male and female top

2

2

METAMORPHOSIS

AUSTRALIA

Magazine of the Butterfly & (ther Invertebrates C lub

J

J

ISSUE NO: 69 DATE: JUNE 2013 ISSN: 1839-9819

Price $6.00 http://www.boic.org.au

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 2013

President:

Vice President:

Treasurer:

Secretary:

Magazine:

Publicity and Library:

Excursion Convenor:

Ross Kendall 07 3378 1187

John Moss 07 3245 2997

Rob MacSloy 07 3824 4348

Richard Zietek 07 3390 1950

Daphne Bowden (daphne.bowden1 @bigpond.com) 07 3396 6334

Lois Hughes 07 3206 6229

Alisha Steward 07 3275 1186

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION MEETINGS

A quarterly meeting is scheduled in order to plan club activities and the magazine.

See BOIC Programme.

CONTACT ADDRESS AND MEMBERSHIP DETAILS

PO Box 2113, Runcorn, Queensland 4113

Membership fees are $30 for individuals, schools and organizations.

AIMS OF ORGANIZATION

e To establish a network of people growing butterfly host plants;

To hold information meetings about invertebrates;

To organize excursions around the theme of invertebrates e.g. butterflies,

native bees, ants, dragonflies, beetles, freshwater habitats, and others;

To promote the conservation of the invertebrate habitat;

To promote the keeping of invertebrates as alternative pets;

To promote research into invertebrates;

To encourage the construction of invertebrate friendly habitats in urban areas.

MAGAZINE DEADLINES

If you want to submit an item for publication the following deadlines apply:

March issue — February Ist

June issue — May Ist

September issue — August Ist December issue — November Ist

Grey Albatross (Appias melania) and Yellow Albatross (Appias paulina ega) —

painting by Lois Hughes. Prints available on request.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Once again we have been the recipients of wonderful articles from both BOIC

members and non-members and I thank each of these contributors for sharing their

skills, knowledge and observations with us. I know I have said this before but the

many hundreds of hours spent on this “work” cannot be given a monetary value.

Thank you Densey (with apologies to our slightly younger other authors) for your

spider tale with its wonderful last paragraph which reminds this mere septuagenarian

and other younger folk that there are many years or opportunities that we have yet to

enjoy.

A vital part of our community involvement is the dissemination of information on

ways to re-establish biodiversity and therefore reinforce insect populations through

habitat restoration and to provide practical ways to achieve these goals. The club’s

butterfly host plant book plays an important role in this together with the propagation

and distribution of suitable butterfly host plants. I realise that many of our members

do not live in the Brisbane area but, from those members who are “local”, we always

welcome the donation of host plants for sale at our display days. These plants can be

left with me or another committee member at any time.

Best wishes Ross

Creature Feature - Notes on the Grey Albatross (Appids Melani) .occceccccccccccceseccceseeceneececeeeeeaees 4

Plant Profile - Drypetes sp. Clohesy River - Host plant for Grey Albatross ............cececeeeeeeees 8

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Life history notes on the Rock Ringlet, Hypocysta euphemia Westwood, 1851

Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae ............ccccccceccccesscccesecccneeccceeeccceuecccaencccueeeceeeecceueneeeaeeeeeees 14

Field Notes: Gulf Country extensions to the known distribution of the Long-tailed Pea-

blue, Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus 1767) in Queensland (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)17

The Crambid types of Moreton Bay; their Author and Collector (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)..... 24

Butterfly Observations 1n Bundanoon NSW .........cccccceccccasscccesecceeeccccescccaenceceescceeeeceeaenceeaeeeeeaees 27

Book review - Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity, with a photographic guide to

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BOIC fundraising trivia Night............. cc ceccccssecccesececesecceeeceeeeeceeeeecesaeceseecesaeceseecesaees 38

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 3

CREATURE FEATURE

Notes on the Grey Albatross (Appias melania) - Garry Sankowsky

Sometime in the 1970s I made a trip to Mt Spec (on the Paluma Range, north-west of

Townsville) with a birding friend of mine and observed the Grey Albatross butterfly

depositing eggs on what appeared to be a Drypetes plant. We were moving around

quite a bit on that trip and I did not attempt to collect any eggs to breed them

through.

In December of 1982 my wife (Nada) and I moved from Mt Tamborine to the Atherton

Tablelands and purchased a block at Tolga. Logging operations were still in full

swing in the rainforest and we visited a logging area on the Clohesy River, between

Mareeba and Kuranda. Even though this 1s not a particularly high altitude site Grey

Albatross butterflies were very common. Groups of males were observed gathering on

the damp road near river crossings. We had seen huge numbers of butterflies doing

this on previous occasions in the Good Night Scrub near Wallaville, south-west of

Bundaberg, and had noticed that it was only males that do this.

My camera equipment was quite limited

then but I managed to get a few pictures.

At the Clohesy River there were several

species on the damp road but mostly Grey

Albatrosses. There were several

kilometres of new logging roads to

wander along and in one area I saw a

female laying on a Drypetes plant that

was different from the one at Mt Spec. I

have always called this one Drypeftes sp.

Clohesy River and still consider it to be

a separate species from any of the SEEN ae

named ones. It occurs in low to mid Males of the Grey Albatross butterfly and other

altitude, well developed rainforest, from species “mud puddling”.

the Wet Tropics to Cape York.

Until we moved to north Queensland my main interest 1n collecting plants was to

erow butterfly host plants but as we now had a two hectare property I expanded it to

rainforest plants in general. Collecting propagating material from state forests was then

very simple with a Minor Products licence and I started collecting a wide range of

plants, including host plants, and planting up our block which 1s now a fully

functional artificial rainforest.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 4

Usually each summer there are migrations

of Grey Albatross butterflies crossing over

the Atherton Tableland, moving to and

from the various mountain rainforests

around us. For many years the butterflies

just passed through but as our rainforest

plantings became more mature many

butterflies became permanent residents,

spending the winter/dry season 1n our

garden. I have observed that all Pieridae

butterflies survive the winter/dry season

as adults, resting most of the time but

making short flights from time to time and

taking nectar. It is only in very recent years that the Grey Albatross has done this.

Grey Albatross (Appias melania) male

The new growth of Drypetes develops very fast and the Albatross larvae do likewise.

The whole larval stage only takes from seven to ten days.

Eggs of Grey Albatross

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As the larvae grow they gradually develop

more defined markings.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 5

Even though no eggs were laid on Drypetes deplanchei, the final instar larvae

transferred to this plant when all the foliage of Drypetes sp. Clohesy River had been

demolished.

I have only observed the Common The pupae showed a wide range of colour

Albatross pupating on the top side of variation, unlike my observations with the

leaves but the Grey Albatross larvae Common Albatross.

used both sides of the foliage.

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After only about seven days the

butterflies started to emerge from

the pupae. This 1s similar to the

Common Albatross situation.

<4 Grey Albatross —

adult female

Grey Albatross- P»

recently emerged male

drying wings

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 6

How does one tell the difference between the two Albatross butterflies in the early

stages?

From my observations one can’t! I don’t have a good series of images for the

Common Albatross, just some old slide pictures so this is something to work on.

Common Albatross

Prepupal larva and pupa

Grey Albatross

Prepupal larva and pupae

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Allowing for the variation in the Grey

Albatross pupal colours, I don’t think it

is possible to distinguish between the

two species.

Photos Garry Sankowsky

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 7

PLANT PROFILE

Drypetes sp. Clohesy River - Host plant for Grey Albatross -

Garry Sankowsky

Drypetes sp. Clohesy River is not recognised by botanists but when I first visited the

Clohesy River logging area in 1983 I saw a Grey Albatross female laying on it and

observed that this plant looked very different from the usual Drypetes deplanchei which

occurs in ‘dry rainforest’ (vine thickets or hoop pine scrubs).

This 1s the plant most used by the Grey Albatross

butterflies in our garden. The main reason is that the

normal high altitude host plant Drypetes acuminata 1s

difficult to grow and in our garden they do not flush

with new growth as often or as well as the Clohesy

River species.

It is a small to medium tree with some serrations on

the juvenile leaves but these almost disappear on

mature growth. It is found in rainforests of the Wet

Tropics at low and mid altitudes as well as on Cape

York Peninsula in very well developed rainforest.

Cluster of buds and flowers of

Drypetes sp. Clohesy River

T ~ :

‘ =

Drypetes deplanchei in fruit Drypetes deplanchei juvenile foliage

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 8

Drypetes acuminata — the most common host plant of the Grey Albatross,

restricted to high altitude rainforest

Photos Garry Sankowsky

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Tale of a Tailed Spider — Densey Clyne

It was just a string of debris caught on a bit of spider web on an azalea bush in my

garden. Or was it? There was something about it that warranted a closer look.

We've all had the experience in nature where something of no significance suddenly

takes on a meaningful shape as a living thing. A twig among twigs becomes a stick-

insect; a waterlily bud becomes the head of a tortoise taking a breath; a pattern of light

and shade above us becomes a brightly plumaged bird. You wonder how you could

have failed to see the obvious.

