PLANNING AND ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 2015

President: Frank Jordan 0432 565 170

Vice President: John Moss 07 3245 2997

Treasurer: Rob MacSloy 07 3824 4348

Secretary: Jill Fechner 0417 793 659

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

Publicity and Library: Lois Hughes 07 3206 6229

Excursion Co-ordinator: Alisha Steward 07 3275 1186

Committee Members: Ross Kendall 07 3378 1187

Richard Zietek 07 3390 1950

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION MEETINGS

A quarterly meeting is scheduled 1n 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 THE ORGANIZATION

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

e To hold information meetings about invertebrates;

e 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 1n urban areas.

MAGAZINE DEADLINES

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

March issue — February 1* June issue — May 1*

September issue — August 1* December issue — November 1°

All articles should be submitted directly to the Editor daphne.bowden1l(@bigpond.com

ALL MATERIAL IN THIS MAGAZINE IS COPYRIGHT TO BOIC AND THE

AUTHORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS INVOLVED.

COVER PAINTING

Fleshy Mistletoe (Amyema miraculosa) host to butterflies: Satin Azure (Ogyris amaryllis):

Black Jezebel (Delias nigrina); Scarlet Jezebel (Delias argenthona) - Painting by Lois Hughes

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT

I would like to thank the members of the executive who unanimously elected me to

the position of president. The older members of the club will remember me from my

time on the executive as the project officer.

The great news for the club 1s that very shortly the Mistletoe book will be on its way

to the printer. There is more about this in the magazine.

Thank you to those who have written articles for the magazine. Keep them coming. I

encourage others to also record their observations.

I would like to remind members that our annual general meeting will be held in April.

If you would like to contribute to the running of the club give some thought to

standing for one of the positions.

Happy reading

Frank Jordan

Cover Story - The history of the mistletoe DOOK 00... eee eeeecccceeseeeceeeeeeeeseeeeeeseeeeeees 4

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Life history notes on the Speckled Line-blue, Catopyrops florinda halys (Butler,

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Gardening for Butterflies — Part 2 - Creating a Butterfly Friendly Garden

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 3

COVER STORY

The history of the mistletoe book — Ross Kendall

The concept of a publication co-authored by John and I was formed in May 2006.

Earlier that month, just after I assumed the role of club president on May 3", John

visited us and I took him to see a magnificent specimen of a mistletoe growing on a

Bottlebrush tree on a footpath not far from my home. To our dismay, we found that

the branch holding the mistletoe had been neatly removed. John mentioned the fact

that mistletoes had been removed from Allara Place Park on Bulimba Creek and that

perhaps we (the Club) should contact the Brisbane City Council (BCC) and question

their actions.

At that time we discussed the production a small brochure about mistletoes and I

photographed the first images from some of John’s colour slides on May 16". John

and Glenn Leiper had previously written an article for Wildlife Australia Magazine

entitled “A drink from mine host: the Magic and Mystery of Australian Mistletoes”

and we contacted the publishers to gain their permission to use this text as an

introduction. They agreed and sent us an electronic copy of the file.

On June 24", 2006, on behalf of the club and with John’s assistance, I wrote to the

BCC Chief Executive Officer, Jude Munro, outlining our concerns over the removal

of mistletoes. The results were positive with further correspondence and discussions

such that it was agreed that we produce a small brochure that could be issued to BCC

staff and others. Council would be willing to provide financial assistance.

The concept soon developed from a brochure to a small field guide and by August

2007, I was able to write to a staff member of the BCC enclosing a draft copy of “A

Field Guide to the Mistletoes of the Brisbane Region” covering 20 species of

mistletoes which was 90% complete and awaiting a few more images. The full-colour

A5 booklet of 24 pages was to be printed on satin finish. She replied by email with the

response that “We would like to examine the possibility of BCC sponsorship. Please

provide an update on the progress and when you would consider going to

print’. After lengthy delays in the booklet’s development and several subsequent

phone calls, BCC interest in the matter lapsed.

It became obvious to us that the quality and range of some of the 38 images, many

taken from John and Glenn’s colour slides, left much to be desired. We also realised

that the details in the book could be greatly enhanced and the geographic range of

coverage widened.

Thus began an expansion of the project. John began to write a preface to the book,

expand the introduction, write more detailed descriptions of each species and add

notes to these where required. I began a quest to acquire a comprehensive set of

images and to “educate” myself about mistletoes. The page size was increased to B5

and two pages were allocated for each species. The title of the book became “A Field

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 4

Guide to the Mistletoes of Southeastern Queensland and Northern New South Wales”.

More species of mistletoes were added. By 2009, John was working on keys to

identification and completed the key to the family Viscaceae in June of that year. A

key to family Loranthaceae proved a tougher nut to crack. He acquired a computer

and a digital camera. A lengthy list of references and a glossary were added.

More species were added and the range widened. In early October 2011, I found and

photographed a species of mistletoe that I did not recognise which was growing on a

Coolibah near Quilpie. John confirmed its identity on my return and said that it was

also found near Dalby - another addition. At that time, I printed off a list of all the

known species of mistletoe in Australia and studied maps of their distribution. It was

clear that those we had included in our “range” often occurred elsewhere and that

another half dozen species would make for a complete coverage of all known

mistletoes in sub-tropical Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. We set about

filling the gaps with the aid of published material and the donation of difficult to

obtain images. Maps would be helpful.

Meanwhile, John worked on the key to Loranthaceae and found that he really needed

to complete detailed species descriptions and notes for identifying mistletoes before

continuing. These were largely finalised by August 2014. It had taken five years but,

eventually, a compromise key-like structure for helping to identify species in the

family Loranthaceae was devised.

Along the way diagrams were added and, with the aid of my grandson, I designed

distribution maps for each species of mistletoe. There were gaps in the layout of the

book, which led to the evolution of insertion of images and notes about some butterfly

and moth species that use mistletoes as their host.

In early 2014 Lois created two excellent paintings, which are now the basis of the

front and back covers.

By September 2014, I was able to finally combine all the various elements and had

the first draft copies printed for critical review. It took six months of editing before a

second draft was printed in May 2015. After further editing, copies of the third draft

were printed in mid-September 2015. Valuable input was received from reviewers.

Another (final) species of mistletoe and two taxonomic indices were added. I

expanded the book index. Final editing and the addition of more images were

completed by the end of January 2016. The job of printing will be undertaken at the

end of February.

With his writing and his fieldwork, John has contributed countless hours and travelled

thousands of kilometres. I have managed to make a smaller contribution in field trips

but more than a thousand hours of computing time has been spent on preparation of

text, images, figures and maps and bringing them together 1n the final design using

various software packages. MS Word has its limitations and in July 2015, I

transferred the book’s contents piece by piece into Adobe InDesign format.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 5

The project has had more than a nine and a half year development with sometimes

lengthy delays in its progress but the delays have often been beneficial in that more or

better quality images were found, new information gained, good advice obtained from

various experts and “laymen” while text and layout were refined. Without the support

of quite a number of people, 1t would not have been possible to produce a book of

high quality. These contributors are acknowledged in the book.

Now titled “The Mistletoes of Subtropical Queensland, New South Wales and

Victoria” the book is 140 pages long and deals with all the 46 known species (plus 5

subspecies) of mistletoes in the area of its coverage. There are 228 colour images, 44

black-line illustrations and 54 maps. We hope that it will be a valuable reference book

and field guide as well as being of interest to the general reader.

NEW HOST PLANT RECORD

New Host Plant for Caper White, Belenois java (Linnaeus 1768)

Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Pierinae — Graham J. McDonald

Introduction: This new host plant record for the Caper White began with a caravan

journey from the Gold Coast to Western Australia in September — October 2015. The

primary goal was to photograph Western Australian flora in the main spring flowering

season. When my wife and I camped out at Karajini National Park (Dales Gorge

Campground), from 19 September to 21 September, we noticed some black and white

butterflies actively flying around a small sandalwood tree, Santalum spicatum

(Santalaceae).

