CLUB PLANNING AND ORGANIZING GROUP - 2008

President:

Vice President:

Treasurer:

Secretary:

Newsletter:

Librarian:

Publicity:

Excursion Convenor:

Ross Kendall 07 3378 1187

John Moss 07 3245 2997

Rob MacSloy 07 3824 4348

Peter Hendry 07 3206 0048

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

Janet Willoughby 07 3343 3949

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 newsletter.

See BOIC Programme.

CONTACT ADDRESS AND MEMBERSHIP DETAILS

PO Box 2113, Runcorn, Queensland 4113

Membership fees are $20.00 for individuals and $25 for schools and organizations.

AIMS OF 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;

e To promote the conservation of the invertebrate habitat;

e To promote the keeping of invertebrates as alternative pets;

e To promote research into invertebrates;

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

NEWSLETTER DEADLINES

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

March issue — February 21° June issue — May 21°

September issue — August 21° December issue — November 21°

COVER

Trichaulax marginipennis (Macleay) — Flower Chafer. Painting by Lois Hughes

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 2

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Thank you to the considerable number of members who suggested new names for our

newsletter and raised various issues for consideration. At our last planning meeting,

we finally arrived at a decision and you will have already read this on the front cover.

“Metamorphosis” was a popular choice but this is the name of a South African

publication so we opted for “Metamorphosis Australia.”

Thank you again to all contributors to this our fiftieth edition. Some articles have

been held over for publication in December, as our printing budget would have been

well exceeded if we included them in this issue. Please no not let that fact deter you

from putting “pen to paper” as we are working to increase funding in the future.

By the time you receive this magazine, National Threatened Species Day will have

come and gone but I must pay tribute to the increasing number of members who are

participating in BOIC displays. The Club will be represented at three separate

locations on this occasion. We receive numerous invitations to participate in

community events in the Brisbane region and have to decline some of these through

unavailability of volunteers. If you are able to spare a day or two in the year, we

would love to hear from you. We, 1n Brisbane, are undoubtedly unaware of events in

your local area where BOIC participation may be welcome. Please contact Daphne to

discuss ways that the Club can support you with advice and materials should you

wish to represent us. Best wishes

Ross

Creature Feature - Flower Chafer - Trichaulax marginipennis (Macleay)................06+ 4

Cities PSA A LS WOO” 1 - catelsoehs beta bauiaentuShatete tiveness beet vadnesteusdieede vedawcdbyetndeGSudweutethobesens 6

Lucia limbaria, the Chequered Copper, Some eXtra NOTES............cceeccceeseccceeeeceeeeeeeees 10

Butterfly species observed at Stanage April 2008 000.0... ceeccccsseeccceesseceeeesecceeeeeecees 1]

Attracting Insects and Birds to Gardens and Consequential Issues................cccceeeeeeees 14

Australian Native Bees #14 - War and Peace - Part 2... eeccccessccccessceceeneeeeeeees Zz

Under the Microscope - Further notes on the osmeterium-type structure ..................008

found on the larva of Phaedyma shepherdi.............. 26

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More notes on Jon's New Caledonian butterfly photos 2.0.0.0... ceccccsesccceeseeceeeeeeeeeeees 31

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 3

CREATURE FEATURE

Flower Chafer — 7richaulax marginipennis (Macleay)

Introduction:-

The Flower Chafers belong to the beetle order Coleoptera which 1s then divided 1n the

following manner:-

superfamily:- Scarabaeoidea

family:- Scarabaeidae

subfamily:- Cetoniinae

The Cetoniinae boasts 2,600 species worldwide and has120 recorded species in

Australia. Most cetonids range in size from 8 to 45 mm and have strikingly patterned

metallic colouring. There are 32 genera of cetonids in Australia and New Guinea and

5 species of Trichaulax: T. concinna, T. macleayi, T. philipsii, T. marginipennis and

T. nortoni. The Trichaulax have velvety hairs on their elytra and legs. All species are

flower feeding and diurnal (Britton, 1991).