My double-take was prompted by a hint of symmetry in what my eyes had simply

passed over. Now a close look showed that the ‘debris’, caught on a strand of spider

silk, was too regularly spaced to be accidental. It formed a series of eight elongated

bulges or bumps, light brown in colour, strung along an upper radial thread or spoke

of a small, finely woven orb web. I recognised the bulges then as a spider’s eggsacs,

disguised with fragments of dead leaf. So where and what was the spider?

The upper segments of the web immediately to the right and left of the eggsacs were

free of the spiralling thread except at the hub where it was complete for a few rounds.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 9

The string of eggsacs ended at the hub and to my surprise and pleasure the last one

turned out to be the spider herself. Creamy-brown with some darker striations along

the sides her mimicry was nearly perfect from the front. From behind, though, I saw

that her body ended in a ‘tail’ that extended halfway up the nearest eggsac. She

resembled a tiny leaf, just 21 mm long, the dark-tipped tail forming the leat’s petiole.

It was that tail with its knobbed end that gave her away as Arachnura higginsii, the

scorpion-tailed spider — a first sighting in my spidery suburban garden!

Of course there were others in the

garden; I had simply overlooked them.

Now I[ had got my eye in I realised they

were quite common. The next web I

found, this time without eggsacs, was

built across a gap in a double trunked

eum-tree that had rough red bark.

Surprisingly, this female was an

attractive salmon-red with some yellow

spots and patches on the back and red

legs and tail tip. The colouring was Arachnura higginsii — young adult female

striking. Was this a juvenile?

Every morning this female rebuilt her web, 1n which fragments of red bark from the

gum-tree were often caught. One morning I found that her new web, while mainly

free of these fragments, had some of them irregularly placed on the upper radial line.

From that time on she left this important line intact, though replacing the rest of the

web daily. One night I found her close to the hub making her first eggsac. I watched

the procedure with fascination and timed it.

First the spider wove a strip of woolly silk about 10mm long, moving up and down,

thrusting her spinnerets against the radial line as she went. At each new position her

abdomen swung outward at about 45 degrees, drawing out the thread then fixing it in

place as a loop. Her ’tail’ always remained at a slight angle to the rest of her, bent

upward from just behind the spinnerets. She attached silk at the rate of 30 to 35

times a minute to begin with but later slowed down to about 20 times, moving

irregularly, up, down and around. She rested a while against the completed mat of

woolly silk, then began to lay her eggs against it.

Egglaying involved the same kind of thrusting motion as before but now she worked

more slowly. It took just under three minutes for the eggs to come out, 1n one piece,

as acreamy globule. The spider immediately started covering the exposed eggs with

silk, at the same time adding strengthening silk to the radial line just above the

eggsac. The completed eggsac measured the same length as her body minus the tail.

The whole procedure took forty minutes, from 9.20 pm until 10 pm, and when I went

outside again at 10.30 pm I found her resting on a different part of the web. Five

days later the same spider had made her second eggsac, above the first one. Still

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 10

handsome, she was losing a little of her red colouring, and she also appeared to be

erowing. I wondered whether a mature female spider could continue to moult or if

the colour was simply fading.

By

Fig..3

Fig. 1. Female with eggsacs PA

Fig. 2. Newly moulted with exuviae 4 4j0. 4

Fig. 3. Young adult female with debris in web ?

Fig. 4. Female with string of eggsacs

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 11

One windy night I watched this female moving rapidly about while she demolished

part of her tattered web. During this operation she approached a speck of red bark

and pressed her spinnerets against it so that it adhered to them. Carefully cutting the

thread of silk the fragment had stuck to she carried it to the second eggsac and

attached it. This was already partly camouflaged with similar fragments. During a

week of continued rain and wind the spider failed to replace her old web, leaving

intact only its supporting threads and the radial line with the two eggsacs. Twelve

days later, on a renewed web, the spider made her third eggsac. Those three and the

line they were attached to were by now camouflaged with slivers and fragments of red

bark from the gum-tree, no doubt dislodged by climbing possums. Was it a

coincidence that these so clearly matched the colour of the spider’?

After a period away from home I find the spider now has four eggsacs. She has lost

most of her red coloration and she measures 17mm. The individual eggsacs are now

quite hidden within their untidy camouflage, which contrasts with the neat nursery of

my first-found female.

This week I have located four more spiders of different ages and different colours.

The first, 11mm long, a beautiful dark, velvety red with a row of tiny, light-coloured

spots on her back, rested on the horizontal thread of a rough triangle in which there

was no actual web. The second, 9mm long, creamy yellow in colour, has an 80mm

diameter perfect web, that is, with no clear segment on either side of the uppermost

radial line. The third, 10mm long, is again salmon-red. It also has an 80mm web but

this has the characteristic clear segments and also a few specks of debris along the

upper radial spoke. The prize for me was my fourth find, a female I came across just

after her final moult, hanging from her discarded juvenile skin. She was a beautiful

lemon yellow colour with a red tail tip.

I conclude that the colour differences I’ve seen relate to the growth stages of these

intriguing little spiders, and I shall watch their progress with interest. And by the

way, in spite of its misleading name, the spider has no sting and is harmless to

humans. I prefer to call it simply the Tailed Spider.

All of the above, dear reader, was written 45 years ago! This only goes to show that

the careful notes you take while patrolling your garden can turn up much later to

surprise and intrigue and remind you of the happy discoveries of yesteryear!

Photos Densey Clyne

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Getting more pixels part 2: bigger, more distant subjects —

Malcolm Tattersall

Continued from Metamorphosis Australia issue number 68

How about the subjects which would be easy to shoot if only we could get close

enough, such as hyper-alert dragonflies, skittish butterflies and wary birds’?

BEDS PE DS PF Oe be PE DT pe Pe be Pe be pe Pe bd Pe bg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 12

If we have a zoom lens, we automatically zoom out to its longest setting, of course. If

we have a point-and-click camera that’s all we can do (unless we can improve our

stalking techniques) but if we can change lenses we can reach for a telephoto lens.

Any lens of 85mm or longer 1s regarded as ‘telephoto’ and there are plenty to choose

from. Common telephoto zoom lenses have ranges from 70-200, 55-250 and 75-300

up to 100-400mm. Prime (1.e. fixed focal length) telephotos up to 400mm are also

worth considering.

Longer lenses let you get closer but at a cost in price, size, weight and susceptibility to

camera shake, so 400mm is a reasonable upper limit for most of us. A prime lens 1s

generally cheaper than a zoom lens of the same length but in either category you pay

more for wider aperture (which allows faster shutter speeds) and for quality. Prices

range from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand; 1f you are already willing

to pay more, you can go up to tens of thousands but probably don’t need this article.

Their magnification of distant subjects 1s proportional to their focal length. At three

metres, the field of view of a 400mm lens 1s about the size of a postcard (15cm) and a

50mm butterfly will become a 1600px image. At the same distance, the field of view

of a 200mm lens is twice as wide (30cm) while the field of view of a 100mm lens 1s

twice as wide again and our 50mm butterfly will be only 400px wide. (These figures

are correct for most entry-level and mid-range SLRs. The field of view of top-end

cameras will be wider but the pixel count of the bug’s image will be roughly the

same, for reasons which would take too long to explain here.)

Why can’t we use a telephoto lens as a macro? Simply because we can’t get close

enough: telephotos typically have a minimum focusing distance between 1.5 — 3.5m

and a maximum magnification around 0.25. Working the other way is fine, however,

and a 100mm macro lens is an excellent short-telephoto lens.

Everyone has different priorities and needs, but to summarise:

e Ifyou have a compact digital (point-and-click) camera and it won’t take the

pictures you want, you will probably have to upgrade to a similar camera

with a wide optical zoom range, or to a bridge or SLR model.

e Ifyou have an SLR with only the basic lens, a macro lens will let you take

smaller subjects such as mosquitoes and jumping spiders. A longer macro

(around 100mm is fine) 1s better than a short one, and may well become your

favourite lens for all insect photography.

e Close-up filters or extension tubes are a cheaper but not so powerful

substitute for a macro lens.

e Ifyou have an SLR and want to photograph dragonflies and birds, a

telephoto lens is your solution and a 70-300mm (or thereabouts) zoom is a

creat starting point.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 13

“ar < |

One of the first shots I took with my 75-300mm telephoto, uncropped here

(amage 1s 3888 x 2592px) to show its benefits. The subject was a Common

Egetly, Hypolimnas bolina, two or three metres away in the middle of a patch

of tall weeds; the 300mm end of the lens brought it nice and close and a

shallow depth of field got rid of nearly all the clutter for a very pleasing result.

Photo Malcolm Tattersall

KKEKEKEKEKEKE

Life history notes on the Rock Ringlet, Hypocysta euphemia

Westwood, 1851 Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae - Wesley Jenkinson

THs re SE) The Rock Ringlet is encountered from south-eastern

“a aR, +>. sa. Queensland southward to northern Victoria. Some of the

Ps most northern localities recorded in south-eastern

Queensland include Flinders Peak (M. & D. Sands,

2003), Springbrook, and Mount Maroon in the Mount

Barney National Park, where it is known from limited

specimens. It then becomes locally common along the

: aS ' Granite Belt south of Stanthorpe into New South Wales.