Upon closer inspection of the tree, I observed and photographed most stages of the

life cycle in a single day. There were eggs oviposited in clusters on the skin of the

drupes (fruits), early instar larvae, late instar larvae, a prepupa, pupae and adult

butterflies, see Figs | to 7.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 6

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Fig. 6

Fig. 1 Belenois java eggs on Santalum

spicatum fruit

Fig. 2 B. java eggs close-up

Fig. 3 B. java early instar larva on S. spicatum

Fig. 4 B. java late instar larva on S. spicatum

Fig. 5 B. java prepupa

Fig. 6 B. java pupa

Fig. 7 B. java adult male

This discovery was surprising considering

all previously recorded host plants are in

i NK

the family Capparaceae (canine, including several Capparis spp. and Apophyllum

anomalum (Warrior Bush).

The GPS location was 22°28’8.34’S, 118°33’2.78”E.

Caper White: Belenois java (Linnaeus 1768). This species belongs to a genus of open

country species common in more arid parts of Australia, Asia and Africa. Belenois

java 1s widespread in Australia, present over most of the land mass except for the

western parts of South Australia and the southern part of Western Australia. Itis a

rare vagrant in Tasmania.

Two subspecies are recognised. Belenois java teutonia 1s the common Australian

form which is the form observed at this location. Belenois java peristhene 1s a Pacific

Island form, sometimes seen on the east coast of Australia as a migrant (Braby, 2000).

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 7

The Host Plants: All recorded host plants for this butterfly belong to the family

Capparaceae and include:

Apophyllum anomalum (Broom Bush, Warrior Bush). This species is commonly used

in semi-arid parts of western New South Wales and Queensland. This plant is

dioecious, with male flowers on one plant and female flowers on a separate plant. I

have a photographic record of both male and female plants taken 50 kilometres east of

Cobar, New South Wales, see Figs 8 and 9. This plant has broom-like almost leafless

stems and grows in a number of soil

types, preferring sandy soils in arid

areas. Caper White eggs and larvae

were observed on the female plant, see

Figs 10 and 11.

Fig. 8 Apophyllum anomalum male flowers

Fig. 9 Apophyllum anomalum female flowers

Fig. 10 B. java eggs on Apophyllum anomalum

Fig. 11 B. java larva on Apophyllum anomalum

e Capparis arborea (Scrub Caperberry). Mostly found in eastern Queensland

and New South Wales 1n closed forest.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 8

e Capparis canescens (Wild Orange). It is found 1n coastal and sub-coastal

Queensland.

e Capparis lasiantha (Nipan, Split Jack). It is found in most areas of

Queensland and northern Australia but not in the extreme south-east corner

of Queensland.

Australia including the Pilbara.

wetter forests of south-eastern Queensland, usually near the margins.

e Capparis sepiaria. \t grows across northern Australia.

Note that there are over 20 species of Capparis recorded 1n Queensland. Some of

these may also prove to be host plants.

9 species have been recorded in Western Australia (Paczkowska & Chapman 2000).

New Host Plant: Santalum spicatum (Sandalwood) is a hemiparasitic shrub or tree

which grows to 4 metres. It has stiff spreading branchlets. The leaves are opposite,

lanceolate-elliptic, 20—70 mm x 3—15 mm, grey-green, obtuse and leathery.

Flowers are in short panicles with four red and green triangular tepals, 1-2 mm long

and 4 short stamens around a central disc.

Fruit are globular drupes, 15—25 mm diameter, brown to green and not succulent. The

stone 1s mottled brown, dull and fairly smooth with fine pits.

Its distribution is mainly concentrated in the central and south-western areas of

Western Australia, but not in the extreme south-western region, and in parts of South

Australia. A small outlier occurs in the Pilbara region of Western Australia where the

host plant is located.

The preferred soil types in which it 1s most often found are red, sandy soils amongst

rocks, red lateritic soils with a surface of ironstone gibbers and in soils derived from

banded ironstone.

The associated plant species that were growing in the area included Eucalyptus

leucophloia (Snappy Gum), E. socialis (Red Mallee), Grevillea wickhamii (Holly

Grevillea), Hakea lorea (Corkwood), Jacksonia sp., Acacia adoxa, Acacia spp. and

Ptilotus obovatus (Cottonbush).

Family Santalaceae The plants 1n this family can be hemiparasitic or non-parasitic.

A hemiparasitic plant is partly dependent on other plants, from which they take

nutrients, usually via the root system or stem vascular system. They can also make

some of their own food as they possess chlorophyll and so can photosynthesise, e.g.

mistletoes. They can be trees, shrubs or herbs. The fruits are indehiscent, nut-like or

drupaceous. The seeds have copious endosperm.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 9

e Santalum acuminatum (R. Br.)

(Quandong, Desert Quandong). The

fruit of this tree has sweet edible flesh

that is much valued for making pies,

jellies and jams, see Fig 12.

e Santalum lanceolatum (R.Btr.)

(Plumwood, Northern Sandalwood). It

is Sometimes substituted for Santalum

spicatum in its uses, see Fig 13.

e Santalum murrayanum

(T. Mitch.) (Bitter Quandong). This

tree has bitter tasting fruit and the seeds

are dispersed by emus, see Fig 14.

e Santalum obtusifolium

(A sandalwood). Shrub to 2 metres

with black, purple, ovoid fruit to 10

mm. Found in sub-coastal south-

eastern Queensland and northern New

South Wales.

e Santalum spicatum (R. Br.)

(Sandalwood). This 1s the classic

sandalwood harvested for the rina of oil used in perfumes, soaps, incense

and folk medicine. Harvesting is now restricted 1n the wild. The larvae of

the Caper White were observed feeding only on the Santalum spicatum.

They do not appear to use the other four Santalum species.

References

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

volume 1, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

Corrick, M.G., Fuhrer, B.A. 2002, Wildflowers of Southern Western Australia, Five Mile

Press, Noble Park, Victoria.

Lester, N.C 2008, Woodland to Weeds: Southern Queensland Brigalow Belt, 2™ edition,

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 10

Moore, P. 2005, A Guide to Plants of Inland Australia, Reed New Holland, Sydney, NSW.

Moss, J.T. 2002, Butterfly Host Plants of South-east Queensland and Northern New South

Wales, 3"° (rev.) Edition, Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club, Runcorn

Queensland.

Orr, A., Kitching, R. 2010, The Butterflies of Australia, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.

Paczkowska, G., Chapman, A.R. 2000, The Western Australian Flora: a descriptive catalogue,

Wildflower Society of Western Australia (Inc), The Western Australian Herbarium,

CALM, and the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Perth, 2000.

All photographs Graham J. McDonald

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Artisans of the Gum Trees — Densey Clyne

Through my kitchen window this morning, I watched a Wanderer butterfly laying her

eges on a plant of Red Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), a food plant of her

caterpillars. The plants come up everywhere in my cottage garden and this very day I

was about to prune the rather straggly clump down to the ground. Now the attractively

banded caterpillars will do it for me. They are welcome. Good to have them on staff.

Gardener I may be, but I am a serious

champion of caterpillars. The attractive

colour patterns of many moth larvae, in

particular, are not generally appreciated,

perhaps because they are so good at hiding

their light under a bushel. Or a leaf or stem.

But it 1s not so much the beauty of many

caterpillars that attracts me (though I

marvel at it) as their often surprising ways

of manipulating the environment to meet

their specific needs, usually in the interests

of security.

For me, the doyens of these insect artisans

are the larvae of case moths, particularly

that of Saunders Case Moth (Metura

elongatus). Well known and quite common

in the Eastern States, the large, elongate,

light brown tubular case covered with little

sticks is usually seen hanging in a eucalypt

or sometimes a garden tree. You can't miss

. i} it.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 11

So how does the caterpillar make that impressive case? It has to be a strong shelter

because a case moth female stays in it for life, first as a caterpillar then as a pupa,

emerging from the pupal shell as a flightless moth, and laying her eggs inside.