Identification:-

Trichaulax mar ginipennis

is the largest of the group,

being 29 to 35 mm. in

length. The female can be

distinguished from the

male with a slightly

broader body and with 3

teeth on the outer edge of

the fore tibia (legs), the

male tibia bearing only a

single terminal tooth.

Males also have a

longitudinal groove along

the mid- line of the

abdominal sterna. Females

lack this groove. The body

is black with shallow sulci

(grooves) along the elytra.

On emergence from the cocoon these sulci are filled with short velvety grey-white

vestiture (hairs), but most are rubbed off whilst moving through decaying wood

debris etc and usually only the perimeter vestiture is left.

Flower Chafer (female) — Photo by Richard Zietek

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 4

Biology:-

The 1.5 mm eggs are laid in decaying wood 1n hollows of trees. Trees that I have

recorded are Angophora woodsiana and Eucalyptus tidaliae, but Eucalyptus

maculata, Lophostemon confertus and Flacourtia jangomas have been recorded by

other observers. The hollows that were occupied had previously been occupied by

termites, so much of the organic material was well decomposed.

The larva 1s a typical curl grub

in appearance, white with e* , JO PRA >

numerous bristles and grows to See ey LT v . VA ,.

— i

P ce hal -_

= >

' Se

. 7 = _ “

4 ’ a te - Qo :

45—50 mm before it pupates. It

builds a cocoon out of chewed

wood within the hollow but

above the substrate debris.

Cocoon size is usually in the

order of 45 mm long by 30 mm

wide with an oval or spherical

shape. Normally the grubs

pupate at the end of November

and adults emerge late

February/early March around

Brisbane, but adults have been

encountered further north at

Marlborough, in December.

| 1 -

. ~ | eye ae

Cocoons of Flower Chafer larvae — Photo by Richard Zietek

Adult beetles have been collected on bloodwood blossom (usually Corymbia

intermedia) at the tops of the trees. Females do not lay many eggs. I estimate 12 — 16

eggs each and only 4 to 6 of these seem to mature in any one hollow. This is possibly

why it is not a common beetle. 7. marginipennis has a recorded range from southwest

of Ingham to Dubbo in central western N.S.W. (Hiller, 1990). It seems to prefer dry

sclerophyll forest and usually flies on the hottest days. Adults do not seem to be

present every year in spite of the grubs only taking 9 months from egg to pupation.

Other factors probably influence their extended pupal duration.

References:-

1. Britton, E.B. 1991. Coleoptera : in The Insects of Australia (CSIRO) Vol. 2

Cetoninae p.631 Pub.: Melbourne University Press.

2. Hiller, Anthony. 1990. Notes on Systematics and Biology of Trichaulax Kraatz

(Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae : Cetonunae ) Australian Entomological Magazine

Vol 17 Part 4. Pub: Entomological Soc. of Qld.

Richard Zietek

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 5

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Being really “in the poo”

At the end of March, 2006, whilst picking my way carefully between the fairly fresh

cow pads in our paddock, I stumbled upon a fascinating sight (depending on one’s taste

of course) which I found totally absorbing. Having run cattle and or horses for over 30

years or so, I was really surprised I had never witnessed these events before (or since

for that matter).

I noticed a lot of activity in one particular cow pad. Right at my feet were two perfectly

formed “dung balls” having the finishing touches put to them by beetles with long back

legs. When I touched one with a stick, it played dead and, in fact, looked like a spider.

There were quite a number of these beetles arriving and departing. They hovered like

bees before diving into the dung and burrowing through it.

