. 1979. Mammalian predation on honey ants, Myrmecocystus

(Formicidae). Southwestern Naturalist 24: 677-682.

CLELAND, J.B. 1965. The gland on Acacia phyllodes and ants. South Australian

Naturalist 39: 53.

CONWAY, J.R. 1977. Analysis of clear and dark amber repletes of the honey ant,

Myrmecocystus mexicanus hortideorum. Annals of the Entomological Society of

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nests (Myrmecocystus mexicanus) in Arizona. Journal of the New York Entomological

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12 (3): 54-61.

CURRAN, C.H. 1937. Insect lore of the aztecs. Natural History 39: 196-203.

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mezquital y su valor nutritivo. Anales Instituto de Biologia. Universidad Nacional

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Educational Bulletin Series. South Australian Museum, Adelaide. 44 pp.

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Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 57

SOME RECORDS OF MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA) FROM

MANGROVES IN SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

M.J. HOCKEY and M. DE BAAR

Queensland Forest Service, P.O. Box 631, Indooroopilly, Qld, 4068

Abstract

This paper presents mangrove food plant records, locality data and biology notes for

moths bred from mangrove environments in southern Queensland.

Introduction

This paper is part of a series on mangrove insects (De Baar and

Hockey, 1987; Hockey and De Baar, 1988), bred or collected from

mangrove ecosystems in southern Queensland. The paper by

Hutchings and Recher (1982) provides a comprehensive introduction to

the literature on mangrove fauna. Much of the previous

entomological work was incidental to research on the crustacean and

molluscan fauna. These works often present their insect components

as lists of insects identified, for the most part, to order (Anonymous,

1977; Ellway, 1974).

While there are some ubiquitous species in the mangroves, examples

being Achaea janata (Linnaeus) and Syntherata janetta (White), the

mangrove fauna also contains specialised components such as the

xyloryctine Echiomima sp. The ecological relationships between these

insects is poorly known for any Australian mangrove system but

presents many interesting research opportunities.

Methods and Materials

Material with insect attack was collected and removed to cages in a

temperature controlled insectary. Voucher specimens are deposited in

the Queensland Forest Insect Collection (QFIC). Data on insects not

identifiable to species are preceded by their QFIC registration number.

The mangrove taxa mentioned in the text are: Aegiceras corniculatum

(L.) (Myrsinaceae); Avicennia marina (Forsk) Vierk (Avicenniaceae);

Ceriops tagal (Perr.) C.B.Rob. (Rhizophoraceae); Excoecaria

agallocha L. (Euphorbiaceae); Rhizophora stylosa Griff.

(Rhizophoraceae).

Locations of sites mentioned in the text are: Brisbane, 27?28'S

153*0l'E; Coochin Ck, 26°53’S 152?59'E; Glass Mountain Ck,

26959'S 153°1’E; Maryborough, 25?32'S 152°42’E; Port Alma,

23935'S 150°52’E; Redland Bay, 27°37’S 153?18'E; and Tooloom

Scrub, 28°37’S 152°25’E.

Moth Records

Family Cosmopterigidae

Labdia sp. nr. deliciosella Walker. QFIC 6243/11. Port Alma, 2

adults emerged 1.i.1986 from branch of E. agallocha.

58 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Family Cossidae

Macrocyttara expressa (Lucas). Indooroopilly Is., Brisbane, 11 males,

9 females emerged in the period 25.x.1985 to 10.iv.1986 from stems of

A. corniculatum. Although the collected material still contained active

larvae, no adults emerged from December 1986 to February 1987;

Glass Mountain Ck, via Beerburrum, 26.iii.1986, larvae were collected

in the stem of A. corniculatum; Coochin Ck via Beerwah, 2.iv.1986,

larvae were collected in the stem of A. corniculatum; Corinda,

Brisbane, 12.iii.1987, 1 male to mercury vapour light.; Tooloom

Scrub, 21.i1.1937 E.J. Dumigan, (1 male in the University of

Queensland Collection).

Illidge and Quail (1903) thoroughly described the insect and its effect

on A. corniculatum. Since the type series was collected near Bulimba,

Brisbane circa 1900, collection records are: a single specimen collected

near Gympie, in Australian National Insect Collection (E.D. Edwards,

pers. comm.), some specimens taken at light in Brisbane (B.K.

Cantrell, pers. comm.) and our records. A number of authors have

referred to Macrocyttara as attacking E. agallocha (Common, 1970;

Hutchings and Recher, 1982). The only basis that we can find for this

is a comment by Turner (1945) who states it was ’bred in large

numbers by Mr R. Illidge from larvae tunnelling the stems of the

"milky mangrove” ’ (E. agallocha is commonly known as the milky

mangrove). However, in Turner’s only reference, Lucas (1902), there

is no reference to this plant. Examination of the original paper

(Illidge and Quail, 1903) leaves no doubt that only A. corniculatum

(as Aegiceras majus Gaertner) has been recorded as a host. The larva

was illustrated in colour by Common (1990) and De Baar and Hockey

(1987).

Family Gelechiidae

?Anarsia sp. QFIC 6388/01. Long Pocket, Brisbane, larvae were

collected 23.i.1987 boring into the fruits of A. corniculatum. Four

adults emerged 10.11.1987.

Family Geometridae

Anisozyga sp. QFIC 6415. Long Pocket, Brisbane, larva collected

20.1.1987 feeding on leaves of A. corniculatum. Adult emerged

13.11.1987.

Family Limacodidae

Doratifera unicolor Swinhoe. Mary River Heads, nr Maryborough,

cocoons were collected 27.11.1986 on the stem of R. stylosa. Adults

emerged 27-28.ix.1986. The small trees had been heavily defoliated by

the larvae.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 59

Family Noctuidae

Achaea janata (Linnaeus). Maryborough, 3 pupae, 6.v.1978 from A.

marina with damaged leaves. One adult emerged 17.v.1978. Edwards

(1978) lists E. agallocha as a food plant.

Family Oecophoridae

Barea leucocephala (Turner). QFIC 5485/07. Redland Bay, 2 adults

emerged 1.xi.1984 from branches taken from a dead A. marina.

Barea sp. QFIC 6243/19. Port Alma, 3 adults emerged Oct. 1986

from E. agallocha branch material heavily attacked by cerambycid

branch-pruners.

Echiomima sp. n. QFIC 6243/05. Port Alma, emerged 2.xii.1985

from tunnel on underside of branch of A. marina collected 13.xi.1985.

The tunnel of this xyloryctine, on the branch was completely

inundated by the tide. Similar damage was noticed on the trunks of

other Avicennia in the area.

nr. Garrha sp. QFIC 6248. Redland Bay, emerged 25.ix.1985. The

larvae feed on the leaf surfaces of A. marina.

Family Tineodidae

Cenoloba obliteralis (Walker). Redland Bay, 8 moths emerged 19 to

20 Aug. 1985 from dead branches of A. marina collected 12.viii.1985;

Redland Bay, numerous moths emerged in October 1985 from seeds of

A. marina collected 12.viii.1985.

Common (1970, 1990) records the fruits of A. marina as host. These

insects were bred from fruits of A. marina picked from tree, but the

majority of specimens emerged from fallen fruits, indicating

oviposition possibly occurs more often in older fruits. The larvae were

able to leave fallen fruits to find suitable pupation sites and this also

occurred in the laboratory. Field collected, dead branch material also

yielded many adult specimens.

Family Pyralidae

Gen. et sp. indet. (Phycitinae). QFIC 6218. Redland Bay, 14 moths

emerged in the period 21 to 26.viii.1985 from fruits of A. marina

picked from the tree on 12.viii.1985. Insectary reared larvae left fruits

to find pupation sites. No moths emerged from fallen fruits collected

at the same time.

Gen. et sp. indet. (Phycitinae). QFIC 1562. Maryborough, emerged

3.1v.1978. The larva feed on leaves of A. marina; QFIC 6391. Long

Pocket, Brisbane emerged 14.11.1987. The larvae feed on the leaves of

A. marina, some of which were partly rolled.

The above species of Phycitinae are morphologically similar. We have

tentatively regarded them as different species due to their behaviours.

60 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Family Saturniidae

Syntherata janetta (White). Long Pocket, Brisbane, eggs and larvae

were found on leaves of A. corniculatum on 23.1.1987. 3 males and 3

females emerged 17-25.iii.1987; St. Lucia, Brisbane, Aug. 1986: an

empty pupal case of this species was found in leaves of A. marina.

The pupal case was occupied by workers and male alates of

Polyrhachis sp.

C. tagal has previously been recorded as a host by Manski (1960), and

Ceriops and Aegiceras were recorded by Common (1990).

Family Tortricidae

Gen. et sp. indet. (Olethreutinae). QFIC 6249. Redland Bay,

emerged 18.ix.1985 from fruit of R. stylosa, collected from tree.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Dr I.F.B. Common and Mr. E.D. Edwards for

identification of material and for assistance with references. Dr B.

Cantrell allowed access to material under his charge. We particularly

wish to thank Miss M.A. Schneider for the loan of Macrocyttara

material in the University of Queensland collection.

References

ANONYMOUS 1977. An investigation of management options for Towra Point,

Botany Bay. Report prepared for the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service by

the Australian Littoral Society.