Obviously, the basic structure 1s woven of silk and what copious quantities she must

produce to make it too tough for most birds to tackle. But I wondered about the sticks.

They are obviously cut to size being all about the same length and thickness, so some

finesse must be required in their selection and preparation.

Over the years, I have had several case moths on my kitchen bench happily feeding on

fresh gum leaves. One of these was a well-grown caterpillar with a large case that

clearly needed a new stick. Here was my opportunity to find out her technique. So I

watched and waited and, to my delight, one day she fastened her case towards the end

of a stem and I was able to record the precise steps of her procedure from start to

finish, as follows:

1. Her case already fixed with silk to a suitable stem the caterpillar pokes her

head and thorax out of the opening at the top, reaches forward and snips off the leafy

end of the stem, which 1s discarded.

2. She measures (how’?) the appropriate distance back from the newly cut

end of the stem, and, her case securely attached behind this, cuts the stick free.

. 14

iy,-¢

we.

3. Attaching the new stick temporarily to the top of the case the caterpillar

withdraws out of sight inside. There she starts cutting a hole in the thick felt-like

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 12

fabric with her mandibles. This takes some time but finally her head emerges and she

finishes the job in full view.

4. The hole completed, the caterpillar reaches up through it and detaches the

stick from its temporary tether at the top of the case.

5. She brings the stick into place, manipulating it with her feet, to align it

vertically with the hole.

6. Finally, retreating out of sight, she weaves the stick tightly into place. Job

done. j -

if ae

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 13

bd bd 0

The whole process can take up to an hour and a half. It seems to me a remarkable

series of actions for a simple caterpillar to carry out. But it should never be assumed

that any insect 1s simple; after all, they've had millions of years to work it all out.

While the Saunders Case Moth female

remains incarcerated the mature male

does actually escape from his case. But

the question is, how do they mate? I get

a partial answer to this one morning

when I find a male moth fluttering crazily

about my kitchen floor. He has emerged

overnight from a case on the kitchen

bench, my first male sighting. I admire

his unexpectedly beautiful coat of silky

black and gold tufts and his black wings.

I take his furry body gently in my fingers

and put him back on his discarded pupal

shell but he becomes agitated, jerking

about and rapidly rotating his abdomen.

Then I notice to my astonishment that his

abdomen is telescopic - he has extended

it to nearly twice its original length!

So this must be the answer to the

— question of meeting and mating.

_ Attracted by her scent to a gravid female

the male settles at the bottom of her case,

inserts his long, narrow abdomen into the

lower opening and by touch alone

connects with the female in her dark chamber. A blind date indeed!

Alas, there are no suitable females available on my kitchen bench for this male so I

put him outside to try his luck elsewhere.

I have noticed at the base of some cases a single longer-than-usual stick. Could this be

attached there by a hopeful female as a landing platform for her suitor’? I would not be

surprised.

Photos Densey Clyne

KREERRREKER

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 14

Golden Green Stag Beetle (Lamprima latreillii) --- A picture story —

Hongming Kan

Last summer, I wrote a short article on my experience of capturing the Brown Stag

Beetle (Rhyssonotus nebulosus) in Brisbane and it was published in the club magazine

(Issue No. 76 March 2015). One of the goals of last summer’s trip was to find Golden

Green Stag Beetles (Lamprima l/atreillii). Unfortunately, to my great disappointment,

I failed to capture any of them. Nor did I see any of their larvae or pupae. However,

based on information gleaned from the Internet, I knew they did occur in the Brisbane

area. So | jumped to the conclusion that they might be threatened or endangered due

to the land clearing and dry weather.

This summer, the hope of getting my hands on Golden Green Stag Beetles was

rekindled after consulting with a fellow club member Richard Zietek, who 1s an expert

on beetles. I was told the larvae of Golden Green Stag Beetles prefer certain types of

tree, Casuarinas and Acacias being their favourite hosts. The key to finding them 1s to

find the decaying logs of the right trees. The next day, I went to a local bush area with

a single-minded focus on finding fallen logs of those trees. Not long after trekking

along the track, with a stroke of luck, I spotted Casuarina logs lying 1n the shadow of

other standing trees. The logs were so soft that they could be easily broken apart by

hand without much effort, which was a promising sign that they were thoroughly

rotten and were likely to be inhabited by beetle larvae.

The inside of the log was teeming with life with termites, black ants and brown stag

beetle larvae and pupae living side by side. I was seized by ecstasy when I saw a

female Golden Green Stag Beetle pupa inside the log! Finally, years of relentless

search came to successful fruition!

a = - .

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 15

Two days later, a beautiful red female golden stag beetle emerged from the pupa.

There was only one Golden Green Stag Beetle larva in the first log but in another log

nearby, I found four female larvae. The interesting thing was that in the second log,

there were no Brown Stag Beetles inside as they seemed to be a dominant species and

had appeared in almost all rotten logs I had dug before.

The Golden Green Stag Beetle 1s a colourful species. The females come 1n two

colours---red and blue.

In total, I found six larvae on that lucky day. It almost made my day except that no

male Golden Green Stag Beetle was found. But it was already a very good start for

me.

I returned to the same area the next day, venturing off track deep into the bush. After

hours of searching, I finally came across a male pupa inside a big rotten Casuarina

tree.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 16

A few days later, a beautiful male Golden Green Stag Beetle emerged.

One day after emergi

Larvae of Golden Green Stag Beetles

were also found inside the rotten logs.

The body of a lava tapers toward the end, which

is a unique feature among all Lamprima species

and can be used to tell /amprima larvae apart

from other stag beetle larvae.

I had no experience of breeding beetles up to that

point but it suddenly dawned on me that if I took

the whole log home and emulated their natural

living conditions in captivity, there was a very good chance the larvae could develop

into adults.

Golden Stag

Beetle larva

So I took a number of larvae and a few rotten logs home and put them in a big

container. According to my observations, the host logs always lay in shady and cool

places where the sun could not directly shine on them meaning humidity could be

preserved. In order to approximate the larvae’s

natural living conditions, I put the container in

my study room and sprayed water on the logs

on a daily basis. One month later, when my

curiosity got the better of me, I broke the logs

open to check the progress of the larvae. Most

had pupated and only one of them had died. I

was pretty happy that my first trial of raising

beetle larvae went well.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 17

My intuition, honed through days of rolling logs, reached the point where I could

easily tell whether a log contained Golden Green Stag Beetles or not just by looking

at it, so finding them became easier for me in the following days.

Another interesting thing I discovered is

that often times, the dead bodies of male

Golden Stag Beetles appeared in the same

log where live female adults were found.

Initially, I surmised maybe the males died

soon after mating with females until I

witnessed firsthand that some females

killed males after mating with them. Not

all females enjoy the killing but 1t seems

the smaller and weaker males are prone to

the atrocities of their spouses. I suspect

this is because, in order to lay healthy

eggs, the females need more nutrition and

animal protein and the best way to get

them is from their unsuspecting (and maybe willing) partners.

Unlike most butterflies, which emerge on reaching maturity, beetles may remain

dormant after emerging, for a period of time ranging from a few days to a year or two.

During this inactive period, they stay in their pupa cells completely motionless, as if

they are dead. Sometimes even their

limbs become stiff like a dried specimen

and they don’t respond to outside

stimulations. One day I found one such

Golden Stag Beetle among several newly

emerged ones. I thought it was dead and

left 1t on the foam board to pin but was

distracted by other things. A few hours

later when I returned to it, I was surprised

to see the beetle’s legs were slowly

moving.

On average, Golden Green Stag Beetles spend two to three

weeks “sleeping” after emerging. After they wake up, they are

ready for the most important task in the final stage of their

lives --- reproduction.

Contrary to what I thought last summer, they are not endangered or threatened here in

Brisbane but are indeed not easy to come by. I do not want this beautiful creature to

disappear from my local area so I have released most of the mated females near the

original places where I found them.