Eventually one of the beetles laboriously maneuvered a dung ball through the thick

kikuyu grass until it was about a metre away from the cow pad and just left it nestled in

the grass. On investigating I found three more balls in close proximity to each other. I

later found I had walked on and squashed several which were in the gateway. In

another cow pad, the process was also being repeated.

pads, six different beetles were © “ayy

unearthed and I collected them :

in a container. Some were Lg

quite small and made small

surface holes and appeared to

be tunneling beneath. At the

edge of another cow pad was

freshly churned earth and

digging with a stick revealed a

larger beetle in an earthern

tunnel, this beetle being the ‘led

largest of all at20 mm. Their = mtv

sizes were 7 mm, 8 mm and 10 pz

mm with two at 12 mm in body 2ae@7a® =

length with back legs A work in progress

particularly being quite long.

Colours were dark brown or black with one having a bronze-green sheen. Two had

horns, one with the horns side by side, the other having them one above the other facing

forward. (The ones rolling balls are species of Sisyphus; the one with two horns side-

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50-— Page 6

by-side will be Onthophagus gazella; the one with horns one above the other will

probably be Onthophagus sagittarius).

I had a myriad of questions about these beetles, but this observation simply remained

notes in my diary and unanswered questions in my mind until Landline (ABC TV)

broadcast a segment on Dung Beetles in October 2007. Further information was also

obtained from various other sources which unearthed a truly fascinating story.

Remarkable insects and doggedly determined men who, to this day, are still

passionately researching, breeding and releasing suitable species in different areas of

our country.

The problem began when cattle were introduced to Australia during early setthement. In

the early 1950’s Dr. George

Bornemissza came to Australia

and worked, for a time, at a West ®

Australia University before

joining CSIRO. During his

travels throughout the country,

the large areas of grazing land

polluted by dry cattle dung and

the abundance of annoying bush

and buftalo flies both concerned

and motivated him. He

recognized that the wasted

resource in the unused cattle dung

and the fly problem could both be

addressed with dung beetles, ;

whose activities he was fully The fob halt dee

aware of from his native

Hungary. Obviously no one had considered the impact on our environment when cattle

were first introduced without the attendant dung beetles to deal with the copious

amounts of dung they produce.

Australia has between 30 and 400 species of dung beetles which effectively dispose of

our native animal dung, but are in no way designed for, or attracted to, the dung of large

herbivores.

Dr. Bornemissza finally convinced the many skeptics of the benefits of dung beetles

and began a journey that took him around the world. He researched and collected

beetle species which would be compatible with our diverse climatic conditions, the

animal species producing the dung and beetles which were prolific and easy breeders.

It was the most monumental undertaking successfully achieved with any insects 1n the

world.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 7

Fifty species were selected, mainly from African countries, transported to Australia and

bred up. Of those 43 species were released, and of those 30species have successfully

established. The project began 40 years ago (1967) and could have ended prematurely

in 1986 when funding abruptly dried up if not for the dedication of those involved,

John Feehan, a former pupil of Dr. Bornemessza, being one such person.

Mr. Feehan began mass rearing, distributing and releasing dung beetles, transporting

them all over the country and passionately delivering his message. He explains to the

farmers the personal benefits as well as the benefits to the cattle, the environment and

the consumer. Below is a list of benefits in grazing paddocks and catchment areas.

* Soil fertility is increased as organic matter and nutrients are returned to the

soil, making them available to soil micro-organisms, deepening topsoil.

*% Compacted soil is aerated by the beetles tunneling activity which

encourages earth worm activity in the tunnels after emergence of the

beetles, increasing soil fertility, reducing reliance on artificial fertilizers.

*% Aerated soil allows water to penetrate the soil to greater depths and

encourages stronger root growth in plants and pasture, increasing drought

tolerance.

Buried dung cannot be washed into dams and water-courses thus reducing

water contamination and algal blooms and nutrient run-off.

Reduces the rank and unpalatable growth of pasture around dung pats.

Reduces bush and buffalo fly populations because rapid burial of dung

removes fly breeding sites.

Reduces the parasite burden in cattle, resulting in less chemical drenching

of cattle and less spraying of chemicals to reduce fly numbers and so

reduces the work load and cost to farmers.

% Reduces chemical contamination of our soil and food sources.