L jt r This species has a rather specialised habitat and appears

wu Sin to be restricted to higher altitudes throughout rocky

regions along the Great Dividing Range where it is locally common.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 14

~£

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The adults of this species are slow fliers and they are typically found flying close to

the ground near soft grasses in rocky areas and along steep cliff faces within open

forest and woodland. Unlike the other species in the genus they prefer to settle on

large rocks or rocky slabs in sunny areas. During hot conditions when settled the

wings are angled to deflect the sun’s rays as per the image on the previous page. The

adults sometimes roost overnight in small aggregations in small sheltered caves

created by overhanging rocks. Both sexes feed from a variety of small native and

introduced flowers. While feeding at flowers the wings are momentarily opened and

closed several times before moving to the next flower. Once disturbed they can fly

quite rapidly and can be difficult to follow.

Whilst in flight, the adults can be confused with older worn specimens of the Orange

Ringlet (A. adiante) and the Orange-streaked Ringlet (4. irius). In comparison to H.

adiante, the adults are generally larger in physical size and H. euphemia also has two

eye spots known as ocellus (plural of ocell1) on the upper side of the forewings. These

are absent from all other species in the genus.

The sexes are quite similar in appearance. In comparison to the males, the females are

brighter orange, the forewing is slightly broader with the termen more rounded

(Braby, 2000).

The actual wingspan for the pictured males is 34mm and 36mm for the females

Hypocysta euphemia (Rock Ringlet)

Images left to right: male, female, male underside, female underside

On a recent trip during April 2012 to the Bolivia Hill/Deepwater region south of

Tenterfield, a female was collected and kept in captivity. She laid two eggs and was

then released. These eggs were kept for life history studies. Subsequently the larvae

were successfully raised on the native grass Green Couch (Cynodon dactylon) with

both of the adults emerging as large sized females. Like H. irius it appears that the

native host grasses for this species so far are not recorded.

The eggs were smooth and cream coloured, slightly off spherical,

approximately 0.8mm high x 0.8mm wide.

Freshly laid egg of H. irius

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 1I5

2" instar larva

3° instar 4"" instar

The first instars emerged early in the morning and their eggshells were consumed

shortly afterwards. The two larvae were observed feeding solitarily during daylight

hours and resting on either side of the leaves of the utilised host plant. Typically, like

other species in the genus, they were very slow moving and fed from the outer edge of

the leaf. Both of the larvae raised completed four instars (similar to H. metirius, H.

irius, H. pseudirius and H. adiante). The final instars attained a length of 26mm and

both emerged as females.

The pupae were attached by silk to grass stems, hanging by the cremaster with the

head suspended down. They were light grey 1n colour with a length of 13mm.

The total time from egg to adult was about

two months, with egg duration of 7 days,

larval duration 37 days and pupal duration

of 21 days.

Within the boundary of the new Scenic

Rim Regional Shire, south of Brisbane, I

have adult records for the months of

October and March from Mount Maroon

within Mount Barney National Park. These

records probably indicate there are two

generations annually in this region.

= ge

Pupa lateral, dorsal and ventral view

Reference:

Braby, M.F., 2000. Butterflies of Australia — Their Identification, Biology and

Distribution. vol 2. CSIRO Publishing.

Sands, M. & D., 2003. New Butterfly Records, News Bulletin, Entomological Society

of Queensland Inc. Vol 31, Issue3

Photos Wesley Jenkinson

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 16

Field Notes: Gulf Country extensions to the known distribution of

the Long-tailed Pea-blue, Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus 1767) in

Queensland (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) - Kelvyn L. Dunn

E-mail: kelvyn_dunn@yahoo.com

During spring of 2011 and 2012, I investigated the distribution of a number of

butterfly species in northwestern Queensland to ascertain the northernmost limits of

those in the region where knowledge gaps were evident. Although some keen

enthusiasts have opportunistically sought various species in the far west of the state

(Le Souef 1965, 1975a,b, 1976, 1979; Franklin 2007), in general there has been

relatively little survey of the butterfly fauna of western Queensland (see Dunn &

Franklin 2010, online appendix) compared with coastal areas. This disparity might

infer then that published knowledge of the spatiality of common species in this region

would be fragmentary, and my findings of a more expansive distribution for particular

species are supportive of this. Indeed, I found that one cosmopolitan species, the

Long-tailed Pea-blue, Lampides boeticus, extends much more widely 1n the north than

was currently thought, and this paper lists my survey results for it.

That species, Lampides boeticus, may be very seasonal in its timing, and when adults

are present in the outback, they are often inconspicuous away from larval host plants,

and so may remain undetected; this would likely explain their sporadic rather than

routine presence during random surveys, migrations aside. Because the butterfly 1s

widespread across much of Australia and, seasonally, becomes a familiar sight in the

eastern coastal plains, frequent retention of voucher specimens for the cabinet 1s

unlikely, as the species does not stir collector interest. For that same reason,

documentation in the literature of many casual sightings, over the decades, will have

more than likely not occurred. The belief that L. boeticus 1s of patchy distribution in

the remote north of Australia has hinged on available knowledge (actually an absence

of it): Braby (2000) presented a synoptic range-fill map based on records in museums

and those in literature sources then available — knowledge under-girders biased by

collector partiality against and indifference towards this butterfly. The northwestern

boundary in that source roughly coincides with the Flinders Highway (between

Hughenden and Mount Isa), a major transport route that has acted as a huge

‘butterfly-transect’ for common species (if one could imagine such). This artefact of

sampling, created by regularity of collector presence along highways, increases the

chance of encounters (and reports of these) across time and so upholds the impression

of a range limit, albeit an artificial one. Selected sites (known to me) broadly near this

latitude, extending from the Dividing ranges, include Forty Mile Scrub (Hull et al.

1992), 9km west of Mt Surprise (Braby 1997), Burra Range (LeSouef, 1975, Atkins ef

al, 2003), and Richmond (T. Woodger p.c. 2000). Farther inland there seems a wide

gap in the records for this butterfly with isolated reports emerging again, beyond the

Mount Isa region, at Musselbrook Reserve (Daniels & Edwards 1998), Elizabeth

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Creek at 18°12’S, 138°30’E, Main Gorge in Lawn Hill National Park, and at a

Thorntonia R tributary, at 19°30’S, 138°56’E (Franklin 2007). These records underpin

the knowledge of the current limits of the species in that region.

Several favoured larval hosts of the butterfly occur 1n varied habitats in northern

Australia; the Rattlepod species photographed (Fig. 1), namely Crotalaria novae-

hollandiae, 1s one that blossoms conspicuously in spring. Crotalaria 1s prominent in

disturbed areas, particularly along roadsides, adjacent shrubby woodlands, open

woodlands and gallery forests. When these herbs are flowering, L. boeticus can

become abundant in their immediate vicinity, with most patches having at least one

adult perched nearby (Fig. 2). In October and November, during the butterfly’s spring

appearance I systematically sampled suitable roadside habitat (where I saw these

larval food plants flowering) for evidence of the butterfly in the Gulf Country. That

evidence obtained (Table 1) suggests that L. boeticus 1s widespread north of the

Flinders Highway, occurring north to 18°34’S, but beyond that latitude, I saw none.

The species distribution 1s likely continuous throughout the region of occupancy

(defined as where regular encounters occurred), but away from the larval food plants

(or nectar sources) the fast flying adults are easily overlooked. Populations of this

butterfly will almost certainly be found westward at this latitude, beyond the

Camooweal district and into the Northern Territory, where encounter-records are

presently very few and widely dispersed. On this likelihood, the far western section of

the Gulf Country (and even the coastal areas) could be the focus for those who wish to

expand upon this regional study.

Whenever possible capture of one or more adults was the means to confirm

identifications with certainty, but close observations in the field (achieved where one

or more landed to feed near ground level) were equally suited for this purpose.

However, the presence of very similar looking butterflies in the Gulf Country often

confounds reliable identifications of flying adults (those that fail to perch); capture of

these is required for rigour, that way the data gathered are trustworthy. More often

than not, passing females of L. boeticus would inspect the larval hosts for egg laying

purposes (Fig. 3), particularly if small black ants had colonised the herbs, and at

times, accompanied by males too, they would feed briefly at the Rattlepod flowers

(Fig. 4). When satiated, males either perched on the Rattlepod foliage, about 0.5-1m

above ground for lengthy periods, or patrolled the herbage to intercept intruding

butterflies that strayed into the airspace under surveillance. Often this resulted 1n a

flurry of activity involving three or more males, which then drew my attention to their

presence during surveys along the highway shoulder-reserves. I undertook

observation for butterflies in general throughout the day at suitable sites in the Gulf

Country, but the evidence of this species’ presence (Table |) indicates that more

encounters with adults occurred during early and mid afternoon (between 1200 and

1600 hours). This skew might be an artefact of the sampling technique; more time

was spent looking for butterflies in the afternoons (3 hours 1n the mornings (0900-

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 18

1200) and 5 hours (1200-1700) in the afternoons was the usual spread of my activity,

although sampling outside this range occurred at times as opportunities arose).