Se Se i i i a

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 18

“New” species observation for Bundanoon, NSW — Alan Hyman

On Thursday 15" January 2015, I recorded a ‘new’ species (as far as my personal

observations go) of a butterfly for Bundanoon, bringing my total to 57 for the local

district. Whilst driving into town from the north around a sweeping bend, I observed

what appeared to be a ‘spotted’ butterfly lying on the road between the double white

lines. I drove another 50 metres where I could execute a ‘U’ turn safely near a rail

bridge, drove back past the insect to do another *U’ turn at a country lane and returned

to stop beside the butterfly. With hazard lights flashing and ensuring there were no

vehicles behind, I leapt out, swept the unfortunate insect onto the passenger seat, and

jumped back into the car. (An impatient driver then passed me on the ‘wrong’ side!)

The battered specimen turned out to be a Blue Tiger (Tirumala hamata) and

confirmed a couple of suspected sightings years ago (20037) of a large ‘greyish’

butterfly seen from a distance but never identified. A bushcare acquaintance told me

‘Alan, you are the only person we know who would do that — referring to the car

incident.’ (The sighting last year probably coincided with the appearance of large

numbers of Blue Tigers in S.E.Q. about this date.) To further reinforce my

observation, a friend from Kiama (a coastal town about 50 km to the east of

Bundanoon) reported seeing this species — plus I observed another flying at Jubilee

Park near Glebe (inner Sydney city harbor area) on the 21“ January 2015 — as well as

a Lemon Migrant (Catopsilia pomona). It’s pleasing to have these welcome visitors!

OK Oi Fi OR FS OK OK OK OK OK

Life history notes on the Speckled Line-blue, Catopyrops florinda

halys (Butler, 1877) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae — Wesley Jenkinson