% Reduces the nuisance of bush flies in both country and city areas.

I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed by the benefits of these industrious little

beetles. Now a little about the beetles themselves.

+ # #

Dung beetles belong to the subfamily Scarabaeinae of the family Scarabaeidae. There

are 4,500 species worldwide, most being found in Africa where large herbivorous

animals produce copious quantities of dung.

A dung beetle’s body consists of a head, a prothorax and an abdomen, the body being

covered by a hard cuticle and its transparent wings covered by hard wing covers. The

front legs of dung beetles are modified as strong, efficient shovels to help them

manipulate the dung and dig holes to bury it. Their size varies from 2 mm to 30 mm in

body length and they are mostly dark brown or black in colour.

Dung beetles are strong flyers and can detect the odour of fresh dung over long

distances, flying quite a long distance to its source if necessary. They complete the task

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #5 0- Page 8

at each place before flying to another location. Some dung beetles are wingless and

must walk in search of the dung.

Dung beetles are placed in two categories, day flyers and night flyers (which are mostly

on the wing at dusk and dawn). Dung beetles feed on the dung of herbivorous

vertebrates. The adults feed on the dung fluid, squeezing it in their purpose built

mouthparts and ingesting the nutrient rich fluid. However some species also include

mushrooms and decaying fruit in their diet. The beetle larvae feed on the whole dung

which supplies both fluid and fibre and no other fluids are necessary.

—_

The breeding behaviour of me

dung beetles falls into2 main #@ ©

categories — tunnelers and ball

rollers. The male and female

may work co-operatively to

construct the tunnels beneath

the cow pat, where the female

prepares anest. Some species

lay a single egg ina brood ball _

while others lay several eggs in. -

a sausage of dung. Larvae

hatch from the eggs and feed

on the dung in these brood

balls.

The ball rollers are the other

eroup of dung beetles. The ball

is constructed at the dung pad and rolled away, some species burying it before laying an

egg in it, while other species laying an egg in it first before rolling 1t away and settling

the balls in amongst the grass, usually in a location which the beetle feels 1s least likely

to be trodden on by a grazing animal e.g. fallen branches, fence posts and coarse grass.

A ball of dung 1s 29 times heavier than the beetle.

The workers

The larvae will go through 3 skin changes. Male larvae will develop into minor or

major males depending on the abundance of dung available during development. Once

development 1s completed a fully functional beetle will dig its way to the outside world

and fly off to begin feeding on a fresh dung pad and begin the process of procreation

again.

After learning about dung beetles, I have a far greater respect and admiration for these

wonderful little recyclers and if you thought living in the city or suburbs excluded you

from the benefits of these insects, here are some more facts. Some city councils have

even employed dung beetles to clean up the streets of “doggy-do” when footpaths and

waterways were being fouled.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 9

Another very pertinent fact is that dung which is buried by dung beetles can store

carbon in three different ways.

1. By taking organic matter underground.

2. The aeration of soil resulting from the beetle tunnel system together with the

buried dung produces a healthy environment for microbial activity, which in

turn stores massive amounts of carbon.

3. The beetles are capable of burrowing through very compacted soils. This

enables grass and other plant root systems to penetrate more deeply into zones

which could not otherwise be accessed. These new excavations allow grass

roots to penetrate deeper into such soils thereby locking up more carbon.

Not even John Deere could make a machine which a farmer could drag around his

paddocks every fortnight throughout the year which would place dung underground as

efficiently as dung beetles do.

What a blessing these beetles are to us all.

Lots Hughes

My thanks go to Dr. Geoff Monteith, Queensland Museum and John Feehan, Soilcam,

both being recognized authorities on dung beetles in Australia, for their reviewing and

correction of my article and also to John Feehan for the additional information he

supplied. Photos courtesy of John Feehan

i Se Ie Ee Se Se Se Ee

Lucia limbaria, the Chequered Copper, some extra notes

I am including some extra

information on the lycaenid,

Lucia limbaria, further to the

articles presented by Andrew

Atkins and John Moss

(BOIC Newsletter #48), and

Wes Jenkinson (BOIC

Newsletter #49), and

reinforcing or adding to

localities previously given.