Alternatively, perhaps I visited sites where this butterfly was active at those particular

times by chance alone, driving time and other factors considered. Nonetheless, survey

in mid and late morning was more enticing when the sun was less intense and

temperatures were in the mid 30s. From about midday until late afternoon shade

temperatures in October often reached or exceeded 37°C at which times butterfly

activity was harder to detect as some species roosted in shade or congregated in

numbers at the base of shrubs. Hence, flying butterflies were often in low numbers or

remained uncommonly seen during the heat of the day in the outback. Indeed, on

occasion I recorded no adults of any species (even after 20 minutes looking) at some

sites of the many visited.

The 30 new locations where I found this butterfly in the Gulf Country (Table 1 a-b)

now add to the knowledge base, and expand upon preliminary work by Franklin

(2007) who provided three new sites to the north of Camooweal. The inclusion of

observations may raise concerns in the minds of some professional workers or

fundamentalist collectors who believe that the retention of vouchers (intended for an

institution in time) must remain the minimal standard required for any revision of

established spatial or temporal knowledge. I respect that viewpoint — I took vouchers

at intervals for rigour (56% of handled adults from the new localities were retained,

the remainder released). For purposes of transparency, those records gained by

‘observation-only’ (50% of all encounters at the new sites) are marked (‘obs.’) to

distinguish them from those substantiated by handling (50%). Almost all observations

included involved certain identifications (category |) —1n each case, I had seen

sufficient characters to achieve that level of confidence (81% of observations). A few

(19%) were to a level of almost certain (category 2) and these lower grade

observations are marked ‘C2’ (see Dunn 2011 for discussion of these and other

categories used in the Dunn & Dunn database). Some variation from coastal

populations of the species was noticeable: a small portion of adults from the Gulf

Country, based on those obtained on these two trips, possessed a distinct pinkish

suffusion to the upper side, localised near the hind wing tornus and sometimes

extending as a faint terminal band to the wing apex. This male variation has not been

noted previously (c.f. Braby 2000) but may be commonplace (rather than a localised

trait) among inland Australian populations.

All distances were measured by road from the Post Office of the nearest township and

were calculated by vehicle odometer, usually from the closest road marker (where

these were available) to reduce instrumental error; they are considered precise but

variably accurate. The sites (listed from north to south) include a geocode resolved to

one minute (although specimens retained are labelled more precisely than this), and

collectively provide evidence of a broad distribution in northern Australia, inland

from the Carpentaria coast. GPS coordinates were obtained at each site with a hand-

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 19

held trekking device, and the measured road distances to each were checked later on

Google Earth (www.google.com/earth/index.html) to ensure agreement (that 1s, to

within a kilometre) — there was minor disagreement for some though where large road

distances were involved. Similarly, the elevations obtained from a hand-held GPS unit

appear a little flexible, at times varying (sometimes by 10-20m) from those indicated

by Google Earth.

Acknowledgement:

Dr John Moss kindly identified the Crotalaria species depicted (Figs 1-4) as C.

novae-hollandiae, although one or more other species could have been involved at

other sites where adults were present; Dr Russell Best (Victoria University) concurred

with this identification.

References:

Atkins, A.F., Edwards, E.D., Braby, M.F., Johnson, S.J. & Valentine, P.S. 2003. The

butterflies of White Mountains National Park, northern Queensland, and

adjoining localities. /n Comben, L., Westacott, T. & Berg, K. (eds). White

Mountains Study Report. Geography Monograph Series No. 9. (pp.7-10).

The Royal Geographic Society of Queensland Inc. Brisbane. 1v+146pp.

Braby, M.F. 1997. New larval food plants for some butterflies (Lepidoptera) from

northern and central Queensland, Australia. Australian Entomologist 24: 97-

108.

Braby, M.F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia: their identification, biology and

distribution. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood Vic.

Daniels, G. & Edwards, E.D. 1998. Butterflies from Lawn Hill National Park and

Musselbrook Reserve, Queensland. /n Comben, |., Long, S. & Berg, K.

(eds.). Musselbrook Reserve Scientific Study Report (pp.89-91). The Royal

Geographic Society of Queensland, Brisbane.

Dunn, K.L. 2011. Overview of the butterfly database: Part 6 — The knowledge gap,

identification complexity and measures of record acceptability. Victorian

Entomologist 41(2): 30-38.

Dunn, K.L & Franklin, D.C. 2010. Exploring the adequacy of representation of

butterfly species’ distributions in a more accessible portion of northern

Australia. Northern Territory Naturalist 22: 88-94 (& online appendix:

http://sites.google.com/site/ntfieldnaturalists/journal).

Franklin, D.C. 2007. Dry season observations of butterflies in the “Gulf country” of

the Northern Territory and far north-west Queensland. Northern Territory

Naturalist 19: 9-14.

Hill, C.J., Gillison, A.N. & Jones, R.E. 1992. The spatial distribution of rainforest

butterflies at three sites in north Queensland, Australia. Journal of Tropical

Ecology 8: 37-46.

Le Souef, J.C. 1965. Distant fields. Wings & Stings 1(1): 10.

BEDS PE DS PF DE bs PE De pe Pe be Pe be pe Pe bd Pe bg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 20

Le Souef, J.C. 1975a. Notes on a visit to the Burra Range. News Bulletin of the

Entomological Society of Queensland 3(2): 41-43.

Le Souef, J.C. 1975b. New butterfly records for Springsure, Central Highlands,

Queensland. Australian Entomological Magazine 2(5): 97.

Le Souef, J.C. 1976. Notes on a winter visit to the Burra Range. News Bulletin of the

Entomological Society of Queensland 3(10): 170.

Le Souef, J.C. 1979. A search for Ogyris in western Queensland. Victorian

Entomologist 9(2): 16-19.

L. boeticus on Rattlepods (Crotalaria novae-hollandiae, subsp. novae-hollandiae):

35km SSW of Burke & Wills Roadhouse, on 01 Nov 2011.

Fig. 1. Blossoming plant growing on road shoulder area; a conspicuous sight during late

spring in the southern Gulf Country.

Fig. 2. Adult roosting, and on this occasion on budding raceme; a common habit during hot

and overcast weather; this adult was rotating its hind wings in the familiar ‘figure 8’

pattern, which makes the tails mimic moving antennae.

Fig. 3. Female ovipositing on stems; no ants were visible on this occasion.

Fig. 4. Male feeding at flower; a frequently utilised nectar source by both sexes.

Photos Kelvyn Dunn

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 21

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 23

The Crambid types of Moreton Bay; their Author and Collector

(Lepidoptera: Crambidae) — Peter Hendry

While recently researching the Australian moths in the family Crambidae, it came to

my attention, the number of times Moreton Bay was listed as the collection point of

the type species (the type species being that specimen used as a basis for description

of a species new to science (Gordh and Headrick, 2011)). Why did Moreton Bay stand

out? I have lived by the Bay all my life, being born in Wynnum and lived in Manly

for forty years, both bayside suburbs. I now live in Sheldon a suburb of Redland City

also on the coast of the greater region of Moreton Bay. It must be said though that

Moreton Bay was the name of the colony which became Brisbane when Queensland

was separated from New South Wales in 1859. My curiosity got the better of me so I

decided to make a list, as follows:

Cnaphalocrocis (Gueneée, 1854) | East India

medinalis

Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

Cnaphalocrocis poeyalis | (Boisduval,

1833)

Asopia venilialis Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

Conogethes ersealis (Walker, 1859) Mr. Diggles

Conogethes semifascialis |(Walker, 1866) Mr. Diggles

Diasemiopsis ramburialis| (Duponchel, France, Corse |#

1833)

urrhyparodes (Zeller, 1852)

bracteolalis

Isopteryx accessalis _ | Walker, 1859 7: Diggles

urrhyparodes (Zeller, 1852) | Natal

tricoloralis

Isopteryx abnegatalis | Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

Glyphodes negatalis (Walker, 1859) | Sri Lanka R.Templeton &

Mr. Stevens

Botys phanasalis Walker, 1859 Gibbons, Esq.

aritalodes derogata (Fabricius, India orientali | #

1775)

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 24

Botys otysalis Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

erpetogramma (Walker, 1859) | Moreton Bay | Mr. Diggles

hipponalis

Botys pigresalis Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

erpetogramma (Walker, 1859) | Malaysia, Mr. Wallace

licarsisalis Sarawak

Botys pharaxalis Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

erpetogramma (Walker, 1859) | Moreton Bay | Mr. Diggles

piasusalis

(Walker, 1859) Mr. Diggles

(Walker, 1859) R. Templeton

Asopia microchrysalis | Walker, 1866 Mr. Diggles

acoleia amphicedalis _ | (Walker, 1859)

Wales

abruptalis Mr. Stevens

Parapoynx villidalis (Walker, 1859) | Malaysia, Mr. Saunders

Borneo

Hydrocampa sacadasalis | Walker, 1859 Mr. Diggles

(Walker, 1859) Mr. Diggles

Walker, 1866 Mr. Diggles

# Unknown

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 25

In the list those 1n blue are synonyms, which occur when the same species 1s named

more than once and in most cases the oldest name takes precedence. Those in bold

text are the valid names of a species which have a synonym named from Moreton

Bay. Missing from the list; where more than one specimen was used to describe a

species I have only included the locality of Moreton Bay and its collector. In many

cases there may be more than one synonym but, except for Nacoleia rhoeoalis, | have

only included synonyms from Moreton Bay.