This small, beautifully coloured butterfly species is

known from two subspecies within Queensland. The

southern subspecies are known as Catopyrops florinda

~_ halys and is encountered along much of eastern

Queensland south from Byfield (I.F.B. Common, in

Braby, 2000) southwards to Stanwell Park New South

“eee Wales (Waterhouse, in Braby 2000). It occurs in a wide

~~~ _-variety of habitats including subtropical rainforest

--** margins, dry vine forest and in suburban gardens in

| — south-eastern Queensland. It 1s frequently common

where the host plants are established.

Adult flight 1s very rapid, particularly the males which are strongly territorial and

swiftly chase other males and small lycaenids entering their territory. Basking adults

typically settle on the outer foliage of small shrubs and trees with their wings open

towards the sun with the head slightly angled downwards. While feeding, the wings

generally remain closed, but occasionally the hind wings are very slightly opened and

alternated up and down with the movement of the two tail appendages simulating

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 19

antennae of a false head — thus confusing would be predators. The males do not

appear to hilltop.

Within Queensland, male uppersides show little variation while females show

significant seasonal variation in the extent of the metallic blue on the upperside.

Winter females have pale blue scaling extending across most of the wings. Summer

females often have much reduced, darker blue metallic scaling across the wings, being

almost absent in some individuals. Intermediate specimens also occur. The underside

markings vary in size and intensity in both sexes.

Wingspans for the pictured adult specimens are males 22mm and females 23mm.

Images left to right: male, female, male underside, female underside (Summer specimens)

Catopyrops florinda halys (Speckled Line-blue)

The following host plant families are listed by various authors listed in Braby 2000,

Caesalpiniaceae, Sapindaceae, Ulmaceae and Urticaceae.

Ovipositing females typically fly slowly throughout the host tree branches and settle

on fresh leaf buds or flower buds in a sheltered position. Larger leaves are also

selected where they walk below the leaf laying a single egg near the midrib or a

scarred section of leaf. The wings remain closed while ovipositing occurs. I have

observed females egg laying between mid-morning and mid-afternoon in hot or warm

sunny conditions at various times of the year.

In February 2009, an egg was collected and raised through to an adult

in captivity on a favoured host plant Native Mulberry (Pipturus

argenteus). Another commonly used native host plant in this region 1s

Poison Peach (Trema tomentosa). This freshly laid, very tiny egg was

pale greenish-white, mandarin shaped, approximately 0.6 mm wide x

0.4 mm high, covered in small triangular shaped pitting with small rounded raised

projections.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 20

The larva consumed most of the eggshell after emergence. The highly camouflaged

small larva rested below fresh new shoots next to the leaf midrib. It ate the lower

epidermis of the leaf causing the leaf to appear skeletonised, leaving small black

patches on the young fresh leaves. The larger larval instars also chewed through the

leaves creating holes. It fed during daylight in captivity. Larvae are occasionally

attended by ants. On one occasion I observed a larva being attended by a Rattle Ant

(Polyrhachis sp.).

This larva attained a length of 12mm and completed 5 instars as pictured.

ms - > ;

: en . . v_ \‘e

Ps @ .

: ~

)

1“ instar larva 2"¢ instar larva 3" instar larva

4" instar larva

5"" instar larva dorsal view

In captivity, the pupa, measuring 7mm in

length, was located below a leat of the host

plant. It was attached with silk by the

cremaster and a central girdle.

Egg duration was 4 days, larval duration

was 21 days while pupal duration was 10

days.

Within the new boundary of the Scenic Rim Regional

Shire south of Brisbane, I have records of the adults

during all months, being less numerous from August to

November. It appears there may be three or more

generations in this region.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 21

Reference:

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

vol 2. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

OK OK OK OK OK oR OK OK OK oR

PART 2 - CREATING A BUTTERFLY FRIENDLY GARDEN FROM

SCRATCH — Continuing Graham McDonald’s 4 part series of “Gardening for

Butterflies” which was originally printed beginning with issue (#17) June 2000 of the

BOIC Newsletter.

If your piece of ground is undeveloped or just composed of weed species, then you

are in a position to create a butterfly haven.

Where do you begin? Consider the needs of the insects you wish to attract and

maintain. What are their basic requirements?

(a) Larval host plants in sufficient quantity and of sufficient size to support

caterpillars.

(b) Sheltered and sunny, wind free areas for butterflies to alight on leaves to sun

themselves.

lengths of proboscis. Most of these flowers tend to be tubular in shape although some

butterflies use the nectar of Eucalyptus spp. which have wide and shallow flowers.

(d) Sufficient flight paths and spaces between plant groups in order that butterflies

may fly to their preferred plants.

(e) Some muddy and wet areas for butterflies to sip mineralised water.

(f) A few untidy and wild grassy areas containing native grass species, especially

clumping 7hemeda and Poa, Lomandra spp., Dianellas and Gahnias which are never

mown or sprayed with chemicals.

When creating a new garden, it would be a mistake to plant only butterfly host plants,

as the result would probably look very scrappy and unattractive. A better plan would

be to plant a variety of indigenous native species and include say 30% - 40% of

butterfly host plants within the plantings. In this way, 60% - 70% of plants would

form the framework of the garden. They would not become chewed and those

chewed plants would not dominate.

Divide the garden up into a number of sections - this can be planned on paper so that

each section contains plants with similar basic requirements. The idea here is for low

maintenance. The sections may include:

* a subtropical rainforest area

* a dry rainforest area

* adry sclerophyll area

* a heathland area

* a wetland area

* a herb and grass area.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 22

If your land 1s flat and small, you may opt for only one or two of these plant

community areas. If your terrain is larger and has varied topography you will be able

to accommodate all the plant communities you wish.

Each plant community type should be separated by 2 - 3 metre wide paths.

Communities of taller plants would ideally be located to the south of those containing

smaller sun-loving species such as sedges and heathy shrubs. Wetland areas need to

be located in the lowest part of the land or near a dam // creek or catch runoff from the

house or higher parts of the land.

Each of these plant communities will be dealt with in subsequent newsletters but the

basic principles of good design and preparation are common to all.

Soul and Site Preparation

1. Bare and Grassy Areas - Spray entire area with glyphosate (mix according to

directions on label). Leave 10 days and respray missed areas. Alternatively, cover

the entire area with overlapping newspaper (minimum 10 pages thick) and mulch with

10 cm of organic mulch. Leave 2 - 3 months before planting 1n It.

2. Bare Soil - If the soil is subsoil clay, then cover with 15 cm of imported soil, plant

and mulch. If the soil is topsoil, then plant and mulch with 15 cm of organic mulch (or

vice versa). It is a good idea to test the pH of the soil and add lime or dolomite before

mulching to raise the pH to 6.5.

If the area 1s flat, then soil should be formed into raised beds separated by

drainage channels (with or without pipes) before mulching. The beds need to be

raised only 15 cm - 20 cm.

3. Scattered trees on site - Remove any ‘feral’ trees, e.g. Camphor Laurel and

Corymbia torelliana. Leave local trees and local clumping grass species. Kull grass

between trees by mulching or use glyphosate and then mulch. Plant understorey

shrubs, rushes, grasses and herbs which suit that area and are of local indigenous

origin. You are now ready to plant.

BOOK REVIEWS

Mistletoes of Subtropical Queensland, New

Mi stletoe s South Wales and Victoria — Reviewed by

ser ~c aid rome are- Glenn Leiper

After an almost ten year labour of love, many thousands of

kilometers in research and field visits, and numerous drafts,

authors John Moss and Ross Kendall have delivered the

eagerly anticipated “The Mistletoes of Subtropical

Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria”.

And what a book it is ... meticulous in detail, colourful in

presentation, and eauily readable in text and layout.

MMMM WWW WM MMMM

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 23

It ticks all the boxes.

e Coverage of all species in the region, from Rockhampton to Victoria ... tick!

e Easy species identification ... tick!

e Lots of supporting information for each species, including the butterflies and

moths using them as hosts ... tick!

e Extensive general mistletoe information ... tick!

e Lots of supporting anecdotes and interesting information ... tick!

e Excellent clear photos ... tick!

e Distribution maps for each species ... tick!

e Anexcellent cover that stands out (paintings by Lois Hughes) ... tick!

e Clear uncluttered line drawings ... tick!

Additionally, it’s well designed, effectively organised, and the text is clear and

concise, yet appropriately descriptive where needed. But what would you expect from

an author who 1s a retired medical practitioner, has published many entomological and

botanical papers and articles, has delivered countless talks to community groups, and

has a passion for a wide range of natural history areas (John), and an author who has

cuided the growth of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club (Inc) for nine years as

President, has developed an incredible knowledge of butterfly breeding through his

hobby/business post-“retirement”, has developed a passion for photography, and is a

retired secondary school teacher (Ross)?

At 140 pages in BS size, 1t’s comfortable to carry as a field guide, yet contains

extensive and comprehensive coverage of the 51 mistletoe species (including

subspecies) and closely related plants. Not a fraction of a page has been wasted, with

the authors maximizing all available space, packing it with either photos, drawings or

text - a feature I greatly admire! Nothing is more frustrating than opening a new book

and finding a large percentage of the book has blank space! The authors have

endeavoured to ensure that not a chance 1s missed to deliver concise information and

tremendous supporting colour photos at every opportunity. (There are nearly 230

colour photos by the way.)

The authors have provided an interesting and comprehensive coverage of mistletoes

and their ecology, including their structure, their diversity and adaptations, all

available information on their hosting of butterfly and moth larva, and also some

revealing explanatory information on the oft-repeated fallacy of mistletoes killing

their host trees, and much more. They explain the differences between the two main

mistletoe families, Loranthaceae and Viscaceae, and this provides the scaffolding for