COMMON, I.F.B. 1970. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). /n CSIRO The Insects

of Australia. Pp. 765-866. Melbourne University Press.

COMMON, I.F.B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.

535 pp.

DE BAAR, M. and HOCKEY, M. 1987. Mangrove insects. Wildlife Australia 24 (1):

18-21.

EDWARDS, E.D. 1978. A review of the genus Achaea Hübner in Australia

(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 17: 329-

340.

ELLWAY, C.P. 1974. An ecological study of Corio Bay, Central Queensland. Report

commissioned by the Capricorn Coast Protection Council.

HOCKEY, M. and DE BAAR, M. 1988. Insects of the Queensland mangroves. Part

2. Coleoptera. Coleopterists Bulletin 42: 157-160.

HUTCHINGS, P.A. and RECHER, H.F. 1982. The fauna of Australian mangroves.

Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of London 106: 83-121.

ILLIDGE, R. and QUAIL, A. 1903. Australian woodboring Cossidae. Proceedings of

the Royal Society of Queensland 17: 161-174.

LUCAS, T.P. 1902. New species of Queensland Lepidoptera. Proceedings of the

Linnaean Society of New South Wales 27: 246-251.

MANSKI, M.J. 1960. Food plants of some Queensland Lepidoptera. Queensland

Naturalist 16: 68-73.

TURNER, A.J. 1945. A revision of the Australian Cossidae (Lepidoptera).

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 56: 47-70.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199] 61

HOST RECORDS (FAMILY ASCLEPIADACEAE) FOR EUPLOEA

CORE CORINNA (W.S. MACLEAY) (LEPIDOPTERA:

NYMPHALIDAE)

Paul I. Forster

Queensland Herbarium, Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Old, 4068

Abstract

Ceropegia cumingiana Decne., Gunnessia pepo P. Forster, Gymnanthera fruticosa K.L.

Wilson, Gymnema geminatum, R. Br., G. micradenium Benth., Hoya cumingiana

Decne., Hoya oligotricha subsp. tenuipes K. Hill, Marsdenia hemiptera Rchb., M.

viridiflora subsp. nov. and Tylophora sp. nov. are recorded as host plants for Euploea

core corinna. Host plant records for this butterfly in the Asclepiadaceae are

summarised.

Introduction

The Asclepiadaceae are important as hosts for larvae of the

Nymphalidae with 40 species having recorded hosts in the family

(Ackery and Vane-Wright, 1984). The Australian crow or oleander

butterfly Euploea core corinna is a common butterfly in eastern

Australia and has had a number of Asclepiadaceae previously listed as

hosts (Ackery and Vane-Wright, 1984; Scheermeyer and Zalucki, 1985;

Forster, 1987, 1989).

Observations

From observations on plants in cultivation or in habitat, a number of

instances of oviposition, feeding and pupation of E. c. corinna were

recorded. Previous host records in the Asclepiadaceae are summarized

in Table 1. Voucher plant specimens have been deposited at the

Queensland Herbarium.

New Host Plants ,

1. Ceropegia cumingiana Decne.: Cultivated plants (ex Mcllwraith

Range, Qld, Voucher: Liddle s.n.) at St. Lucia. Larval feeding (V

instar) observed, March 1989.

2. Gunnessia pepo P. Forster: Cultivated plants (ex Lake Patricia,

Weipa, Qld, Voucher: Forster & Liddle 4076) at St. Lucia.

Oviposition, feeding and pupation to adults observed, February 1989.

3. Gymnanthera fruticosa K.L. Wilson: Cultivated plants (ex central

Australia, Voucher: Forster 6208) at Sherwood. Oviposition, feeding

and pupation to adults observed, January 1990.

4. Gymnema geminatum R. Br.: Wild plants (Voucher: Forster 6536)

at Chillagoe. One female observed ovipositing (6 March 1990), no live

larvae observed.

5. Gymnema micradenium Benth.: Cultivated plants (ex Newman’s

Lookout Scrub, voucher not kept) at Rainworth. Larval feeding (V

instar) observed, February, 1989.

62 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

6. Hoya cumingiana Decne.: Cultivated plants (ex Philippines,

Voucher: Cumming 1702) at Strathpine. Larval feeding (V instar)

Observed, February 1989.

7. Hoya oligotricha K. Hill subsp. tenuipes K. Hill: Cultivated plants

(ex Charmillin Ck, 12 km SSW of Ravenshoe. Voucher: Lockyer sub.

Forster 2380) at Rainworth. Oviposition, feeding and pupation to

adults observed, 1989-1990.

8. Marsdenia hemiptera Rchb.: Cultivated plants (ex near Ginger

Mick's Mine, 2 km S of Punsand Bay, Qld. Voucher: Forster &

Liddle 4445) at St Lucia. Oviposition, feeding and pupation to adults

Observed, March 1989.

9. Marsdenia viridiflora R. Br. subsp. nov. This undescribed

subspecies occurs in tropical northern Australia and is primarily a

plant of open woodland although it may occasionally occur in vine

thickets. Ovipositing females and II instar larvae were observed on

wild plants at Chillagoe (6 March 1990). (Voucher: Forster 6533). M.

viridiflora R.Br. subsp. viridiflora has previously been recorded as a

host for this butterfly (Forster, 1989).

10. Tylophora sp. nov.: Cultivated plants (ex Herberton area,

Voucher: Forster 3947) at St. Lucia. Larval feeding (IV and V instar)

Observed, March 1989.

Discussion

The species of Asclepiadaceae recorded as new hosts for E. c. corinna,

with the exception of H. cumingiana (from the Philippines), all grow

within the known distribution range of the butterfly (Common and

Waterhouse, 1981).

Several of the hosts for this butterfly, notably the Asclepias and

Gomphocarpus spp. and perhaps the Calotropis spp. are unsuitable

for full development from egg to adult (Rahman et al. 1984, Kitching

and Zalucki 1983), and although some taxa such as A. curassavica and

G. fruticosus are widespread in eastern Australia their contribution to

the population dynamics of this butterfly are uncertain. Certainly Æ.

c. corinna may visit plants of A. fruticosa quite frequently, but this

seems on most occasions to be primarily for nectar, although some

individuals have been observed to rest on young pods and may

perhaps obtain chemicals from them (M. Zalucki, personal

communication 1989).

The Australian Asclepiadaceae suitable as hosts (Table 1), represent

less than one quarter of the taxa in this family that occur in the

country. While it would appear that some taxa are not suitable, at

least in terms of unattractiveness for oviposition or larval feeding, it

can be expected that further taxa of this family are suitable as hosts.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 63

Table 1. Hosts in the family Asclepiadaceae for Euploea core corinna.

* indicates native Australian taxa.

HOST SOURCE

Asclepias curassavica L. 1

Asclepias spp. 2

(inferred to be Gomphocarpus fruticosa and Asclepias curassavica)

* Brachystelma glabriflorum (F. Muell.) Schltr. 3

(as B. microstemma)

Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T. Aiton 1

*Ceropegia cumingiana Decne. 4

Cryptostegia grandiflora Roxb. ex R. Br. 2

C. madagascariensis Bojer ex Decne. 2

*Cynanchum carnosum (R. Br.) Schltr. 5

(as Ischnostemma carnosum)

Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W.T. Aiton 1

(as G. physocarpus)

*Gymnanthera fruticosa K.L. Wilson 4

*G. nitida R. Br. 5

*Gymnema geminatum R. Br. 4

*G. micradenium Benth. 4

*Gunnessia pepo P. Forster 4

Hoya archboldiana C. Norman 3

*H. australis R. Br. subsp. australis 6,3

*H. australis subsp. sanae (Bailey) K. Hill 3

H. carnosa (L. f.) R. Br 3

H. cumingiana Decne. 4

*H. oligotricha K. Hill subsp. tenuipes K. Hill 4

*H. macgillivrayi Bailey 3

*Marsdenia australis (R. Br.) Druce 6,

(as Leichhardtia or M. leichhardtiana)

*M. coronata Benth.

*M. glandulifera C. White

*M. hemiptera Rchb.

*M. microlepis Benth.

*M. rostrata R. Br.

*M. suaveolens A. Cunn.

*M. viridiflora R. Br. subsp. viridiflora

*M. viridiflora subsp. nov.

*Sarcostemma australe R. Br. subsp. australe

*S. australe subsp. nov. 1

*Sarcostemma sp. nov. (as S. australe subsp. nov. 2)

*Secamone elliptica R. Br.

Stephanotis sp.

*Tylophora sp.

1 - Ackery and Vane-Wright 1984; 2 - Common and Waterhouse 1981; 3 -

Forster 1987; 4 - this paper; 5 - Sankowsky 1975; 6 - D'Abrera; 7 - Forster

1989; 8 - Musgrave 1948.

iO UU OI Ro B

64 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Given the preponderance of certain genera in the list already recorded, it

could be predicted that further hosts will be found in Marsdenia R.Br. which

has nearly 30 species in Australia and perhaps in Tylophora which has 11

species in Australia.

Acknowledgements

Plants used in this study were collected on trips undertaken in conjunction

with L.H. Bird, P.D. Bostock, R.A. Harvey, G. Kenning, D.J. Liddle and

M.C. Tucker. The author benefited from various conversations on the subject

with M.P. Zalucki. All are gratefully acknowledged.