From the list every specimen collected from Moreton Bay was named

by Francis Walker and all except one was collected by Mr. Silvester Diggles.

Francis Walker (1809 — 1874) was an English entomologist contracted by

the British Museum to catalogue their insects. He was a prolific author with more than

20,000 names associated with his descriptions. He stirred controversy during his later

life as his publications resulted in a huge number of junior synonyms (Wikipedia). In

the above list of the 38 Crambids he described from Moreton Bay, 18 proved to be

synonyms. That's 47%! It may be understandable in cases where they were previously

named by an author in another country and he was not up to date with the latest

literature. But in the case above of Nacoleia rhoeoalis he has named it 6 times, 3

times in 1859, twice in 1866 and once in 1869 and placed it in 4 different genera. It is

said that while naming specimens from a drawer, when time came for a break he

would place a coloured pin beside the last specimen named and continue on when he

returned. On one occasion while on his break, one of his colleagues moved his pin

back six specimens and on his return Walker continued on and renamed the six

specimens (Lambkin pers. comm). In his defence some say, that based on the sheer

number he described, he was no worse than others of his time. Also the fact he was

paid per specimen and not on a wage must have stirred up some jealously.

Silvester Diggles (1817-1880) born in Liverpool, England, moved to Sydney,

Australia, with his wife and three children in 1853, eventually settling in Brisbane in

1855. He taught drawing and music and also tuned and repaired musical instruments.

His wife died in 1857 and he remarried in 1858 and went on to have two more sons.

He was a founder of the Brisbane Choral Society in 1859 and became known as 'the

father of music 1n Brisbane’. In 1859 he helped to found the colony's first scientific

institution, the Queensland Philosophical Society. In 1862 he was instrumental in the

establishment of the Queensland Museum, a single room in the old windmill

observatory on Wickham Terrace. In 1865 the first of his 21 part The Ornithology of

Australia was issued. However, though first and foremost an ornithologist, his major

contribution to our knowledge of Australian fauna was through the extensive

collections of insects, particularly butterflies, moths and beetles, which he sent to

overseas entomologists for description. Among the species that bear his name are the

butterfly Hypochrysops digglesii, the rare chafer beetle Tapeionschema digglesii and

the moth genus Digglesia which A.J. Turner bestowed on him in 1911 noting "After

the late Mr. Diggles, the pioneer entomologist of Queensland".

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 26

If one was to add the Crambid types noted as collected from Brisbane to the above list

and for that matter those from Stradbroke Island, being an island in Moreton Bay, the

list would increase to 60 with 21 being synonyms. But this would add more authors

and collectors and one could add to this article ad infinitum, or just add the 6 degrees

of separation concept to Diggles and you have the man who invented Phonography

(shorthand) Isaac Pitman, Diggles’ second witfe’s mother’s sister’s husband. But I

digress.

For more on Silvester Diggles and the History of the Queensland Museum, I

recommend the following reads:

Silvester Diggles a Queensland naturalist one hundred years ago. Qld Nat, 17: 15-25

by Elizabeth N. Marks

http://www.serf.qut.edu.au/downloads/collections/en marks/silvester diggles.pdf

and

A TIME FOR A MUSEUM The History of the Queensland Museum 1862-1986,

Memoirs of the Queensland Museum V24

http://1a700301.us.archive.org/20/items/MemoirsQueensla00Quee/MemoirsQueenslaQ00Quee.pdf

other references

Gordh G. and Headrick D. 2011, A Dictionary of Entomology 2nd Edition CSIRO

Publishing

wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis Walker (entomologist)

and_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moreton Bay

PS. The name Morton's Bay was given by Captain Cook when he passed the area on

15 May 1770, honouring Lord Morton, president of the Royal Society. The spelling

Moreton was an error in the first published account of Cook's voyage.

IS IS 2K OS OS OS IS Fi OK OK

Butterfly Observations in Bundanoon NSW — Alan Hyman

Bundanoon 1s a picturesque small town with a population of approx. 2,500, located

about halfway between Sydney and Canberra in the Southern Highlands of New

South Wales. About 50 km inland from the coast, the town 1s perched on the north-

western edge of the 192,353 hectare Morton National Park at an altitude of about 670

metres (or 2205 feet as noted on the historic railway station sign). To the east and

south stretch the eucalypt forests and rugged, dissected plateau of the Park, while to

the north and west are pastoral properties with remnant native vegetation cover.

Winters are cold, summers warm to hot, with annual rainfall averaging approximately

1000mm and everything 1s sometimes magically cocooned in an atmospheric fog.

Many residents have established cool climate plantings with exotics and there are

several wetlands which, together with the surrounding rural and natural areas, provide

a variety of vegetated environments.

Readers who like a change from the usual scientific content may leisurely enjoy my

anecdotal notes on the butterflies of this region. Of the 416 butterfly species recorded

for Australia (Braby 2004), I’ve noted about 55 species from Bundanoon and its

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 27

Buchanan’s Lookout, Morton National Park Typical road through eucalypt forest,

Bundanoon Creek Gorge (left) Bundanoon Section Morton National Park

immediate surrounds. I say ‘about’ because all these observations are my own (and

hence subject to correction, additional notation or comment by other persons) and

include a number of Hesperiidae and other species seen but not as yet identified. The

count also compares a little unfavourably with the 65 species recorded by Dr. S.

Brown 1n ‘The Gib’ 2006 for Mt.Gibraltar — an 863m bluff between Mittagong and

Bowral, located 25 km to the north-east. Nevertheless, the observations below should

serve as a reasonably valid baseline for further assessment as they have been carried

out during more than 12 years of town and bushwalking, bush regeneration activities

and gardening — and I am unaware of any similar local survey. All five major

Australian families are represented 1n the district.

Five species of Swallowtail (Papilionidae) are recorded although only one, the

Macleay’s Swallowtail (Graphium macleayanum) could be called reasonably

common. Its distinctive triangular shape with black, white and deep emerald green

colouration render it easily recognizable as it momentarily alights on a spray of

buddleia or sweeps across a park gorge. Its coastal cousin the Blue Triangle

(Graphium sarpedon) 1s seldom encountered, as is the Small Citrus butterfly (Papilio

anactus) but the dimorphic Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus) 1s not uncommon at

times, the large black males especially often drawing attention as they erratically flap

through the garden. During the summer of 2010-2011, I saw my first Chequered

Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) arrive here. Unusual weather conditions had

obviously triggered a broader than usual migration and I saw several dozen specimens

over a period of some weeks. Apart from a few individuals noted again in December

2012, these are the only encounters I have had in the area with this handsome insect.

The Whites and Yellows (Pieridae) are represented by ten species whose relative

abundance varies enormously. The Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) for example, 1s

very common in town and rural areas and perhaps even more so, the Caper White

(Belenois java) during its occasional periods of summer migration. Three Jezebels

are known for certain, the Black Jezebel (Delias nigrina) being the most common of

the trio. Prominent in flight, the dark under surfaces and contrasting light upper sides

(especially on the males) flash with a stroboscopic appearance in the sunlight. The

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 28

Wood White (D. aganippe) occurs 1n small numbers in favourable seasons and

occasionally, the odd Imperial White (D. harpalyce). These are both ‘stand-out’

species, unmistakable (even at a distance) with their soaring flight and glorious red

and yellow adornments to the undersides. There was a tentative sighting of a possible

fourth species, the Yellow-spotted Jezebel (D. nysa). This specimen, which had

uniform mid-brown colouration with yellow spots under its hindwings, may however

have been a female ‘dark-form’ Caper White (B. java). During an extraordinary

migration in December 2003 the Lemon Migrant (Catopsilia pomona) and the

Common Albatross (Appias paulina) arrived together 1n large numbers, an event not

repeated since, although the latter species sometimes makes a rare visit. Sporadic

sightings of the Small Grass Yellow (Eurema smilax), a couple of probable Common

Grass Yellows (Eurema hecabe) and a few Narrow-winged Pearl Whites (Elodina

padusa) are the other species recognized.