the book’s organization, so that closely related species are clustered together in the

book, as well as similar species being referred to 1n each relevant species’ description.

Each species’ coverage includes a distribution map, a detailed description of its

attachment method to the host, its growth habit, its foliage, flowers and fruit, its

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 24

habitat, and any butterflies and moths that use it as a host, any other interesting

information, and photos that 1n most cases includes the plant itself, 1ts foliage, flowers

and fruit. There is a glossary, taxonomic lists of all mistletoes in the book as well as

butterflies and moths mentioned, and a detailed reference list. Many references are

also made throughout the book to scientific papers and references, as well as relevant

discoveries and observations by people 1n the field. All of this information provides

not only a detailed coverage of the subject but also an interesting personalized

account that reveals a deep passion for mistletoes by the authors.

This is a book that is a must for those interested in botany and entomology, or for

anyone with an interest in learning more about the east coast’s biodiversity, and of

course for anyone wanting to identify those much maligned but fascinating mistletoes.

I highly recommend it. The ten year wait was worth it!

Ed. This book is available from BOIC for a member’s price of $25 (RRP $30) plus

P&H.

i i te i ie

All About Butterflies of Australia by Garry Sankowsky —

Reviewed by Frank Jordan

The beauty of butterflies 1s what draws people to admire them,

and indeed this book 1s full of pictures of many of the most

attractive ones. However, there 1s much more to this book than

just pretty pictures.

BUTTERFLIES Garry is the most experienced butterfly enthusiast in Australia

2h Bas ESA and he shares the knowledge he has accumulated over many

decades. Not only does he anticipate the things people want to

know about butterflies. but also lets us know the things we need

to know to fully understand the world of butterflies.

Publishers will often pressure authors of butterfly books to exclude photos of

caterpillars as they think this will make the book more attractive. Garry has liberally

included photos of caterpillars throughout the book, even in some cases showing all

the different stages that the caterpillar goes through. And when, for example, the

reader comes to the photo of the Black-and-white Tiger (Swamp Tiger) or the

Leafwing they will realize that caterpillars also have their own beauty.

Various aspects of the butterfly lifecycle are well covered in the early part of the

book. Also covered are some of the predators of butterflies and the attempts of

butterflies to avoid being eaten. I particularly appreciated the photo of the egg of the

tachinid fly that parasitises many butterfly caterpillars.

There is a section on setting up a butterfly garden and a list of some basic butterfly

plants. This is enough to get the reader started on what can become a very large

enterprise.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 25

Garry has a few pages about the damage that inappropriate fire burning regimes can

have on butterfly populations. His statement that “A butterfly 1s not protected unless

its habitat 1s protected.” seems obvious to me, but I know that most politicians ignore

it.

There is a discussion about the difference between butterflies and moths at the

beginning and some examples of moths at the end of the book. He includes photos of

two beautiful exotic moths on pages 6 and 7 to make a point about Gondwanaland

The main part of the book gives examples of the many different butterflies we have in

Australia. Where space permits, there are bits of interesting information about the

butterflies. As a bonus, photos of the full lifecycle of the endangered Fritillary

butterfly are included since Garry 1s one of the few people to have seen this butterfly

in the wild.

This is the book you need to read to take you from an interest in butterflies to an

enthusiasm for butterflies. At 168 pages, it 1s a bit small to go into much detail on

such a vast subject. However, once you’ve started with this book you will be well

equipped to continue your voyage of discovery.

Ed. This book is available from BOIC for a member’s price of $25 (RRP $29.95) plus

P&H.

TK OK OK 2K OK 28 28 OK

The Australian Native Bee Book by Tim Heard — Reviewed by

Frank Jordan

This book is about the stingless bees of Australia and there

are several things that make this book special.

The Australian

Native Bee Book

Firstly, there is the depth of experience about native bees that

has been accessed by the author. Many people have been

entranced by our stingless bees and this has resulted in a

wealth of amateur observation and experimentation. A

perusal of the acknowledgement page reveals a multitude of

names and these are just a few of the people who could be

named.

Secondly, the author has been running workshops on native bees for many years. He

has a feel for what people are interested in finding out, especially the practical side of

things.

Thirdly, the author 1s also a scientist who has done a lot of research in this area. Some

of the information about our bees is hidden away in obscure journals but the author

has the skills to ferret it out for his readers.

The book 1s well laid out and has a logical structure making it easier to just find the

parts you may be interested in. There are many photos, each one illustrating some

point being made in the text, many being beautiful and some are just astonishing.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 26

The book is divided into three main sections — Understanding bees, Keeping hives of

stingless bees and using Bees for pollination.

The first section 1s comprehensive. It starts with what is a bee? It puts our stingless

bees into their geographical context and compares them to the European bee. It

considers their evolutionary history. There is even a chapter written with Dr Anne

Dollin (Australian Native Bee Research Centre) incorporating the latest research

about all of our native stingless species.

The second section is about beekeeping. I have no doubt that this is what will be of

most interest to readers. It contains much practical information and the photos here

are particularly useful. The author does point out that he mainly deals with versions of

the OATH hive which is the most widespread hive design. There are many other

designs but realistically it would require another book to cover them.

Research on pollination of crops by native bees is still in its infancy. The material

presented in this section details what has been learnt so far. The author was a pioneer

in this research. If the European honey bee goes into serious decline we will have an

important backup for some of our crops.

This is an excellent book. Buy it. Read it. And join the community of bee-lovers.

Ed. This book is available from BOIC for a member’s price of $30 (RRP $35) plus

P&H.

ee Se ee

The Naming of Australia’s Dragonflies by tan Endersby and Heinrich

Fliedner. Publisher: Busybird publishing, Eltham, Victoria.

(2015). ISBN: 9781925260625 (paperback). 278pp. (No retail

~ price; as softcover-in octavo format or pdf — contact

endersby@mira.net) — Reviewed by Kelvyn L. Dunn

The Naming of Australia’s Dragonflies 1s not a book about the

dragonfly fauna of the continent, nor is it a field guide. The title

clearly indicates the work’s speciality; it deals principally with

the etymologies of the names of the 544 taxa of dragonfly

known to occur within Australia, a fauna that currently contains

(or has contained) 121 genera, 7 subgenera, 336 species, 18

subspecies, and 62 synonyms or homonyms. To provide some

background, the project has foundations in lan Endersby’s three papers published in

2012 on the etymologies of Victorian taxa and of those taxa named by prominent

entities. This new work, however, expands the 70% coverage of the Australian

dragonfly fauna tackled 1n those preliminary pieces to the nationwide extent and,

importantly, includes all that specialist knowledge in one place. Endersby

unashamedly clarifies too that his collaboration with Heinrich Fliedner arose from

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 27

| \ h SH

' HEINRICH FLILIANER

philological corrections (among others) to those earlier research papers. The primary

author wrote, “Heinrich has invested so much intellectual effort into this project that 1t

is only right and proper that he should be recognised as a co-author” (p. vii). This

collaborative piece, now of broader scope and in a book format, will undoubtedly

reach a wider audience in the natural sciences due to increased availability, and will

appeal to those with an interest in taxonomic etymology — the study of the origin and

derivation of words used in naming species. Although aimed at classicists (sadly rare

among today’s entomologists), the book will draw readership too from those who

wish to learn about the varied lives of the taxonomists involved. This human

component effectively enlarges the audience the book caters for; and it 1s always

interesting to read about the lives of others in entomology. One’s curiosity will be

piqued whilst delving into those fact-filled biographical sections.

In the Preface, the primary author (Endersby) explains his fascination with words and

their meanings, and relates how he has juxtaposed that literary curiosity with his long-

standing enthusiasm for the study of the Odonata (Dragonflies and damselflies). To

achieve this scholarly work, he and his co-author have examined all original

descriptions, whether published in Latin, French or German (most are not in English),

and deduced the etymologies from Greek and Latin roots, where the origins are less

than clear in the original descriptions. Indeed, not all workers who named species

were informative enough to explain why they selected a specific epithet for a

particular species, so this has left room for some detective work. To that analysis, the

first author admits that speculation has been a scientific tool as part of the process,

where other approaches failed. He openly admits too, that those descriptions in

German and Latin posed an intellectual challenge, one that required assistance by

acknowledged specialists with aptitude in those languages to enable clear

interpretations.

The Introduction (pp.1-26) 1s a varied section. It discusses the historic foundations for

the naming of the Australian species and presents a cumulative chart from the years

1750 to beyond 2000. The nature of the slope and evident inflexions enabled the

authors to divide the timeline into three proposed eras (1758-1845, 1845(reiterated)-

1906, and 1907-2013). Discussion of these eras includes coverage of the key

contributors to each. The third era is described as the Era of Australian Odonatology,

but one might not assume that that era 1s closed (as the terminal year of 2013 might

imply); undoubtedly, more species particularly cryptic ones are yet to be recognised

in Australia, and in future decades named and described. The introductory section also

explains where the names of the dragonflies have (or may have) their inspirations. As

in the Lepidoptera (the Order I am familiar with), these are based on the names of

people, places, the insects’ physical appearance, their colouration, patterns, sizes,

beauty (even wonderment), and of course, similarities to other earlier named taxa. A

very few have been named based on their behaviour, evolution, field abundance or