References

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biology. British Museum (Natural History), London.

COMMON, LF.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv + 682.

Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

D'ABRERA, B. 1971. Butterflies of the Australian region. Pp. 415. Lansdowne, Melboume.

FORSTER, P.I. 1987. New host records for Euploea core corinna (Macleay) (Nymphalidae).

Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 40: 354-355.

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(W.S. Macleay) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Queensland. Australian Entomological

Magazine 16: 79-80.

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RAHMAN, H.U., ZALUCKI, M.P. and SCHEERMEYER, E. 1984. The effect of host plant on

the development and survival of the immature stages of Euploea core corinna (Lepidoptera:

Nymphalidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 24: 95-98.

SANKOWSKY, G. 1975. Some new food plants for various Queensland butterflies. Australian

Entomological Magazine 2: 55-56.

SCHEERMEYER, E. and ZALUCKI, M.P. 1985. Food plant records of Euploea core corinna

(W.S. Macleay) with some notes on larval coloration. Australian Entomological Magazine 11:

87-90.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 65

THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE

DISTRIBUTION OF IMMATURE CULEX ANNULIROSTRIS

SKUSE (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)

D.S. KETTLE!, P. MOTTRAM? and B.H. KAY?

! Department of Entomology, University of Queensland, Qld, 4072

? Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Brisbane, Qld, 4001

3 Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Qld, 4006

Abstract

Observations were made on the distribution of immature Culex annulirostris in a

drainage channel at Charleville in south-western Queensland. Highest densities were

found in still waters supporting a moderate or dense growth of Paspalum spp. which

was shaded for part of the day. Density was independent of water depth (6-10 cm cf.

11-15 cm) in the presence of Paspalum spp. but was higher in water 11-15 cm deep when

Cenchrum ciliaris L. was the dominant grass. In this depth of water C. ciliaris had

more leaves on the surface and was more branched under water.

Introduction

Culex annulirostris is a common pest mosquito in Australia and the

vector of Murray Valley Encephalitis and Ross River virus to humans

(Doherty, 1977), and heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy)) to dogs

(Russell, 1985). Its breeding sites have been described as fresh-water

swamps, transient grassy pools in shade or sunlit and usually with

aquatic or emergent vegetation (Kay ef al. 1981). No quantitative data

have been published on the relationship between these environmental

variables and abundance of immature Cx annulirostris. In this study

we evaluate the effect of water depth, speed of water flow, degree of

shading, and species and density of grass on the distribution of

immature Cx annulirostris at one site.

Methods

Observations were made on a side channel leading from the cleanest

sewage treatment pond (No. 4) at Charleville (26°24’S, 146?15' E) in

south-western Queensland. The channel was about 1.7 m wide with

both banks covered with C. ciliaris, Paspalum distichum L. and a

Paspalum sp. The middle of the channel was almost free of grass

where the water flowed quite fast but at the banks it was slow flowing

or still. Water depth varied from 7 to 15 cm.

Samples were taken close to the banks on each side of the channel at

36 evenly spaced positions (60 cm apart), giving 72 sampling locations.

At each location a sample was taken with a 300 ml dipper daily for 10

days (22-31 March 1980), the number of immatures recorded and the

sample returned to the same spot. Samples were taken sequentially

from positions 1-36 on the left bank and then on the right bank.

Disturbance would show as a lower catch in sample x+ 1 compared to

sample x. Using the total number of immatures observed at each

location, numbers at locations x-- 1 were higher than those at x in 39

66 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

comparisons, lower on 28 and equal on 3. This suggests that

disturbance was minimal.

Each location was classified as shallow (6-10 cm) or deep (11-15 cm);

fast flowing, slow flowing or still; open (exposed to the sun all day),

partially shaded (shaded for part of the day) or fully shaded; and the

grass density as light (most parts emergent with only a few leaves

touching the water), moderate (branched in the water and some leaves

lying flat on the surface), or dense (branched in the water and dense

cover of leaves on the surface).

For statistical analysis the data were transformed logarithmically

[In(x-- 1) where x is the number of immatures. Tests of significance

were carried out on means of the transformed data (Mj, Kettle and

Linley 1967) using the /-test. In presenting the results modified

geometric means (Mw, Williams mean, Haddow, 1960) have been

used where Mw = antilog My -1. Two statistical analyses were carried

out. The first looked at variance due to days, locations and banks

using an ANOVA, and the second assessed the contribution of the

environmental variables using a technique for unbalanced, factorial

data (GLIM 3.10, Royal Statistical Society, London; Baker and

Nelder, 1978).

The second analysis was complicated by the unequal frequency with

which various environmental categories occurred. Thus for water

depth 51 locations were shallow and 21 deep; for speed of flow - still

(36), slow (35), fast (1), reducing the comparison to still v slow; shade

- open (48), partial (16), full (8); grass species C. ciliaris (12), P.

distichum (47), Paspalum sp. (13); grass density - light (15), moderate

(31), dense (26).

Results and Discussion

Over the 10 days 6300 immature Cx annulirostris were collected with

the numbers at the different locations ranging from 0 to 423 and daily

totals from 293 to 934.

Table 1. Analysis of variance of numbers of immature Cx

annulirostris on days, locations and banks. SS = Sum of squares; MS

— Mean square; df — degrees of freedom; F — Variance ratio.

Source df SS MS E

Days 9 58.45 6.49 20;:25***

Locations 71 628.35 8.85 39.86***

Banks l 203.42 203.42 916.3] ***

Positions 35 222.05 6.34 28.58***

Banks x Positions 35 202.88 5.80 26.11***

Banks x Days 9 4.94 0.55 2.47*

Positions x Days 315 81.49 0.26 1.17

Error 315 70.06 0.22

Total 719 843.29

***, **. * signify probabilities of «0.001, «0.01 and «0.05 respectively.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 67

The first analysis, using the 720 daily counts (10 days x 72 locations),

found highly significant differences between days, banks and positions

(Table 1). The difference between days was to be expected as it was

unlikely that the numbers of eggs hatching and the numbers of adults

emerging would maintain a steady population. Nearly 3 times as

many immature Cx annulirostris were recorded from the left bank

(4631) than from the right bank (1669). An explanation of this

difference will be given in the next paragraph. For the present

investigation the most important feature of this analysis was the highly

significant bank/position interaction, indicating that the distribution

of the immatures was influenced by factors other than bank and

position. Some of these factors could be environmental.

Table 2. Analysis of variance of numbers of Cx annulirostris on

various environmental factors. Only significant first order interactions

have been included. For symbols see Table 1.

Source df SS MS F

Flow 1 22.81 22.81 51.61***

Grass density 2 16.91 8.45 38.21***

Grass species 2 13.77 6.89 BEL Soe

Shade 2 2275, 1.38 6.22**

Depth 1 0.04 0.04 0.18

Depth x grass species 2 3.03 1.50 6.80**

Depth x grass density 2 2.53 1.27 atis hr

Residual 42 9.29 0.22

TOTAL 71 127.90

The second analysis related the transformed total count of immatures

at each location to the 5 environmental variables listed above. The

most important factor affecting the distribution of immature Cx

annulirostris was speed of flow (Table 2), followed by grass density

and species and, of lesser importance, shade. Water depth in itself

was unimportant but it interacted significantly with both grass species

and grass density. Immature Cx annulirostris were five times as

abundant in still compared to slow flowing water (Table 3). The

larger number of Cx annulirostris recorded from the left bank results

from the greater number of still water locations (23) on the left bank

compared to the right (13).

Table 3. Effect of speed of flow and degree of shading on the

numbers of immature Cx annulirostris. Means followed. by the same

letter are not significantly different. Mj, and Myw are defined in the

text.

Mp Mw

Still water 4.70a 108.9

Slow flowing | 3.04b 19.9

Partly shaded 4.73 a 112.3

Open 3.97 b 52.0

Fully shaded 1.71 c 4.5

68 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199]

Immature Cx annulirostris were relatively scarce in shaded locations

(4.5, Table 3), much more common (52.0) in open areas and most

numerous (112.3) in partly shaded locations. They were equally

abundant in shallow and deep water in the presence of Paspalum spp.

but very scarce in shallow water where C. ciliaris was present (Table

4A). When C. ciliaris was in deep water significantly more immature

Cx annulirostris were present and the number was lower but not

significantly different from those found among the Paspalum Spp.

Table 4. Effect on numbers of immature Cx annulirostris of depth of

water in association with (A) Species of grass, and (B,C) Density of

grass - (B) including C. ciliaris and (C) excluding C. ciliaris. Means

followed by a different letter are significantly different. The letters

a,b and v,w refer to vertical and horizontal comparisons respectively.

Shallow Deep

(A) Species of Grass

ML Mw ML Mw

Paspalum sp. 4.39av 79.6 3.96 av 51.5

P. distichum 4.27av 70.5 4.09 a v 58.7

C. ciliaris 1.ll bw 2.0 3.24a v 24.5

(B) Including C. ciliaris

Grass Density ML Mw ML Mw

Moderate 4.68av 106.8 4.47 a v 86.4

Dense 3.49bv 31.8 3.62 ab v 36.3

Light 3.26bv 25.1 2.69 b v 13.7

Moderate 4.71] av 111.1 4.67av 106.7

Dense 4.43av 83.9 4.38a v 79.8

Light 3.200b v 26.1 2.70 bw 14.9

One possible explanation for this is that in deeper water the habit of

C. ciliaris changes and the plant is more branched underwater and has

more leaves on the surface, a habit similar to that of the Paspalum

spp.