Wood White (D. aganippe) Common Albatross (Appias paulina)

7 bd bd Od Bd Bb Bd OY Bg Ba OO nO Bo Oo

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 29

There are about twenty species of Nymphalidae recorded. The subfamily Satyrinae is

well represented with twelve species, including no less than five examples of the

genus Heteronympha. Individual species occur in overlapping succession from mid-

spring, commencing with the aptly (if unimaginatively) named Common Brown (4.

merope). This 1s arguably the most abundant butterfly 1n the district, being seen from

late October (when there are predominantly males around) to late April when there

are still a few female stragglers. In February, the Spotted Browns (4. paradelpha)

appear although, while common enough, not in the numbers of the previous species.

In some years the Shouldered Brown (H. penelope) 1s evident and finally the Banks’

Brown (#7. banksii) emerges — with its distinctive purplish suffusion under the

hindwings — continuing through until well after Easter. The fifth species is the

beautiful dimorphic Wonder Brown (4H. mirifica) which, owing to its more secretive

habits, is not normally seen with others in the genus. I have only encountered it on a

handful of occasions — a tawny-orange male plus a few chocolate and cream females

at odd times in our garden and several in the adjacent National Park — but I suspect

that it may be more prevalent in the Park’s rainforest gullies.

if a UF |! !

; hy , . “4

fi Af |

7!

if 7

Common Brown (Heteronympha ee Shouldered Brown (1. penelope)

Ed.: Unfortunately I have to stop this article here but it will continue in the next issue.

Photos Alan Hyman

BOOK REVIEWS

Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity,

with a photographic guide to insects of eastern

at sen ®, , North America

Author: Stephen A. Marshall

Reviewed by Irene Denton

Book first released 2006. My copy is Third printing, 2009.

Publisher: Firefly Books.

732 pages of nearly A4 size (21.5cm x 28cm); over 4000 photos;

| hardback.

“ P unll

aa -_—

First of all, a little of my background. I’ve been a bushwalker

since my teens, but it wasn’t until 1985 that I took up a more detailed study of nature

BEDS REDS PF OE bs PE De pe Pe bs Pe he pe Pe bd be bg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 30

— specifically native orchids. A friend pointed out a Caladenia and I couldn’t believe

I had been walking past such beauty. My orchid enthusiast days began. In 1988 I

took up bird watching. I then expanded into studying the entire range of plants, and

eradually into other fauna. I’m learning a little about landscapes and waterscapes.

These days I would call myself a general naturalist, with an amateur and reasonably

detailed interest in each area (flora is quite a deep interest). There is so much to learn

and see, and it’s all so fascinating.

My more detailed interest in each area often correlates to the release of a great book.

I have found that such a book greatly enhances appreciation of a field of nature, and

moves people from a more general observational interest to really “getting into” the

subject, learning and studying behaviour, and making efforts to identify what they

see. In Australia, we have seen recent releases of more detailed field-guide sized

books on butterflies, dragonflies and beetles. However, despite lots of web searches

and bookshop perusal, I hadn’t been able to find any sufficiently detailed books on the

total gamut of insect families, Australian or otherwise.

The Insects of Australia by Douglas F. Waterhouse was published 1n1970, and is only

available second-hand. The only relatively recent-edition books that I’ve been able to

find are field-guide sized (around 14 cm x 21 cm) and around 200 to 240 pages, with

only about 1-4 images per family. They are certainly good for an early beginner, but I

have been looking for something beyond that to progress my knowledge.

Searching for coverage of Australian insects led me to Stephen Marshall’s ‘Insects’

book, with which I’ve been very happy. Whilst the focus of the book 1s eastern North

America, the keys and photos are said to be useful for identifying orders and most

families of insects in the world. Some sub-families are included. Marshall’s ‘Insects’

book has what I want:

e coverage of the full range of insects, on a reasonably recent basis regarding

taxonomy;

e enough information to distinguish between classes, orders and families of

insects, by text (key and/or description) and pictorially (photographs and line

drawings). A large number of genera are touched upon; and

e lots of good photos. I am willing to learn scientific terminology and study

anatomical drawings, but lots of clear photos help. They also provide enormous

pleasure 1n viewing the wonderful colours, patterns and structures of the subject.

Obviously there are too many genera, and particularly species, to be able to present all

of them 1n one book. Seeing the differences between orders and families 1s not

always possible because, with the small size of insects, getting up close and personal

with a specimen is sometimes required, but not possible. However, in these days of

macro photography, and the ability to zoom into detail on a computer screen, it is

more possible than ever to match a feature with detail in a good book.

After a very short introduction, Stephen Marshall’s ‘Insects’ book has 12 major

chapters covering insects. Each chapter starts with text regarding the orders in that

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 31

chapter, covering some of their anatomy and biology. This discussion 1s at an

introductory and relatively high level, and is in reasonably plain English, perfect for

someone at my amateur level.

Each chapter ends with a great

presentation of photos. All of the 4000

plus photos were taken by Stephen

Marshall — a fabulous achievement. As

well as photos of adults, there are images

of larvae and pupae, and some photos

depict behaviour. The pages of photos

follow a fairly standard layout of nine

images per page, with text underneath,

organised by order, then family and in

some cases, sub-family.

ryt ;

' iby Npalredieem oO

A sample page of Hymenoptera photos

After the chapters 1s a 53-page series of

pictorial keys. They follow the usual

keying method of making a choice

between 2 options, and the keys are laid

out with boxes joined by lines, with most =* ———

of the boxes containing a line drawing to This is the start of the key to the Most

demonstrate the anatomical feature. The Commonly Encountered Insect Larvae

keys start at the highest level of

identifying insect orders, then separate pages cover each order with keys down to

family level.

In addition to insects, this book has a chapter (no key) on non-insect arthropods such

as millipedes, centipedes, spiders, crustaceans, making it a pretty complete reference

book on small fauna.

Last of all is the Index. In this book there are three indexes: (1) the photos, listing

both scientific name and the eastern North America “official” capitalised common

name, (2) Common Name index, being very general names that are in worldwide use

such as “beetle, jewel”, and (3) a General Index which includes both scientific names

and other plain English words used such as behavioural terms. I personally prefer a

book to have just one index, for ease of looking up entries without having to check

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 32

which index I’ve opened. When scientific and common name indexes are separate,

there’s theoretically a 50/50 chance of opening at the right index, but I seem to

“always” open the wrong one! Indexes should be extremely thorough, even if this

means that multiple entries cover the one subject. For example, I want to be able to

find Net-winged Beetle under N for Net-winged and B for Beetle.

In this book, the indexing is quite thorough with multiple entries, though there 1s one

frustrating aspect. Genera are not listed independently in the General Index; rather

the reader must know what family the genus resides in.

My plea to all intending authors and publishers: please, one index only, and an

extremely thorough one that does not require pre-existing knowledge by the reader.

The book under review has some useful line drawings in the key, and many of the

scientific terms used 1n the chapters and keys are followed by a few explanatory plain

English words in brackets.

There is no glossary of terminology, which may be understandable as a dictionary of

entomology is a major book in itself. As a side note, a web search shows that there

are books on entomology terminology, quite a few out of print. Some currently

available ones are terribly expensive for someone like myself at a more generalist

naturalist level. There are some good websites covering parts of entomology terms

and insect anatomy, but it’s obviously more convenient to have a paper based book to

look up at any time. I find that many websites require too much flicking from screen

to screen and don’t provide the ability to compare multiple images side by side. The

subject of entomology reference sources 1s a separate review subject in its own right.

Stephen Marshall’s book is a wonderful resource. Despite its coverage up north, I

have already found it helpful regarding Australian insects. It really opens up the

world of insects and other arthropods to people who otherwise might not delve very

deeply into this area of fauna. The other great pleasure to be derived from this book 1s

seeing such detailed work by one person, demonstrating the great value of some

people in this world being specialists rather than generalists.

a) a,

-—.

- . be

} id j

‘ i ;

‘ / + or

we P, . :

i — r

- ' oa 4

‘ = “

- ; ,

———

_

+

-

as

; a

This Trypoxylon politum wasp (listed for

Australia) is arriving at her nest, the

shape of which gives rise to the common

name “organ pipe mud dauber’”’.

PEPE PE DS PF DE be PE De pe PE be Pe be pe he bd Pe bg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 33

The fluffy silk mass under this caterpillar is

made up of the cocoons of its killers: braconid

parasitoids in the genus Cotesia. Adult wasps

at bottom of image.

I bought the ‘Insects’ book through Abbey’s Bookshop, Sydney (via their website) for

a reasonable AUD$103.50 (cheaper than getting the book from overseas online

bookshops after their mail and weight charges, and bank foreign currency exchange

fees). Correspondence with Stephen Marshall confirms that no update is planned for

the “Insects” book before 2015, so don’t wait for a new edition.

Stephen Marshall has also very recently published the book

Flies: The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera

Book first released late 2012. Publisher: Firefly Books. 616 pages

of nearly A4 size; over 2000 photos; hardback.

This book covers flies,

strictly the Diptera

order, from all around

the world including

Australia, rather than

concentrating on North

America. It follows the

same general layout,

including photos and

Toxomerus nasatus

(main picture, left) and

Allograpta fasaciata

(main picture, right), The Flies book includes this keys, as described above

photographed near Tapeigaster sp. fly photographed in for the ‘Insects’ book

Quito, Ecuador Australia. Their larvae live in fungi.