frequency (a trend I would like to see change). Still others are in the basket of

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 28

uncertainty (where their taxonomic positions are presently unclear) and the Latin

descriptor, /ncertae sedis (used rather loosely in this work), categorises those select

taxa where the authors were unable to deduce a meaning for the names selected. The

112 eponyms are categorised by percentage (with the names of odonatologists

comprising the largest category at 27%), and 42 toponyms are detailed, with most

species having been named after the first place of capture. In addition, tables display

the dragonfly taxonomists and the species names they selected, arrayed according to

several categories of persons (namely, Odonatologists, collectors, figures from

antiquity, other entomologists, relatives, friends and colleagues, other naturalists and

unclassified eponyms).

Towards its end, the Introduction explains the methodology of research and the

investigative approaches to etymology and the unravelling of the complexities of

historical grammars. In process, this section outlines issues with determining gender

alignments of the base and root names, 1n order to comply with the conventions and

rulings of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, and other complexities

of that Code’s requirements for contemporary nomenclatural standardisations and

procedures. Technological changes may become influential here; one remains curious

as to whether the ‘digital divide’ will influence these taxonomic rulings in the future.

It is conceivable that as databased knowledge expands across decades, the need for

unified spellings will increasingly be emphasised to enable scientific information on

species to be more accessible by internet search engines seeking scholarly reports.

Perhaps we will see the retention of the original spellings of species’ names become

the norm, rather than perceived, as at this time, as forms of quirkiness, eccentricity or

even author-defiance (potentially rooted in Australian larrikinism?) The mandatory

ruling that requires the modification of declinable adjectives to facilitate any gender

alignment, wherever applicable, may become historic in order to expedite digital

simplicity and lead to what some perceive as taxonomic common sense.

The biographical accounts (pp. 27-87), including black and white portraits, provide

detailed historical coverage of over 40 personages who have contributed to the

naming process. Many of these historic workers will be familiar to broader insect

taxonomists and enthusiasts alike, as most have named insect species outside of the

Odonata. Names such as Macleay, Drury and Kirby drew immediate attention from

the butterfly perspective, and these were read first in order to ‘sense the book’.

Several workers biographed are still living and others have become famously

recognised across centuries. Many readers will find something of charm in these short

accounts. A dilemma faced by K. J. Morton of Edinburgh, Scotland, the lay worker

who named Chorismagrion risi from northern Queensland, deserves a moments’

reflection. It 1s written, that “Although offered the post of manager (at the British

Linen Bank), he declined this honour to have more leisure time for the pursuit of

entomological studies.” (p. 70). Granted that some workers pursued their fondness for

dragonflies as professional entomologists, usually associated with universities,

museums or other research institutes, others, like Morton (1858-1940), developed

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 29

expertise and recognition through recreational activity (albeit, seemingly not without

some lifestyle curtailment at times). Nevertheless, these founders of dragonfly naming

have ensured an enduring contribution — a legacy of dedicated published and

unpublished work built upon today.

The bulk of the book, from page 95 onwards, focusses on taxon etymology — the

naming of the fauna. It alphabetically lists genus and species epithets with one or

more explanations offered for each, where determined. For each name (including

synonyms), the language of origin 1s specified, the gender where determined or

applicable is given, and any relevant details of grammar (which include whether

names are standard adjectives, declinable adjectives, nouns 1n genitive case, nouns in

apposition, among others) are provided to assist with nomenclatural changes across

time. Coverage includes the authority (or authorities) for each name (including the

genus to which each was earliest assigned), the year of publication and the page

number(s) in the sources concerned (each listed in the References). The References

contain over 270 historic and contemporary sources, and this section (pp. 237-262)

stands as more than just a list of the publications consulted as part of fact

reinforcement. The references, in this context, are arguably part of the body text itself

because the sources cement into taxonomy as a formal component of species names

and the names of genera and, indelibly for the higher groupings too. Five Appendices

then conclude the book; these deal with the number and levels of taxa named by each

author (and joint authors), the categorisations of root names of genera and species, the

genders of generic names, and the English and Latin equivalents of the Greek

alphabet.

The text has been meticulously proof read, no quick task given the complexity of

some sections, and the main body is succinct and clearly written, save some minor

concerns. There are very few typographic errors (although one would unlikely detect

these in the spellings of scientific names that one 1s largely unfamiliar with); there 1s a

mistakenly spelled State name under the account for Moulds (see p. 82), as one

example. The biographies are chronological according to the date of publication of the

species relevant to Australia, rather than alphabetical by surname, or chronological

from the year of the worker’s birth. To navigate this section, the sequential listing of

the author-biographies presented on p.27 will enable the reader to seek out those of

interest, given that there is no Index of any form at the rear of the book. In addition,

one or more of the author-biographies of the European specialists refer the attendance

at a ‘Gymnasium’ (e.g. T. de Charpentier, p.40), reflecting the German usage of that

term, and which 1s clarified (albeit later) in the biography of F.M. Brauer (on p. 49).

Essentially, the European “Gymnasium’ equates to a Secondary School (often an

advanced or academic one, rather like a ‘Grammar School’). That definition 1s

broader than the word’s usage in English today, where it specifies a place of physical

education. In the expanded Polish and Greek usage, ‘Gymnasium’ may include

middle schooling or even young adult learning centres, and this system may also

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 30

apply to some biographies; essentially, the European usage has its origins in the

Ancient Greek educational system.

A couple of other technical issues are worth discussing, before closing. Those with a

limited knowledge of European languages may find this additional information

insightful. The term Ypsilon, 1s the German name of the Greek Upsilon (defined on p.

277), which is the 20" letter of the Greek alphabet. The Greek name Upsilon can be

used to refer to the Latin letter Y as well as the Greek letter 1t intends. However, the

name Ypsi/on is not included in Appendix 5, which seemed confusing on my first

reading when I met with this term, because Y 1s not in the Greek alphabet — the Greek

language has only 24 letters, and the name is Germanic. Hence, it is a common

transliteration into German of a Greek letter (as stated on p. 278). Another issue

pertains to name changes of taxonomists. It seemed, on prima facie evidence, that the

information on the Latinisation of the name of Carl von Linné was confused (or at

least confusing to me), based on alternative versions I had read in the past. One might

reasonably suppose that von Linné would be the original Swedish spelling of

Linnaeus, perhaps the version used prior to his academic career or publishing history,

but a simple explanation is not always the likeliest one. Concerning this historical

change of name, and when that event happened, the primary author responded with

fuller information. This provided some clarification, improved understanding, and

confirmed too, that a measure of uncertainty still exists. Its reiteration below, as an

appendix, is for the benefit of others as the matter 1s not straightforward.

The tremendous amount of time spent compiling this useful piece was no doubt an

invigorating experience for both authors, one each would feel proud of as personal

accomplishments in their entomological pursuits. I congratulate them for their

dedication to the task and for their exacting attention to detail, which together has

created a learned, reliable and welcomed source of historical data for future

taxonomists. Indeed, The Naming of Australia’s Dragonflies provides a solid format

for other specialists to build upon and utilise more broadly; those with passionate and

dedicated interests may do well to produce companion works 1n etymology for other

Orders of insects — the moths and butterflies of Victoria might each be a suitable

continuation of this task.

Appendix: Ian Endersby’s reply (11 Jan. 2016) read: “The internet has a lot of

confusion concerning Linnaeus but I think this article portrays 1t accurately:

‘Linnaeus’ name comes in different variants: "Carl Linnaeus," "Carolus

Linnaeus," and "Carl von Linné," and sometimes just "Carl Linné." There 1s

often confusion about his real (Swedish) name, as opposed to the Latinized

form "Carolus Linnaeus" that he used most when he published his scientific

works (in Latin).

In Linnaeus’ time, most Swedes had no surnames. Linnaeus’ grandfather was

named Ingemar Bengtsson (son of Bengt), according to Scandinavian

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 31

tradition. Linnaeus’ father was known as Nils Ingemarsson (son of Ingemar).

Only for registration purposes, for example when matriculating at a

university, one needed a surname. In the academic world, Latin was the

language of choice, so when Linnaeus' father went to the University of Lund,

he coined himself a Latin surname: Linnaeus, referring to a large linden

(lime) tree on the family property Linnagard (/inn being a now obsolete

variant of Swedish /ind, the linden). Nils Ingemarsson gave his son the name

Carl. So the Swedish name of the boy was Carl Linnaeus (Stearn 1992).

When Carl Linnaeus enrolled as a student at the University of Lund, he was

registered as "Carolus Linnaeus." This Latinized form was the name he used

when he published his works in Latin. After he was ennobled in 1761 (Stearn

1957), he took the name Carl von Linné. 'Linné' 1s a shortened version of

'Linnaeus' and 'von' is added to signify his being considered nobility.

When referring to or citing the author Linnaeus, it 1s appropriate to use "Carl

Linnaeus," "Carolus Linnaeus," or just "Linnaeus." "Carl von Linné" seems

to be less suitable, especially for the works he published before 1762. On the

title page of the second edition of Species plantarum (1762), the author's

name is still printed as 'Carolus Linnaeus' (or rather the genitive form 'Caroli

Linnaei'), but from then on, his name 1s quite consistently printed as 'Carolus

a Linne' or 'Carl von Linné.' Stafleu uses 'Carl Linnaeus’ as the author's name