In both shallow and deep water the largest number of immature Cx

annulirostris was among moderately dense grass and significantly

fewer were found where the grass density was light (Table 4B). These

results include the interaction between water depth and C. ciliaris.

When the comparison is restricted to Paspalum spp. the numbers of

immature Cx annulirostris in dense and moderately dense grass are

similar irrespective of water depth and species of Paspalum (Table

4C). They are significantly higher (x3 to x7) than the numbers found

where the grass density was light. In addition there is an indication

that, when the grass cover was light, fewer immature Cx annulirostris

were found in deeper water (t— 2.014; 19,05 — 2.019).

These observations showed that, in descending order, the density of

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 69

immature Cx annulirostris was greatest in locations characterised by

still water, supporting a moderate or dense grass cover of grasses

which branched under the surface, and which were shaded for part of

the day. This conclusion agrees with that of Laird (1988) who

includes Cx annulirostris in his breeding sites grades A3-A6 lake

edges, swamps and marshes, shallow permanent or temporary pools,

all of which would provide still water in the presence of grass.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr D. Chant for statistical assistance, to Dr M.

Zalucki for commenting on an early draft of the manuscript, and to

the NHMRC for financial support.

References

BAKER, R.J., NELDER, J.A. 1978. Generalised linear interactive modelling. 385 pp.

NAG Central Office, Mayfield House, Oxford, England.

DOHERTY, R.L. 1977. Arthropod-borne viruses in Australia 1973-1976. Australian

Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science 55: 103-130.

HADDOW, A.J. 1960. Studies on the biting habits and medical importance of the East

African mosquitoes in the genus Aedes. I - Subgenera Aedimorphus, Banksinella and

Dunnius. Bulletin of Entomological Research 50: 759-779.

KAY, B.H., SINCLAIR, P. and MARKS, E.N. 1981. Mosquitoes: their inter-

relationship with man. in Kitching, R.L. and Jones, R.E. (eds) The ecology of pests -

some Australian case histories. pp. 157-174. CSIRO Press, Melbourne Australia.

KETTLE, D.S. and LINLEY, J.R. 1967. The biting habits of Leptoconops bequaerti

I. Methods; standardisation of technique; preference for individuals, limbs and

positions. Journal of Applied Ecology 4: 379-395.

LAIRD, M. 1988. The natural history of larval mosquito habitats. 555 pp. Academic

Press, London.

RUSSELL,, R.C. 1985. Report of a field study on mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae)

vectors of dog heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis Leidy (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) near

Sydney, N.S.W., and the implications for veterinary and public health concern.

Australian Journal of Zoology 33: 61-472.

70 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

BOOK REVIEW

Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): a bibliography, generic check-list and index to the world

literature 1956-1985. P.W. Oman, W.J. Knight and M.W. Nielson. 368 pp. Price £49.50

post free. C.A.B. International Institute of Entomology, Wallingford, U.K.

The family Cicadellidae contains many species of economic importance as vectors of

plant pathogens, as well as species that cause direct feeding damage to plants. Over

20,000 described species are included in the family and the literature dealing with these

species is extensive and often difficult to access.

The literature prior to January 1956 has been catalogued in the monumental General

Catalogue of the Homoptera (fascicle VI) prepared by Z.P. Metcalf and V.W. Burnside

between 1962 to 1971. The present volume lists and indexes works on the Cicadellidae

published between January 1956 and December 1985, a period during which 1,084 new

genera and almost 8,000 new species have been described. Much of the work

undertaken in leafhopper taxonomy during this period involves the faunas of

comparatively poorly-known regions (including Australia), and emphasises the enormous

diversity within the group. The book does not, however, confine itself to taxonomic

works alone; all published works that deal with the biology and behaviour of

leafhoppers are also included.

Three major. sections form the bulk of this work. The first is a comprehensive

bibliography of over 7,000 references. Each reference is cited with the journal title in full

and information on the presence or absence of English summaries is provided if the

paper itself is not in English. Papers in which new genera are described are

appropriately annotated, resulting in a bibliography that is highly informative, yet easily

readable.

The second major section is a check-list of generic and family-group names proposed

prior to January 1986. It should be stressed that this part of the catalogue is

comprehensive; all generic and family group-names used in, omitted from, or proposed

subsequent to the Metcalf catalogues are listed. Each entry is accompanied by the

author's name, coded year of publication, type species, type locality, Metcalf reference

(for pre-1956 names), further major references, classification, distribution, subgenera

and synonymies. Like the bibliography, the check-list is preceded by a detailed

description of the format used for each entry.

Subject and taxonomic indexes for the period 1956 to 1985 form a large part of the

remainder of the volume. The subject index is extremely detailed, and each section is

appropriately subdivided, for example, life-histories are indexed alphabetically by

species, whilst entries on pest status are listed by host crop. This format allows the

reader to locate the relevant literature on any topic in a matter of minutes. The generic

level taxonomic index is likewise a pleasure to use.

A number of smaller, but extremely useful sections occupy the remainder of the book.

Names placed on the Official Lists of generic and family-group names in zoology are

catalogued, as are those on the Official Indexes of rejected and invalid names.

Misassigned generic names and misidentified type species are listed, as are family-group

names.

The authors have provided an extensive review of the leafhopper literature for the period

1942 to 1955, which, whilst included in the Metcalf bibliography, has never been

indexed. This review fills a major gap in the indexing of literature on the Cicadellidae.

In conclusion it is hard to find fault with this comprehensive and scholarly work.

Despite prolonged efforts I could find no omissions in the bibliography or check-lists.

The format of all sections is both well planned and carefully explained, making the

book, and especially the indexes, a joy to use. This book should be in the library of

every researcher with an interest in the Cicadellidae or in the transmission of plant

diseases.

Mark Stevens

Yanco Agricultural Institute

NSW Agriculture and Fisheries

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199] 71

THE LIFE HISTORY OF EVERES LACTURNUS AUSTRALIS

COUCHMAN (LEPIDOPTERA: LYCAENIDAE)

P.R. SAMSON

Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, P.O. Box 651, Bundaberg, Qld, 4670

Abstract

The immature stages of Everes lacturnus australis are described. Desmodium

heterocarpon (L.) DC. (Fabaceae) is recorded as a food plant in southern and central

Queensland. Larvae from southern Queensland have a facultative diapause that seems

to be broken by immersion in water.

Introduction

Everes lacturnus australis occurs from central New South Wales to

northern Queensland and the Northern Territory, and is also recorded

from Lord Howe Island, New Guinea, New Britain and the Solomons

(Common and Waterhouse, 1981).

The life history of the Indo-Malayan subspecies E. l. rileyi Godfrey

was recorded by Corbet and Pendlebury (1956). However, there is no

record of the life history of the subspecies occurring in Australia.

Here I describe the immature stages collected at Brisbane, with

observations on the life history. The food plant near Mackay is also

recorded. :

Immature stages

Egg (Fig. 1). Mandarin-shaped, with irregular pattern of fine ridges

arranged in 2 oblique series at sides; ridges with very short blunt

projections at their intersections; pale green. Average diameter 0.46

mm (N = 6).

First instar larva (Fig. 2). With long pale dorsal and marginal hairs;

greyish white; thoracic and anal plates pale grey; head smoky grey.

Final instar larva (Fig. 3). Flattened and densely covered with golden

setae; body green at sides and pale green dorsally, sometimes with red

middorsal line; spiracles grey; head pale brown. Newcomer’s organ

present but inconspicuous; tentacular organs not visible, possibly

absent.

Pupa (Fig. 4). Elongate, with long pale hairs; pale green or buff with

scattered black spots and dorsolateral row of larger black patches;

thorax with black middorsal line; abdomen sometimes with reddish

middorsal and dorsolateral lines. Attached by anal hooks and central

girdle.

Life history

The food plant is Desmodium heterocarpon. 1 found larvae on D.

heterocarpon var. heterocarpon at Brisbane and on var. strigosum at

72 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Seaforth north of Mackay. D. heterocarpon is the food plant near

Ingham (Valentine, 1988).

The food plant is a herb that grows in grassy areas among open forest.

Adults of E. /acturnus (Fig. 5) fly close to the ground. Eggs are laid

singly on flower heads and seed pods. Small larvae feed mostly on the

flowers. Large larvae feed externally on the pods, and-are well

camouflaged by their flattened shape, colour shading, and the covering

of hairs which blend well with those of the pods. Larvae that I fed in

captivity on the reddish flowers of the food plant developed a red

dorsal stripe whereas those that I fed on pods did not. A larva from

near Mackay was attended by a large black ant, but larvae are often

unattended. Several larvae collected near Mackay were parasitised by

tachinid flies. I have not found pupae in the field, although Valentine

(1988) reported that in northern Queensland they occur within clumps

of pods on the food plant.