This new Flies book 1s

getting rave reviews on

Photos: Irene Denton photographed the images from the book

the internet.

with the author’s permission. Original photos by Stephen A.

Marshall.

REPORTS

President’s Report to AGM 2013

I must commence this report by thanking individual members of our Management

Committee whose various contributions have ensured that the club has had another

successful year.

John Moss continues to work to ensure that the articles published 1n our magazine

reach a high standard of scientific accuracy. He 1s also a great ambassador for the

club through his association with a number of community groups and organisations.

The result of Daphne’s editorial skills each quarter is a frequent reminder of her

patience, persistence and skill as she receives submissions from authors, consults with

specialist referees, negotiates amendments if required, joins the jigsaw pieces into a

coherent whole, works with our printers to get a quality finished product which is

finally slipped into previously organized labeled and stamped envelopes for mailing

to our widely dispersed members. Daphne keeps our membership database current

and expends considerable time contacting a small number of members who “forget to

BEDS PE DS PF OE be PE DS De PE be Pe be be Pe bd Pe bg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 34

pay their subs”. Quite a number of enquiries come via the web and Daphne ensures

that these are dealt with by her or are referred to other members.

Lois’s great artistic talents are usually on display on the cover of the magazine. If you

have not seen a copy of “Birdwing’s New Home” with its many brilliant illustrations

by Lois, then I strongly recommend you obtain a copy.

Rob continues to keep track of club finances with professional accuracy.

You will have read of Alicia’s academic exploits in the March edition of our

magazine. She continues to explore possibilities of excursions for our local (Brisbane

region) members remembering that a large proportion of our members are not resident

in this area.

Jennifer Singfield took on the role of club secretary in the last year and volunteered to

organize fund raising activities through trivia nights. Through the voluntary efforts of

Jennifer, some of her friends and some club members, two of these events were

conducted, much to the enjoyment of those who attended and to the financial benefit

of the club.

I thank club members Richard Zietek, Ian Ferrier, Margaret Greenway, Cheryl Knight

and Peter Hendry for their support at the various displays we conducted 1n the last

year. We do need more members to help out 1n the future. I am aware that some club

members are active 1n their local communities and we intend to report on this in the

future.

In the last year we held displays and sold printed materials and plants at the

IndigiScapes Centre at Capalaba, the Society for Growing Australian Plants plant sale

at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, at the Jacob’s Well Environmental Centre and

at the Moreton Bay Regional Council Osprey Centre at Dohles Rocks. These events

enable us to widen our impact in the community and to raise funds for the club.

Helpers are needed for future displays, as are butterfly host and nectar plants.

The magazine continues to be a central focus of the club and this is understandable, as

a large proportion of our members do not reside 1n the closer Brisbane region. I am

very grateful to those members and non-members who make such a magnificent

contribution to the success of our publication.

Last year, we increased our membership fee to cover the cost of printing and postage

of the magazine. We also received a $1000.00 grant from the Brisbane City Council.

Through the efforts of club member Phil Ocshe, we were able to find a new printer for

the magazine. Phil has also helped Daphne colour-correct the images for printing.

Printing costs have fallen and the club is now in a healthy financial position. This is

fortuitous as we hope to publish our long awaited mistletoe book in the current year.

Sales of the club’s butterfly host plant book have more than covered our printing

costs. This book continues to be the definitive reference for this area and is still in

demand.

BEDS PE DS PF Oe be PE DT Pe Pe bs Pe he pe Pe bd be bg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 35

It has been a good year but I often think about the fact that many of us in the

management committee are “not getting any younger” and I would really welcome

younger members and ideas. Ross Kendall

IS IS FI OK OS OS SIS Fk OK OK

A visit to Ray and Delphine Archer’s — Lois Hughes

Despite the threat of inclement weather and the fact that the Gatton end of the road

was Closed at the bridge over Lockyer Creek, an enthusiastic group of people

descended on Ray and Delphine Archer’s property on February 24"". With only one

brief shower, the rain held off until evening.

The really eager photographers from the Redlands’ group arrived early to be followed

by BOIC members around 10 am. Around 40 people attended on the day.

The butterfly house was alive with hundreds of butterflies on the wing, munching

caterpillars were eating furiously and pupae waited patiently for their butterflies to

emerge. Two species of stick insects were doing their usual hanging about while we

were very interested in the many host and nectar plants growing there.

At a gathering beneath a gazebo in the garden near the house Ross and Ray welcomed

members and friends. Some had travelled quite a long distance to join us.

We heard from Daniel who coordinates a project at the local prison (with Ray’s

enthusiastic advice) where a group of inmates have learnt to raise the appropriate host

plants and to breed Varied Egeflies in enclosures. Their goal is to send pupae in

decorative boxes to children who are hospitalised. The children will see butterflies

emerge for later release. Daniel told us of the teething problems faced: security

clearances, lethal x-rays, fingerprinting, the deadly effect of unannounced fumigation

for bugs, and bureaucratic indifference.

Ray spoke briefly of the overseas projects that the Archer Foundation co-ordinates in

assisting the “poorest of the poor” to gain some economic self-sufficiency. Later,

most visitors collected left over host and nectar plants from the Butterfly Plants for

Poverty nursery and made donations to their cause.

One of our new members, Brett Hoopert, spoke about his new butterfly house and

plant nursery at Nambour. It is called “Butterfly Hill’.

There were lots of butterfly species flying and breeding on the thousands of host

plants that Ray and Delphine have planted in the past three years. These kept the

photographers busy for quite some time.

Some early arrivals headed off while the rest of us enjoyed a late lunch and chat

beneath the gazebos with the birds serenading us from the dense shrubbery. Heading

for home, we enjoyed the countryside clothed in lush green following the earlier

abundant rains.

Thank you Ray and Delphine for your generous hospitality and an enjoyable visit

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 36

Beetles, Bees, Bugs and Butterflies photographed at the Archer’s

Photos

Erica

Siegel©

Figs 1&2 Acacia Leaf Beetles (Dicranosterna picea) Fig. 3 Blue-banded Bee (Amegilla sp.)

Fig. 4 Fire-tailed Resin Bee (Megachile sp.) Fig. 5 Probably Aulacosternum sp. Family Coreidae

Fig. 6 Large Milkweed Bug (probably Spilostethus hospes (Fabricius, 1794) Family Lygaeidae)

Fig. 7 Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio aegeus) Fig. 8 Varied Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina nerina)

BEDS PADS Pe De Pe a Re be Pe he be Oe bd Pe be bg Pe

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 37

BOIC fundraising trivia night - Alisha Steward

A fun-filled trivia night was held by BOIC at the Indigiscapes Centre on Saturday 20"

April 2013. The pace was fast, with many challenging questions to answer throughout

the evening. Our quiz master, Jill Barrett, also offered some extra games and prizes in

addition to the trivia ones. There was also a lucky door prize. Supper, tea and coffee

were provided at half time for a well-earned break. Supper was a pleasant surprise as I

(unexpectedly) caught up with friends who I hadn’t seen in years!

Congratulations to the winning trivia team, “The Flashers’ (sorry everyone, ‘Flashers’

as in photographers — not what you are thinking ©). A bottle of wine was awarded to

each member of the winning team and ‘Savy Six’, the second-placed team which

contained our two BOIC members from Petrie, Allan and Judy Lovelock, and over 30

prizes were won as part of the multi-draw raffle. My impression was that at least one

person per table had won something in the multi-draw raffle. Most tables seemed to

be covered in prizes by the end of the night!

Many thanks are due to the BOIC members and non-members who made the night a

success. A cast of thousands made it possible — our quiz-master Jill Barrett, the

judges Helen Magarry and Ruth Taylor, Jeanette Adams for setting up and lots of help

on the night, people who donated raffle prizes including Daphne Bowden and family -

Daphne and daughter-in-law, Kiri, also provided the food for supper - Pat Barry for

Supervision of multi-draw raffle and behind the scenes evening work and everyone

who helped to plan the night, in particular the project organiser Jennifer Singfield.

Apologies if I have missed anyone.

Funds raised will go towards the production of BOIC publications. We are hoping that

the trivia night will become an annual event in the BOIC activities calendar. It was

certainly a lot of fun!

Ed. Thank you to Alisha who provided the prizes of a dozen bottles of wine to the

winning tables.

Above - The prizes on offer as part of the multi-draw raffle - BOIC-related prizes included posters,

books, and host plants. Other prizes included (but were not limited to) chocolates, cosmetics, wine,

gift vouchers, and BBQ tools!

Photo on right - Jennifer Singfield announcing the multi-draw raffle ticket winners

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 38

x « S# - :

= | ~ - ll

4 » _w « a .

Jill Barrett reading out the trivia questions to 8 tables of eager participants

Our BOIC president, Ross Kendall, thanking everyone for their help and attendance

Photos Alisha Stewart

LETTERS

Hi Daphne

Just returned from 2 weeks of hiking 1n the south island of NZ, out in national parks

and private land where the owners are either trying to return the previous sheep

property to native habitat, or are trying to diversify their business by inviting hikers

on site.