for all his works. The adjective of his name is usually "Linnaean," but the

prestigious Linnean Society of London has a journal 7he Linnean, and

awards the Linnean Medal.”

(Full article available online at

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Carolus Linnaeus)

ee i ee

REPORT

Jacob’s Well and Ormeau Excursions — Report by Lois Hughes

Saturday the 7" November, 2015 held the promise of great weather for our planned

meeting and excursions; perfect butterfly conditions, and we were not disappointed.

We were pleased to welcome many familiar faces along with several other members

seldom seen. Twenty in all, I believe, attended, some along with their children.

The Jacob’s Well Environmental Education Centre is a delightful place in itself,

inviting exploration of out-buildings or structures housing various creatures and set

amongst a flourishing native garden. Ceramic tiles artfully depicting dragonflies,

frogs and other native creatures adorned the gardens, with honeyeaters serenading as

they feasted on flowering grevilleas. The composting toilets were fascinating!

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 32

Our packed meeting venue was light and airy with plenty of comfy seating.

Following the meeting, we enjoyed refreshments 1n the adjoining kitchen area in

preparation for our first excursion through the canefields. We are grateful to the

farmer who has preserved, intact, the residual bushland beyond the canefields,

through which he graciously gave us permission to explore.

Preserved bushland bordering canefield — Photos Steve Curle

We divided into small groups and started walking, initially, amongst various native

grasses interspersed with Common Bracken Fern, small flowering shrubs, wild

flowers and herbs as well as the prolific Swamp Sawsedge (Gahnia clarkei). The

white flowered Riceflower (Pimelia linafolia), yellow flowered Hat Pins (Xyris

jJuncea), the Rush Lily (Tricoryne elatior) and the Midyim Berry (Austromyrtus

dulcis) were some of the common plants we encountered.

Riceflower (Pimelia linafolia) Rush Lily (Tricoryne elatior)

Photos Graham McDonald

We were really intrigued by the innovative and creative method the Bonnet Orchid

(Cryptosylis erecta) uses to ensure its maroon and green flowers are pollinated. It has

chemicals that mimic those of the pheromone of a female native wasp, luring in the

unsuspecting male, who, 1n attempting to “mate” with the flowers, pollinates them;

clever designing indeed!

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 33

This well-vegetated understory was

overshadowed by many larger trees,

shrubs and vines, including the majestic

Wallum Banksias (Banksia aemula), their

distinctive, cork-like, knobbly bark

inviting touch. Intertwined amongst the

Wallum Geebung (Persoonia virgata)

with its attractive bright green upperside

leaves, with maroon undersides and green

immature fruits, trailed the Sarsparilla

Vine (Smilax glyciphylla). Nearby, the

delicate, fringed, white flowers of the Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)

danced, like miniature ballerinas, in the sunlight.

(Persoonia virgata) Photo Graham McDonald

Swamp Sawsedge (Gahnia clarkei) Bonnet Orchid (Cryptosylis erecta)

Photos Graham McDonald

These were just some of the diverse range of interesting plants growing 1n this wallum

heathland, through which we searched for the elusive Sword Grass Brown butterfly

(Tisiphone morrisi). Although its host plant, the tall Swamp Sawsedge, was growing

in abundance, there was no evidence of the butterfly on this occasion — possibly we

were too early or too late for its flight period.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 34

On a lighter note, secreted deep within the sharp leaves of a Gahnia plant, we found

the larva of a Painted Skipper (Hesperilla picta). Annoyed at being disturbed, 1t

crawled out of its hiding place, turned around and aimed a fecal pellet at a

photographer invading its space, hitting him on the hand! #*! Apparently this

butterfly is one fussy housekeeper who keeps its shelters free of frass 1n this manner,

to deter potential predators who are attracted by the smell of frass!

Swamp Tiger (Danaus affinis)

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Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi)

Although we failed to sight the elusive

Sword Grass Brown, we did see a number

of other butterflies which are listed

herewith: Large Grass Yellow (Eurema

hecabe); Evening Brown (Melanitis leda);

Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa

kershawi); Common Crow (Euploea

core); Swamp Tiger (Danaus affinis);

Small Dusky Blue (Candalides erinus);

Varied Dusky Blue (Zizina otis —

Small Dusky Blue (Candalides erinus) formerly Z. labradus).

All photos this page Graham McDonald

We all found this heathland a very interesting site and well worth another visit.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 35

Upper Ormeau - Photo Glenn Leiper

Returning briefly to the Centre to

reorganize, we then set out in convoy up

into the thickly vegetated, mountainous

rainforest site at Upper Ormeau. At this

declared Council conservation area, an

enormous Birdwing Butterfly Vine

(Pararistolochia praevenosa) was

forming a thick curtain of lush leaves,

snaking all the way up into the rainforest

canopy that clung to this steep site.

Down below, an almost pristine rainforest

creek trickled into the roadside gully.

Within minutes of our arrival we were entranced as a majestic male Richmond

Birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia) drifted lazily overhead. A large female arrived

and after a short flight through the trees, settled on a branch just above our heads,

wings outstretched, invitingly posing. Many cameras captured this rare moment!

After her rest, she was soon joined by another female and together they moved

Birdwing female ovipositing

Pararistolochia praevenosa

Photos Glenn Leiner

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1“ instar larva of the Richmond Birdwing

(Ornithoptera richmondia)

Photo Graham McDonald

throughout the vines depositing many fresh

eggs. A first instar caterpillar was

discovered beneath a leaf amongst many

ege casings, boding well for the next

generations.

As we were standing on a narrow cleared

track amidst the thick vegetation and

having little or no nectar plants in the

immediate vicinity to entice butterflies to

linger here, mostly only Birdwings were

seen, but fleetingly, as they crossed the

clearing.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 36

Those we did observe included a Large Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe), a Caper

White (Belenois java), a small white butterfly, possibly a Southern Pearl White

(Elodina angulipennis), a Common Brown Ringlet (Hypocysta meterius), and a

Common Grass Blue (Zizina otis).

Southern Pearl White (Elodina angulipennis) Common Brown Ringlet (Hypocysta meterius)

Photos Graham McDonald

Two day flying moths were also observed. These were a Magpie Moth (Nyctemera

secundiana) and a Cruria Moth (Cruria synopla).

To add to the excitement, a Bordered Rustic (Cupha prosope) flashed his bright

orange wings as he defended his territory from the vantage of a high perch. A male

Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus) on patrol, was seen to pass through along with

a Pale Triangle (Graphium eurypylus), a Blue Triangle (Graphium choredon) as well

as a fleeting visit by a Four-barred Swordtail (Protographium leosthenes). It was both

pleasing and interesting to note the presence of five Swallowtail butterfly species

together at this location.

Two Orange Palm Darts (Cephrenes augiades) were seen perching on their local

native host, the Bangalow Palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana). These were

erowing in abundance along the watercourse. As if to demand its presence be noted

also, an orange Monarch (Danaus plexippus) joined the passing parade.

A cheeky, partly coloured juvenile male Variegated Wren (Malurus lamberti)

entertained us as he investigated our intrusion with his intriguing antics. Meanwhile,

a protective male hovered in the background, his glowing colours shining like jewels.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful spot, the towering tree-clad mountains high above

and around us, the rippling creek below, the stillness of the bush broken only by

birdsong and, of course, our excited chatter as these beautiful butterflies glided above

and beside us, elusive and mysterious.

Storm clouds darkened the sky and thunder rumbled ominously as we headed home,

tired but contented. A day well spent! A blessed day!

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 37

Our many thanks to Glenn Leiper who was the perfect host (his time and expertise

were greatly appreciated).

Acknowledgements:-

Many thanks to all the other fellow excursion participants who supplied the

information to enable me to more fully and accurately complete this report and who

have offered photos as well. In particular, my thanks and appreciation must go to

John Moss for his patient correction and helpful suggestions as we battled distractions

and interruptions to complete the task. A great team effort from all involved! Thank

you.

Ed. There is mention in this report of the elusive Sword Grass Brown butterfly

(Tisiphone morrisi). There is an article on this butterfly in issue #49 June 2008.

YOU ASKED

Stanley and Alisha would like to know what

moth this 1s.

Peter says it 1s

Lasiocampidae;Lasiocampinae;Entometa

fervens 2° (Gum Snout Moth). The male / :

and female are different. Check out Don's ; | :

web page for more info. i aa

http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/lasi/fervens.html]

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 38

BUTTERFLY AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES CLUB PROGRAMME

AGM -— 9™ April 2016, 10 am at Redlands Indigiscapes Centre, Capalaba —

See enclosed flyer.

be -_ 7 eee A

. invites you to attend the launch of their latest ,

* publication 2 |

Ciclaria

to take place

at 1pm on Saturday 16" April, 2016

at the Queensland Herbarium, |

Mount Coot-tha Road, Toowong QLD 4066

RSVP to info@boic.org.au

— \:

——

Planning and General Meeting

What: Our planning meetings are informative and interesting. As well as

planning our activities we share lots of information.

All members are welcome as this activity is also a general meeting of

members.

When: Saturday 7" May, 2016, from 10 am

Where: You will be advised by email where the meeting will take place.

Indigi Day Out Saturday 4" June 2016 10 am to 4 pm. Discover the wonders of

IndigiScapes at this fun-filled event! There will be wildlife displays, mini-workshops,

music, arts and craft, kids’ activities, and food to enjoy. BOIC will have a display at

this event.

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 39

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 1s 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

e Lois Hughes who provided the cover painting

e Daphne Bowden who works on layout, production and distribution

e John Moss, Martyn Robinson, Ross Kendall and Richard Zietek for scientific

referencing and proof reading of various articles in this issue of the magazine

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.

Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club Inc.

PO Box 2113

RUNCORN Q. 4113

Next event — Annual General Meeting — g” April, 2016, from 10 am

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #80 — Page 40