The larvae are distinctive, and readily distinguished from larvae of

other lycaenids Zizina labradus labradus (Godart), Famegana alsulus

alsulus (Herrich-Schaffer) and Euchrysops cnejus cnidus Waterhouse

and Lyell that feed on small legumes similar to D. heterocarpon.

Larvae of these species are not as flattened as larvae of E. lacturnus.

None has been found on D. heterocarpon.

I have found the immature stages of E. lacturnus at Brisbane from

February to early June during the flowering period of the food plant.

They are plentiful in March but scarce during May and June. I was

unable to find eggs or larvae in late December 1989, nor could I find

any flowers or pods on the food plant. I have not looked for larvae

in January. Larvae were present on my only two visits to Mackay,

early in February and in April.

Larvae collected at Brisbane early in March pupated in the same

month. Pupal duration at 25°C was 8 days (N=2). Four large larvae

collected on 12th June 1988 stopped feeding several days after

collection and their colour changed to pale brown with longitudinal

reddish lines. However, they failed to pupate. They were kept under

Observation in shaded conditions at ambient temperature. One

individual had died by September but the remainder were still alive

and in the larval stage. I thought the larvae may be drying out, so I

immersed one in water for a short time: it subsequently pupated on

23rd September and the adult emerged soon after. Another larva died

in October. The surviving larva was moistened on 25th November: it

pupated on 29th November and had produced an adult by llth

December 1988.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 73

CAAA ATLA

Figs 1-5. Everes lacturnus australis: (1) egg, dorsal view; (2) first

instar larva (head on right); (3) final instar larva (head at top); (4)

pupa; (5) adult, underside. Scale bars (1, 2) = 0.2 mm; (3-5) = 2.

mm.

74 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199]

I have never found larvae of E. /acturnus on any of the other legumes

occurring at the collection site at Brisbane. D. heterocarpon flowers

mainly in summer and autumn (Stanley and Ross, 1983). There would

seem to be no food for the larvae for much of the year. Larvae

apparently have a facultative diapause that may serve to maintain the

population between flowering times of the food plant. Flowering of

the plants and pupation of larvae may both be stimulated by rainfall.

This is the first record of larval diapause in an Australian lycaenid.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the Queensland Herbarium for identifying the food

plants.

References

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. xiv +

682 pp. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

CORBET, A.S. and PENDLEBURY, H.M. 1956. The butterflies of the Malay

Peninsula. Pp. xi + 537, pls 1-55. Oliver and Boyd, London.

STANLEY, T.D. and ROSS, E.M. 1983. Flora of south-eastern Queensland. Vol. 1.,

iv + 545 pp. Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.

VALENTINE, P. 1988. Australian Tropical Butterflies. iii + 71 pp. Tropical

Australia Graphics, Queensland.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 75

INSECTS ASSOCIATED WITH KENAF IN NORTHERN

QUEENSLAND

I.R. KAY! and J.D. BROWN

Department of Primary Industries, P.O. Box 591, Ayr, Qld, 4807

Abstract

A list is given of 46 species recorded feeding on kenaf in the Burdekin River Irrigation

Area in northern Queensland. The damaging stage of the insect and the plant part

attacked are noted. Only two species, the beetle Monolepta australis (Jacoby) and the

moth Anomis flava (F.) were of major importance. An additional 88 species, which

were not recorded feeding on kenaf, were collected in the crop.

Introduction

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L., family Malvaceae) is an herbaceous

annual plant with a straight stem that grows 4-5 m high. Traditionally

kenaf has been used as an important textile fibre in south-east Asia

and other tropical areas. However the stems can be used to produce

paper pulp and there has been interest in kenaf for this purpose in

Australia since the early 1950’s. Wood (1981, 1984) reviewed research

on kenaf as a source of paper pulp.

Since 1984 kenaf has been investigated as a potential crop for the

Burdekin River Irrigation Area (BRIA), based on the town of Ayr

(19°35’S_ 147°24’E), in the dry tropics of northern Queensland

(Hazzard et al., 1988). As part of these studies we sampled the insect

fauna associated with kenaf to determine pests and potential pests of

the crop. Ferraris (1979) reported that it was necessary to control

beetles from the genera Monolepta and Rhyparida (Chrysomelidae),

and Henosepilachna (= Epilachna) (Coccinellidae) on kenaf in the wet

tropics of Queensland, and Strickland and Learmonth (1981) recorded

pests and potential pests of kenaf in the Ord Irrigation Area of

Western Australia. In the latter area Anomis spp. (Noctuidae) were

considered to be the major pests, and a complex of plant bugs and

bollworms were important in seed production.

Methods

Collections were made from experimental crops (1-10 ha in area) of

kenaf throughout the BRIA during the 1984-85, 1985-86, and 1986-87

growing seasons. The crops were irrigated and in general were

surrounded by sugar cane. The kenaf growing season extends from

October to May. Crops were visited throughout each season and

representatives of insects observed were collected by hand or with a

sweep net, and immature insects were reared to adults on kenaf in the

laboratory. Plant parts attacked were noted. Neither the ground

fauna nor spiders were sampled.

| Present address: Department of Primary Industries, MS 108, Ashfield Road,

Bundaberg, Qld, 4670

76 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199]

Table 1. Insects feeding on kenaf. (Plant part damaged: y - seedling;

1 - leaf; s - stem; t - terminal; f - flower bud, open flower; c - seed

capsule).

Insects Damaging Plant part

stage damaged

COLEOPTERA

Cerambycidae

Zygrita diva Thomson adult S

Chrysomelidae

Aulacophora abdominalis (F.) adult l

Chaetocnema sp. adult l

Cleptor sp. adult l

Monolepta australis (Jacoby) adult l

Podagrica submetallica (Blackburn) adult y,l

Rhyparida ? dimidiata Baly adult l

Coccinellidae

Epilachna cucurbitae Richards adult 1

Epilachna vigintioctopunctata pardalis (Boisduval) larva l

Epilachna vigintisexpunctata

vigintisexpunctata (Boisduval) adult l

Curculionidae ,

Baris (Cosmobaris) sp. adult lt

Nitidulidae

Aethina nigra (Reitter) adult l

HEMIPTERA - HOMOPTERA

Aphididae

Aphis craccivora Koch nymph, adult y

Aphis gossypii Glover nymph, adult y,c

Coccidae

| unidentified sp. nymph, adult s

Diaspididae

Pinnaspis strachani (Cooley) adult S

Flatidae

Colgar sp. nymph, adult |l

Siphanta patruelis (Stàl) nymph, adult 1

HEMIPTERA - HETEROPTERA

Pseudococcidae

unidentified sp. nymph, adult t

Coreidae

Aulacosternum nigrorubrum Dallas adult IL t

Lygaeidae

Oxycarenus luctuosus (Montrouzier and Signoret) nymph, adult e,t

Miridae

Campylomma livida Reuter adult tf

Pentatomidae

Nezara viridula (L.) nymph, adult f,c

Piezodorus hybneri (Gmelin) adult Lf

Plautia affinis Dallas nymph, adult l,t,c

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 TI

Table 1 (cont.). Insects feeding on kenaf. (Plant part damaged: y -

seedling; 1 - leaf; s - stem; t - terminal; f - flower bud, open flower; c

- seed capsule)

Insects Damaging Plant part

stage damaged

Pyrrhocoridae

Dysdercus cingulatus (F.) adult c

Dysdercus sidae Montrouzier nymph, adult c

Scutelleridae

Lampromicra senator (F.) adult c

Tectocoris diophthalmus (Thunberg) nymph, adult c

LEPIDOPTERA

Gelechiidae

Pectinophora scutigera (Holdaway) larva f,c

Lymantriidae

Euproctis sp. larva f

Noctuidae

Acontia graellsi Feisthamel larva l

Acontia transversa Guenée larva l

Agrotis sp. larva y

Anomis flava (F.) larva l

Anomis fulvida (Guenée) larva l

Earias huegeli Rogenhofer larva t,c

Earias vittella (F.) ; larva t,c

Eublemma versicolor (Walker) larva t

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) larva tL f,c

Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren) larva ize

Nanaguna breviuscula Walker larva f,c

Spodoptera litura (F.) larva l

Pyralidae

Cryptoblabes adoceta Turner larva I*C

Loxostege affinitalis (Lederer) larva , l

THYSANOPTERA

Phlaeothripidae

Haplothrips gowdeyi (Franklin) adult Lf--

Results and Discussion

The insect species recorded feeding on kenaf are listed in Table 1

together with the stage causing damage, and the parts of the plant

attacked. All Lepidoptera listed in Table 1 were collected as larvae

and reared to the adult stage for identification (except for Agrotis sp.

(Noctuidae) which failed to develop). Forty-six species from 21

families in 4 Orders were identified as pests or potential pests. Only

two, Monolepta australis and Anomis flava, were of major

importance. M. australis, the redshouldered leaf beetle, was the most

important pest, occurring throughout each season in all crops. The

adults preferred young leaves but also fed on old ones, and caused

78 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199]

serious defoliation if uncontrolled. P. Elliot (pers. comm.) recorded

adverse effects on stem yield caused by such defoliation. The beetle

was controlled effectively with carbaryl at 1 kg a.i./ha.

A. flava, the cotton looper, also caused serious defoliation to several

crops. Usually infestations were controlled by parasites and predators.