Not many butterflies seen on our travels, but one that certainly caught my eye was the

Red Admiral, Bassaris gonerilla, which had quite spectacular red colouration.

It was very common up at higher elevations where we walked in sunny ridges and

cleared sites adjacent to natural remnant vegetation. Its host plant, the native stinging

nettle, Urtica ferox, was common in the areas where we encountered the Admiral

naturally enough. We also saw many Admirals with brown colouration, totally

lacking any red, but we didn’t find out whether this was sexual dimorphism, or

another species.

The photo doesn’t do justice to the vivid colouration of the Red Admiral, especially

when out displaying in the sun.

BEES PE DE PF Pe DT De Pe bd Pe he be be be bd Pe bd pg

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 39

We made an interesting observation one day as we walked along an exposed ridge,

fringed by native vegetation including clumps of the Nettle. A Fantail, Rhipidura

fuliginosa, was often shadowing us as we moved along trails on most days (it wasn’t

the same bird each day of course!) looking for insects we disturbed, flitting about

always within 10 metres of us. As we came upon a sunny opening in the canopy, a

vibrant Red Admiral butterfly was flying about. It landed on a tree trunk that was in

the sun and immediately opened its wings out flat displaying the bright colouration.

But as we came closer, it closed its wings, becoming well-camouflaged on the

brownish-grey bark, and stayed like this for about 15 seconds. We quickly realised

that it had not only seen us but also our attendant Fantail flitting around us, and was

keeping its colours out of sight. But as the Fantail flew close to the butterfly, the

butterfly got spooked and took off. Immediately the Fantail decided it was too good a

chance to miss and went after it. But on this occasion the prey won out, and the

predator missed a meal. So it was interesting to see this initial camouflage reaction by

the butterfly knowing its bright red colours were too obvious to a predator out in the

sun.

Below is a photo of the actual Admiral butterfly before it closed its wings and a photo

of the pe mas Regards, Glenn Leiper

Photos Glenn Leiper

YOU ASKED

"Ty ' oe

. '

Q. This is a photo of a huge blue ant we saw in ’

= . i d y oy

*y 7 4 ie

Tasmania. It’s as long as the width of a 20 cent piece!

Can you identify it please? Glenda Crowther

A. Thanks for your request. Your image 1s of a female

Diamma bicolor (flower wasp), she feeds on blossom

and has a powerful sting. She deposits her eggs on mole

crickets which her larvae parasitise. The male wasp 1s a

very small winged black fellow easy to overlook.

Chris Spencer, Technical Officer, Forest Practices e

i bd ba bd br pa a re ed

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 40

>

ot

bo

Q. I found this web in the fold of an old

plastic sheet, tucked away in a darker

corner of the patio. The web stretches

across what looks to me like the empty

pupa of a hawk moth - am I right? There | _

are a couple of seedpods of Acacia eo. % “SP

fimbriata thrown in for good measure. 1am @

wondering what kind of spider might have —@&” 4

made this web. And did the moth escape - PN ¢ @

or was it breakfast? Glenine Hamlyn

- «x a oe a _

A. This is a hawk moth pupa as suspected, possibly Theretra latreillei. The larva

pupates amongst litter at the ground surface and constructs the open cocoon

interwoven with bits of debris as protection. While this species of hawk moth

pupates in a rough open cocoon amongst litter (as do many others) some hawk moths

such as the Privet hawk moth pupate in a cell below the ground surface. Max Moulds

Q. I wonder if you can help me. I’m trying to identify

what this creature 1s. It is about 15-20 cm long ~5 cm in

diameter. My Mother discovered it in her garden in

Sanctuary Point, NSW. I remember seeing something

similar there in Dec 2006 on the brick wall of the house

and it was the exact size of a brick.

We would be really interested to know what it 1s.

Thanks, Joe Turnbull

A. This 1s the larva of Chelepteryx collesi,

the White-stemmed Gum Moth.

Chelepteryx collesi, of the moth family

Anthelidae, occurs in the three eastern

states of Australia. The common name

White-stemmed Gum moth refers to the

A handsome White-stemmed Gum moth .

newly emerged rests on the cocoon that kept Eucalyptus species that is one of its food

it safe during pupation plants. The wingspan of the female moth

may reach 160 mm and the equally

impressive caterpillars that feed on the leaves of paperbarks and eucalyptus can reach

120 mm in length. This moth has an annual life span, with adult moths usually

appearing in Autumn. Densey Clyne

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 41

Fig. 1 Rosettes of sharp spines (setae) on the caterpillar’s body are an effective deterrent against enemies

and can also inflict damage on interfering humans.

Fig. 2 Hooks (crotchets) and a suction disc on each abdominal leg (pro/eg) keep the heavy caterpillar from

falling out of its tree.

Fig. 3 The spindle-shaped silk cocoon under construction in the foliage will take several hours to complete.

Fig. 4 A cocoon takes the form of an openwork net as the caterpillar works inside it, strengthening the silk

fabric.

Fig. 5 As it weaves, the caterpillar sheds the protective setae, pressing them through the silk to form an

effective deterrent against birds.

Fig. 6 Inside the finished cocoon the caterpillar has cast off its skin and started its period of dormancy as a

pupa.

Photos Densey Clyne

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 42

PLANT PROFILE .... UPDATE

In the December 2012 edition of “Metamorphosis Australia” (page 9), my article on

the butterfly host plant Capparis canescens (Wild Pomegranate) detailed the plant's

features and varied wildlife uses.

A number of photos were included with the

article, showing the attractive flowers, bark [FF

and foliage, but none included the fruit.

Like all Capparis species, the fruit has

been used by either indigenous people or

subsequently “bush tucker” enthusiasts as a

food, although in comparison to the exotic

cultivated Caper, it leaves a little to be

desired!

The fruit, which can vary from 2.5 cm to 7.5 cm diameter, on a stalk between 6 and 9

cm long, are usually found in autumn. Glenn Leiper

Photo Ross Kendall

B.O.1L.C. ON FACEBOOK

Jom BOIC on Facebook! Some friends of BOIC were "lost" during changes to

Facebook within the last year, so please check to see 1f you are still part of the BOIC

Facebook group. If you are on Facebook you can join the BOIC page here -

https://www.facebook.com/groups/18761909741 1/

BUTTERFLY AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES CLUB PROGRAMME

Committee/Planning Meeting — 10" August, 2013

Caboolture Region Environmental Education Centre (CREEC) - Expo

What: BOIC will hold a display at this event. The theme is around the CREEC site and

the management of Burpengary Creek. The day will see workshops and talks on

different subjects, including Macadamia, Bugs Ed, Native Bees, and native wildlife

presentations from Geckoes, also with a number of schools participating in Indigenous art

paintings of Ocean Life. There will be guided walks which will take you to an allocated area

where talks about the CREEC site and Burpengary Creek will take place.

When: 24" August, 2013 —10am-3pm

Where: The Caboolture Region Environmental Education Centre (CREEC) at 150 Rowley Road,

Burpengary

SGAP Spring Flower Show and Plant Sale

What: We will be holding a display at this event. Members looking for butterfly/moth

hostplants may find something interesting amongst the plants for sale.

When: 31% August and 1 September 2013

Where: The Auditorium, Mt. Coot-tha Botanic Gardens

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 43

DISCLAIMER

The magazine seeks to be as scientifically accurate as possible but the views, opinions and

observations expressed are those of the authors. The magazine is a platform for people, both

amateur and professional, to express their views and observations about invertebrates. These

are not necessarily those of the BOIC. The manuscripts are submitted for comment to

entomologists or people working in the area of the topic being discussed. If inaccuracies have

inadvertently occurred and are brought to our attention we will seek to correct them in future

editions. The Editor reserves the right to refuse to print any matter which is unsuitable,

inappropriate or objectionable and to make nomenclature changes as appropriate.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Producing this magazine is done with the efforts of:

e Those members who have sent in letters and articles

Lois Hughes who provided the cover painting

Daphne Bowden who works on layout, production and distribution

John Moss, Dr. Kelvyn L. Dunn and Robert Whyte for

scientific referencing and proof reading of various

articles in this issue of the magazine sok

e Printing of this publication is proudly supported by ToT

Brisbane City Council sea tea

We would like to thank all these people for their

contribution.

ARE YOU A MEMBER?

Please check your mailing label for the date your membership is due for renewal. If your

membership is due, please renew as soon as possible. Membership fees are $30.00 for

individuals, schools and organizations. If you wish to pay electronically, the following

information will assist you: BSB: 484-799, Account No: 001227191, Account name: BOIC,

Bank: Suncorp, Reference: your membership number and surname e.g. 234 Roberts.

Dedicated to a better Brisbane

Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club Inc.

PO Box 2113

RUNCORN Q. 4113

Next event — Caboolture Region Environmental Education Centre (CREEC) - Expo

24 August, 2013 — See BOIC Programme for details

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #69 — Page 44