Strickland and Learmonth (1981) considered Anomis spp. to be the

most important defoliators of kenaf in the Ord Irrigation Area.

Flea beetles, Podagrica spp., are major pests of kenaf in the Sudan,

killing seedlings by feeding on their, cotyledons and leaves (Sharaf

Eldin and El-Amin, 1981). Although adults of Podagrica submetallica

were common on kenaf during this study, feeding on the leaves of

seedlings and older plants, no serious damage was noted.

Hill (1983) lists pests of kenaf in India and gives Maconellicoccus

hirsutus (Green), the hibiscus mealybug, as the most important pest.

We recorded a pseudococcid from kenaf terminals but were unable to

identify it, and its incidence was low. However in March 1990 kenaf

plants in small experimental plots at Ayr suffered severe terminal

stunting typical of that caused by M. hirsutus (Hill, 1983). It was not

possible to identify the mealybug as predatory coccinellids quickly

controlled the infestation. M. hirsutus has been recorded from other

hosts in the district. Many of the other insects listed by Hill (1983) as

minor pests in India were recorded in this study.

The insects that fed on the reproductive structures of the plant

(flowers and seed capsules) were of no importance in kenaf crops

grown for the stems but they would be of concern in crops grown for

seed production. Common amongst the insects feeding on flowers and

seed capsules were larvae of the noctuids Helicoverpa spp. and Earias

spp., and Pectinophora scutigera (Gelechiidae), and adults and

nymphs of Oxycarenus luctuosus (Lygaeidae), Nezara viridula

(Pentatomidae), Dysdercus spp. (Pyrrhocoridae), and Tectocoris

diophthalmus (Scutelleridae). This complex is similar to that recorded

by Strickland and Learmonth (1981).

Of the three genera reported by Ferraris (1979) as major pests of

kenaf in the wet tropics of northern Queensland M. australis was a

major pest and Epilachna spp. and Rhyparida ? dimidiata were

uncommon in the BRIA. This difference may be due to the climatic

differences and/or differences in the native vegetation between the wet

and dry tropics.

Table 2 lists another 88 species recorded in kenaf. It is probable that

some of these may feed on kenaf although they were not seen to do

so. The list contains many parasitic and predatory insects, indicating

that control measures taken against pests should be taken cautiously so

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199]

Table 2. Other insects associated with kenaf

Insects Comments

BLATTODEA

Blattellidae

Ellipsidion variegatum (F.)

unidentified sp.

COLEOPTERA

Apionidae

Apion sp.

Cerambycidae

Prosoplus torosa Pascoe

Chrysomelidae

Aphthona sp.

Psylliodes sp.

unidentified sp. (Halticinae)

Cleridae

Zenithicola crassus Newman

Coccinellidae

Coccinella repanda Thunberg

Coelophora inaequalis (F.)

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant

Halmus ovalis Blackburn

Harmonia octomaculata (F.)

Micraspis frenata (Erichson)

Scymnus (Pullus) mitior Blackburn

Curculionidae

Alcides bubo F.

Centyres sp.

Lixus sp.

Helodidae

unidentified sp.

Languriidae

Languria sp.

Lathridiidae

Melanopthalmus sp.

Nitidulidae

Carpophilus ? dimidiatus (F.) in flowers

Carpophilus ? marginellus Motschulsky in flowers

Staphylinidae

Paederus cruenticollis Germar

DIPTERA

Agromyzidae

Pseudonapomyza sp.

Calliphoridae

Stomorhina xanthogaster (Wiedemann)

Drosophilidae

Drosophila hibisci Bock in flower

Gitonoides perspicax Knab associated with mealybugs

Sarcophagidae

Parasarcophaga sp.

80 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Table 2 (cont.). Other insects associated with kenaf.

Insects Comments

Tachinidae

Carcelia cosmophilae (Curran) bred from A. flava,

Helicoverpa sp.

Carcelia illota (Curran) bred from A. transversa,

A. flava

Exorista sorbillans (Wiedemann) bred from A. flava

Goniophthalmus australis (Baranov) bred from H. armigera

HEMIPTERA - HOMOPTERA

Cicadellidae

unidentified sp.

Cixiidae

Oliarus lubra Kirkaldy

Oliarus sp.

HEMIPTERA - HETEROPTERA

Alydidae

Noliphus sp.

Riptortus sp.

Coreidae

Cletomorpha sp.

Lygaeidae

Arocatus sp.

Aspilocoryphus australicus Stal

Germalus sp.

Graptostethus sp.

Nysius vinitor Bergroth

Spilostethus hospes (F.)

Miridae

Deraeocoris signatus (Distant)

4 unidentified spp.

Nabidae

Nabis kinbergii Reuter

Pentatomidae

Cermatulus nasalis (Westwood) feeding on A. flava

Oechalia schellenbergii (Guérin-Méneville)

Oncocoris sp. 1

Oncocoris sp. 2

Reduviidae

Polytoxus sp.

Pristhesancus plagipennis Walker

Scipinia arenacea Distant feeding on M. australis

HYMENOPTERA

Apidae

Apis mellifera L

Bethylidae

Goniozus sp.

Braconidae

Microgaster sp. bred from Helicoverpa sp.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Table 2 (cont.). Other insects associated with kenaf.

Insects

Comments

HYMENOPTERA (Cont.)

Chalcididae

Brachymeria sp.

Encyrtidae

unidentified sp.

Formicidae

Iridomyrmex sp.

Tetramorium guineense (F.)

Ichneumonidae

Echthromorpha agrestoria (Swederus)

Enicospilus ? samoana (Kohl)

Eriborus sp.

Heteropelma scaposum (Morley)

Temelucha sp.

Perilampidae

Euperilampoides scutellatus Girault

Pteromalidae

Coruna sp.

Scelionidae

Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston)

Trissolcus sp. 1

Trissolcus sp. 2

Trissolcus sp. 3

LEPIDOPTERA

Blastobasidae

Blastobasis sp.

Noctuidae

Acontia thapsina (Turner)

Pyralidae

Endotricha puncticostalis Walker

MANTODEA

Mantidae

Orthodera ministralis (F.)

NEUROPTERA

Chrysopidae

Chrysopa ramburi Schneider

Chrysopa signata Schneider

ORTHOPTERA

Gryllidae

Homoeoxipha lycoides (Walker)

Madasumma affinis Chopard

Oecanthus rufescens Serville

Pteronemobius sp.

Tettigoniidae

Hexacentrus sp.

Phaneroptera gracilis Burmeister

bred from A. flava

bred from C. adoceta,

Earias sp.

bred from Helicoverpa sp.

bred from C. adoceta

bred from heteropteran eggs

bred from T. diophthalmus eggs

bred from heteropteran eggs

larva feeding on mealybugs

82 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

as to conserve the beneficial species. Others are probably vagrants or

of no economic significance.

It is unlikely that these lists are exhaustive, but we hope that most of

the potential pests have been identified. The lists will serve as a base

for additional records over time.

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr B.K. Cantrell, Mr J. Donaldson, Dr I. Galloway and the

late Mr K. Houston for identifying many of the insects.

References

FERRARIS, R. 1979. Effect of time of sowing and age at harvest on kenaf (Hibiscus

cannabinus L.) in the wet tropics. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural

Science 45: 132-136.

HAZZARD, W.H., NORMAN, K.L., WOOD, I.M. and GARSIDE, A.L. (eds.). 1988.

Kenaf production in the Burdekin River Irrigation Area. Queensland Department of

Primary Industries Information Series Q188022.

HILL, D.S. 1983. Agricultural insect pests of the tropics and their control. Cambridge

University Press, Cambridge. 746 pp.

SHARAF ELDIN, N. and EL-AMIN, EL T.M. 1981. Review of research on the insect

pests of kenaf and their control in the Sudan. Beitrage zur tropischen Landwirtschaft

und Veterinarmedizin 19: 433-437.

STRICKLAND, G.R. and LEARMONTH, S.E. 1981. Entomological observations of

kenaf at the Ord Irrigation Area. Proceedings of Kenaf Conference, May 28-29, 1981,

Brisbane, Queensland: 36-40.

WOOD, I.M. 1981. Kenaf for paper pulp: Research and development around the

world. Proceedings of Kenaf Conference, May 28-29, 1981, Brisbane, Queensland: 1-9.

WOOD, I.M. 1984. Kenaf and Guar. /n Cook, J.R. (ed.), Jojoba, Guayule or what?

New Crops - Factors for Survival. Australian Institute of Agricultural Science

Occasional Publication No. 16: 35-45.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 83

A NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORD FOR ACRODIPSAS ILLIDGEI

(WATERHOUSE AND LYELL) (LEPIDOPTERA: LYCAENIDAE)

D.A. LANE

3 Janda St, Atherton, Qld, 4883

Abstract

The lycaenid Acrodipsas illidgei is here recorded from Toowoomba, Queensland,

extending inland its previously known and exclusively coastal distribution.

Introduction

Acrodipsas illidgei (Figs 1 and 2) has been previously recorded only

from coastal areas between Mary River Heads, southern Queensland

(Manskie and Manskie, 1989) and northern New South Wales

(Samson, 1989). Its larvae and pupae have been found within the

nests of the ant Crematogaster sp. (laeviceps group) established in

hollow branches of mangroves (Common and Waterhouse, 1981). It

was demonstrated recently that the larvae are predacious throughout

their development on the immature stages of the ant (Samson, 1989).

Smales and Ledward (1942) also found larvae and pupae of A. illidgei

in a nest of this ant under bark on a trunk of a bloodwood

(Eucalyptus sp.) at Southport, an observation which shows that the

butterfly is probably not wholly dependent on a mangrove

environment.

Observations

On 13th January 1987, a fresh female A. illidgei was collected on the

summit of a prominent ridgetop below the crest of the main

escarpment of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, Queensland.

Comparison of this specimen with a series of specimens in the author's

collection from Burleigh, Queensland, confirmed its identity. Also

present on this ridgetop were Acrodipsas brisbanensis brisbanensis

(Miskin) and A. cuprea (Sands), whilst these two species and A.

myrmecophila (Waterhouse and Lyell) were collected on higher,

adjacent hilltops.

This area supported many very large ironbark (Eucalyptus sp.) trees

both immediately below and on the ridgetop, in association with

several other Eucalyptus and Acacia species.

The collection of a fresh female specimen of A. illidgei at

Toowoomba, some 130 km inland and at an altitude of some 460 m, is

indeed interesting, and implies a much wider distribution of the species

than previously supposed.

Acknowledgments

Thanks are extended to Dr I.F.B. Common of Toowoomba for his

comments on this manuscript and to Clifford Frith for the

photographs.

84 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Figs 1 and 2. Acrodipsas illidgei from Toowoomba, Qld: (1) ventral

view; (2) dorsal view.

References

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv

+ 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney. ;

MANSKIE, R.C. and MANSKIE, N. 1989. New distribution records for four

Queensland Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera). Australian Entomological Magazine 16: 98.

SAMSON, P.R. 1989. Morphology and biology of Acrodipsas illidgei (Waterhouse and

Lyell), a myrmecophagous lycaenid (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae). Journal of

the Australian Entomological Society 28: 161-168.

SMALES, M. and LEDWARD, C.P. 1942. Notes on the life-histories of some lycaenid

butterflies part 1. Queensland Naturalist 12: 14-18.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 85

NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF TAENARIS ARTEMIS

(SNELLEN VAN VOLLENHOVEN) (LEPIDOPTERA:

NYMPHALIDAE) IN AUSTRALIA AND THE REDISCOVERY OF

T. A. QUEENSLANDICA ROTHSCHILD

S.J. JOHNSON! and I.R. JOHNSON?

! P.O, Box 1085, Townsville, Qld, 4810

2 26 Brodie Street, Holland Park, Qld, 4121

Abstract

Descriptions are given of the mature larva and pupa of Taenaris artemis jamesi Butler

from Torres Strait and a further specimen of 7. a. queenslandica Rothschild is recorded

from Cape York. The host plant is identified.

Introduction

Taenaris artemis is known with certainty to occur within Australian

limits, as the subspecies 7. a. jamesi Butler, on Darnley and Murray

Islands in Torres Strait (Common and Waterhouse, 1981; Wood,

1987). A single male labelled North Queensland was described by

Rothschild (1916) as T. a. queenslandica; however, no further

specimens have been taken on mainland Australia and the record has

been regarded as doubtful. The life history of T. artemis in Australia

was previously unknown.

In April 1989 a single larva was taken on Murray Island and reared in

Townsville and in June 1990 a specimen was taken flying in rainforest

near Lockerbie, near the tip of Cape York Peninsula.

Notes

Taenaris artemis jamesi

Food plant. Pandanus sp. (Pandanaceae).

Final instar larva (Fig. 1). Head orange, sparsely covered in long pale

hairs and dorsally bearing a pair of stout black horns each tipped with

a rosette of 5 pale spines surrounding a single central spine.

Mandibles and genal patch overlying ocelli, black. Body pale orange,

each segment with a raised central band densely covered in fine white

secondary hairs and dorsolateral tufts of strong dark brown bristles.

Dorsal line black on raised bands interrupted by paler areas at

intersegmental regions. Dorsolateral lines white with irregular dark

edging on posterior segments. Lateral stripes broad and pale yellow.

Ventrolateral line orange edged black on thoracic segments. Anal

plate rounded, orange and bearing numerous hairs. Length 55 mm

and width 7.5 mm.

Pupa (Fig. 2). Smooth, pale green, with a pair of short anterior

projections; abdominal spiracles pale whitish-yellow and basal

cremaster black. Length 27 mm and width 12 mm. Pupal duration

12 days.

T. a. queenslandica

A single female was taken flying in rainforest 5 km north-east of

86 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Figs 1 and 2. Taenaris artemis jamesi: (1) Mature larvae; (2) Pupa.

Lockerbie on 8 June 1990. The size of the ocelli and the extent of the

grey areas on the wings are both within the variation in these

characters present on specimens of 7. a. jamesi taken by the authors

on Murray Island. Although this supports the contention of Howarth

(see Common and Waterhouse 1981) that 7. a. queenslandica is a

synonym of 7. a. jamesi, any firm conclusion should await the

collection of additional specimens from mainland Australia. Although

a search of the area failed to locate further specimens it did reveal

extensive Pandanus spp. swamps within the rainforest. This suggests

that 7. artemis is established in the area and that the previous record

was valid. Collecting during the wetter months may be more likely to

provide further specimens.

References

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv

+ 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

ROTHSCHILD, W. 1916. Notes on Amathusiidae, Brassolidae, Morphidae, etc., with

descriptions of new forms. Novitates Zoologicae 23: 299-318.

WOOD, G.A. 1987. The butterflies of Murray Island, Torres Strait, Queensland.

Australian Entomological Magazine 14: 39-42.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 87

THE LIFE HISTORY OF SIGNETA TYMBOPHORA (MEYRICK

AND LOWER) (LEPIDOPTERA: HESPERIIDAE:

TRAPEZITINAE)

A. ATKINS,! R. MAYO, and M. MOORE?

1 45 Caldwell Ave, Dudley, N.S.W., 2290

2 12 Dena Ave, Narara, N.S.W., 2250

3 P.O. Box 647, Waikerie, S.A., 5330

Abstract

The early stages of the dingy shield skipper, Signeta tymbophora are described and

illustrated. Brief field observations are also provided.

Introduction

The Australian skipper genus Signeta Waterhouse and Lyell contains

just two described species, flammeata (Butler) and tymbophora

(Meyrick and Lower), found along the south-eastern Great Dividing

Range. The genus is allied to Toxidia Mabille, both being notable for

well-defined sexual dimorphism in the adults. Signeta is characterized

by a prominent, broadly ovoid sex-brand on the upperside of the male

forewing (Fig. 9), while that of Toxidia is variable in width, but

decidedly linear and obliquely placed.

Signeta flammeata is relatively common and found in cool to

temperate sclerophyll woodlands and subalpine tussock grasslands of

southern Australia. Signeta tymbophora is a smaller and darker

species, locally confined to temperate and subtropical rainforests. It

ranges from Mt Dromedary in southern New South Wales to the

Bunya Mts in southern Queensland. There are less than a dozen

recorded localities for S. tymbophora. Contributing factors to this

apparent rarity are its small size, cryptic colouration and a habitat

preference for sunlit glades, deep within forest gullies.

Common and Waterhouse described the egg and final instar of S.

tymbophora but other details of the larva and pupa have remained

unknown. The following description is recorded from seven eggs

obtained from a female collected at Narara, New South Wales.

Subsequently, four adults (three males and a female) were reared

from larvae fed with common grasses, confined indoors, under

ambient temperature and humidity. Field observations of the larva

and pupa of S. tymbophora are also provided.

Food plant. Probably Entolasia marginata (R.Br.) Hughes (Poaceae)

and possibly Carex hubbardii Nelmes (Cyperaceae).

Egg (Fig. 1). Diameter 0.85 mm, dome-shaped, slightly tapered

dorsally with 12 or 13 vertical ribs, displaced near the micropyle, pale

greenish-white when first laid, changing in 2 days to pearl-coloured

with deep-pink dorsal and lateral markings.

88 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Larva (Figs 2-5). Ist instar (Fig. 2): length 1.8 mm; head shiny black,

with pale setae on frons and dorsal area; prothoracic plate reddish

brown; body pale orange-yellow with light brown dorsal and

dorsolateral lines on posterior segments. 2nd to 5th instars (5th instar,

Figs 3, 4): head brown with dark brown lateral, dorsolateral and

dorsal areas, and covered with numerous small concavities and

associated setae; body greyish-brown to reddish brown, green between

segments and ventrally, and with brownish longitudinal banding in

dorsal and dorsolateral areas and covered with short clubbed setae

ringed with radiating dark pattern on anal segment (Fig. 5).

Pupa (Figs 6-8). Length 15 mm; short, stout, tapered posteriorly,

light brown with scattered dark brown markings covering abdominal

segments and wing-cases, and with paired dark brown markings on

anterior of thorax and on frons (pupal cap); setae (Fig. 7) simple,

unbranched, coiled on cremaster.

Notes

Eggs were obtained by confining a female in a net-covered pot plant

containing various cultivated soft grasses. Oviposition was mainly on

grass stems and leaf litter at the base of the grass. The eggs hatched

after 13 days, and the egg shell was eaten by the newly emerged larva.

The first instar larval shelter was made from a single leaf of a grass

blade rolled into a tube and secured with silk. The mature larva made

shelters from two or three grass blades joined together. Final larval

shelters were made in Eucalyptus leaf litter and other debris. Larval

development was slow, lasting 40-42 weeks at Newcastle, but no

obvious diapause was observed. Pupal duration was approximately 12

days, adults emerging from mid-December to mid-January. This was

at least six weeks earlier than the flight period at Narara, probably

due to indoor rearing. Variable emergence of adults from the same

egg-batch is unusual in the Trapezitinae.

Signeta tymbophora is probably only single-brooded in the southern

part of its range (pers. observ.). There are not enough data on the

flight times of northern populations. Adults have mainly been

recorded in December and January, although Brown (1983) has

recorded this species in the Manning River district in October.

In structure and biology both species of Signeta are very similar. The

posterior of the pupa of S. tymbophora is very tapered, and the

pupal head (and adult head) is comparatively large, reminiscent of.

Anisynta Lower. The morphology of the larva and pupa indicates

that Signeta is nevertheless closely allied to Toxidia.

Field observations

A mature larva matching the above description and a pupa of S.

tymbophora were collected (by M.M.) from Carex hubbardii growing

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

Motel

mt f

ni it

Figs 1-10. Life history of Signeta tymbophora from Narara, N.S.W.: (1)

dorsal and lateral view of egg; (2) Ist instar larva; (3) mature larva; (4) final

instar larval head; (5) posterior, body and head setae of mature larva; (6)

front view of pupa; (7) pupal setae and cremaster hook; (8) pupa; (9) adult

male, upperside and underside; (10) adult female, upperside and underside.

Scale lines: Figs 1, 2, 4, 5, 7=1 mm; Figs 3, 6, 8=5 mm; Figs 9, 10= 10 mm.

90 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

in rainforest on the Dorrigo Plateau. The larva was found on the

leaves of this sedge in the late afternoon. The pupa was upright in a

loose shelter, deep within the tussock. The larva failed to complete

its development but an adult male emerged from the pupa on 5

January 1990. At Narara females were observed (by A.A.) fluttering

low around ’bordered panic’ (Entolasia marginata) and depositing eggs

on leaf litter and debris at the base of the grass.

Acknowledgements

Mr P. Evans and Mr N. Dwyer kindly identified Carex hubbardii and

Ms B. Wiecek, Sydney Herbarium, identified Entolasia marginata.

References

BROWN, J. 1983. A study of Lepidoptera of the Manning River district, NSW.

Victorian Entomologist 13: 59-61.

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Pp. xiv

+ 682. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 199] 9]

RANGE EXTENSION FOR THE BUTTERFLY JTAGIADES

JAPETUS JANETTA BUTLER (LEPIDOPTERA: HESPERIIDAE)

IN QUEENSLAND

K.L. DUNN! and R.G. EASTWOOD?

! Plant Research Institute, Burnley, Vic., 3121

2 P.O.Box 325, Maroochydore, Qld, 4558

Abstract

The known distribution of Tagiades japetus janetta is extended to Mary River Heads,

Queensland and the possibility of further range extension is considered.

Introduction

The black and white flat Tagiades japetus janetta, is common from

Torres Strait to Paluma, northern Queensland (Common and

Waterhouse, 1981). J.F.R. Kerr suggested that this species may have

extended its range in recent years (Common and Waterhouse, 1972).

Collecting since 1972 appears to support Kerr's suggestion and a

chronological list of published records suggests that the species range

has been extending in Australia since the earliest record in 1889.

History of records

The following repository abbreviations are used: (ANIC), Australian

National Insect Collection, Canberra; (JCUC), James Cook University

Collection, Townsville; (MV), Museum of Victoria, Melbourne; (QM),

Queensland Museum, Brisbane; (UQIC), University of Queensland

Insect Collection, Brisbane.

Major published distribution in chronological order:

1889 - Cape York, northern Queensland (Miskin, 1889).

1914 - Cape York to Claudie River (Waterhouse and Lyell, 1914).

1964 - Cape York to Tully (Common, 1964).

1972 - Cape York to Paluma (Common and Waterhouse, 1972).

1981 - Cape York to Shute Harbour (Common and Waterhouse,

1981).

1988 - Cape York to Yeppoon (Valentine, 1988).

Significant specimen records since 1950 (see also Fig. 1):

Jan 1955 - Cairns Intake (JCUC).

Apr 1961 - Waterview Creek near Paluma (ANIC).

Aug 1976 - Airlie Beach near Shute Harbour (ANIC).

Dec 1979 - Byfield (UQIC).

Apr 1980 - Jim Crow Mountain (Valentine and Johnson, 1982).

Apr 1982 - Miriam Vale collected by E. Johansen (in QM, G.B.

Monteith pers. comm.).

Apr 1989 - Two adults observed by R. Eastwood and a specimen since

taken by P.J. Fox on 7 Nov 1989 at Mary River Heads near

Maryborough.

92 Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991

A Cape York - 1889

5 |, Claudie River - 1914

{ EU

T |

We 645 J ‘

ay f Cairns - 1955

]

et Waterview Ck Paluma - 1961

* ^ Airlie Beach - 1976

| 0 Byfield - 1979

Ce Ns LOND * Jin Crow Mtn ~ 1980

45, Miriam Uale - 1982

' River Heads -~ 1989

Fig. 1. Range extension of Tagiades japetus janeta based on earliest

available records.

-Discussion

T. japetus was not encountered in the Cairns district by F.P. Dodd

who resided at Kuranda between 1904 and 1937, nor by A.N. Burns

when he lived at Meringa between 1925 and 1930, nor by M.J. Manski

who also lived in the district between 1926 and 1940. The earliest

record from the Cairns region appears to be that from the Cairns

Intake (Crystal Cascades) collected in January 1955 by E.J. Harris.

Further specimens were collected during 1956 by both Harris and

C.W. Frazier at a number of adjacent localities.

Wood (1985) described the life history and recorded the larval food

plant as Dioscorea transversa (R. Brown) (Dioscoreaceae). This plant

occurs along the coast in the Northern Territory and the Kimberley

region of northern Western Australia and continuously from Cape

York to Paluma district, Queensland. Between Paluma and

Rockhampton the distribution is sporadic, but south of Rockhampton

Aust. ent. Mag. 18 (2) Jun 1991 93

it occurs continuously to Stanwell Park, New South Wales (Telford,

1986).

Since T. japetus has bridged the dry belt regions in central

Queensland, there now exists the possibility of range extension along

the central coast of New South Wales. A possible host plant shift to

the widespread D. transversa from one of the more restricted

Dioscorea species at Cape York or Torres Strait islands could easily

explain the apparent invasion of this species in coastal Queensland this

century. Other Dioscorea species must be utilised in Torres Strait as

according to Telford (1986), D. transversa is not known from these

islands and 7. japetus has been known from Torres Strait (specimens

in MV) since H. Elgner's intensive collecting at the turn of the

century.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to G. Daniels, P.J. Fox, C. Muller and G.B. Monteith

for their contributions; E.D. Edwards and M. Malipatil for helpful

comments; and the curators of ANIC, JCUC and MV for allowing

examination of material in collections under their care.

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AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL MAGAZINE

Vol. 18, Part 2, 28 June 1991

CONTENTS

ATKINS, A., MAYO, R. and MOORE, M. The life history of

Signeta tymbophora (Meyrick and Lower) (Lepidoptera:

Hesperiidae: Trapezitinae) 87

CONWAY, J.R. The biology and aboriginal use of the

honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus Lubbock, in Northern

Territory, Australia 49

DUNN, K.L. and EASTWOOD, R.G. Range extension for the

butterfly Tagiades japetus janetta Butler (Lepidoptera:

Hesperiidae) in Queensland 9]

FORSTER, P.I. Host records (family Asclepiadaceae) for

Euploea core corinna (W.S. MacLeay) (Lepidoptera:

Nymphalidae) 61

HOCKEY, M.J. and DE BAAR, M. Some records of moths

(Lepidoptera) from mangroves in southern Queensland 57

JOHNSON, S.J. and JOHNSON, LR. Notes on the life history

of Taenaris artemis (Snellen van Vollenhoven) (Lepidoptera:

Nymphalidae) in Australia and the rediscovery of T. a.

queenslandica Rothschild 85

KAY, I.R. and J.D. BROWN, J.D. Insects associated with

kenaf in northern Queensland 75

KETTLE, D.S., MOTTRAM, P. and KAY, B.H. The effect of

environmental factors on the distribution of immature Culex

annulirostris Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae) 65

LANE, D.A. A new distribution record for Acrodipsas illidgei

(Waterhouse and Lyell) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) 83

SAMSON, P.R. The life history of Everes lacturnus australis

Couchman (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) 71

STEVENS, M. Book review of Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): a

bibliography, generic check-list and index to the world

literature 1956 - 1985 70

RECENT LITERATURE — An accumulative bibliography of

Australian entomology. Compiled by G. Daniels 94

ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTICES inside back cover

ISSN 0311 1881

AUSTRALIAN

ENTOMOLOGICAL -

MAGAZINE

Volume 18, Part 3, 20 September 1991

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