Following are the locality

and year data for specimens

in my collection, from

Queensland:

Archookoora SF. via JessietFissomestsh St Meme eatin,

Kumbia, 1972 (De Baar, ucia limbaria photographed at Corinda, brisbane, 138.09.

Photo by Murdoch De Baar

1977a); Deer Reserve via

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 10

Kilcoy, 1981; Kilcoy, 1981; Elginvale SF., via Nanango, 1969; Jimmy’s Scrub SF.

via Goomeri, 1975; Jimna via Kilcoy, 1979; 20 km west of Dalby, 1994; 5 km south

of Augathella, 1975 (De Baar, 1977b); Moggill SF., Brisbane, 1981; Cliveden

Avenue Reserve, Corinda, Brisbane, 12 Oct. 2007.

I have specimens from: Gunnedah, NSW, 1992; Canberra, ACT, 1982, also.

The above Corinda record reinforces that given by Mike Barnett. Included is a picture

of a Chequered Copper photographed 18 Sept. 2007 from Corinda, and probably a

different specimen from the one listed above. The Augathella specimens listed above

extended the distribution at that time, westward from Roma.

I have found that larvae pupate loosely (also stated by Wes Jenkinson) on the ground,

sometimes beside a rock or rather exposed. If you follow the ant trails, larvae or

pupae may be found.

Murdoch De Baar, debaar@powerup.com.au

References:

Atkins, A. 2008. Notes on the Grassland or Chequered Copper, Lucia limbaria:

Lycaenidae. BOIC Newsletter #48: 4-6.

De Baar, M. 1977a. Butterflies from an area between the Bunya Mountains and

Archookoora State Forest , Queensland. Aust. ent. Mag. 3 (6): 115 - 119.

De Baar, M. 1977b. New records for butterflies in Queensland and northern New

South Wales. Aust. ent. Mag. 4 (1): 11 - 12.

Moss, J. 2008. Further notes on the Small, Grassland or Chequered Copper (Lucia

limbaria Swainson 1833). BOIC Newsletter #48: 7-8.

i i i ee Ie Ie Ee ie Se Se

Butterfly species observed at Stanage April 2008

HESPERITDAE

_Badamia exclamationis___| Narrow-winged Awl | |

_Trapezites petalia__| Black-wingedOchre | |

_Trapezites iacchus | BrownOchre | |

Trapsiecina | Orange ems

Toxidia peron | Dingy Grass-skipper =i

"Hlesperilla malindeva | Two-spotted Sedge-skipper | ___

"Hesperilla erypsigramma | Wide-brand Sedge-skipper | __

Taractrocera anisomorpha | Large Yellow Grass-dart__ | __

“Taractroceraina | No-brand Grass-dart_—_—‘|

" Oeybadistes hypomeloma | White-margined Grass-dart |

"Oeybadistes walkeri sothis | Green Grass-dart ‘|

Suniana sunias rectivitta Wide-brand Grass-dart

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 11

_Telicotacolonargeus __| Pale-orangeDarter | |

_Cephrenes trichopepla___| YellowPalm-dart | |

Probable

Cephrenes augiades

sperthias

PAPILIONIDAE

| Graphium eurypylus lycaon eurypylus lycaon | Graphium eurypylus lycaon | PaleTriangle = /PaleTriangle 8”

Graphium agamemnon Green-—spotted Triangle

li igatus

Papilio aegeus aegeus__| Orchard Butterfly | | ||

Papilio fuscus capaneus __| Fuscous Swallowtail | |||

Papilio demoleus sthenelus | Chequered Swallowtail || ||

_ Cressida cressida cressida | Clearwing Swallowtail || ||

Probable

Graphium sarpedon Blue Triangle J

choredon

PIERIDAE

Catopsilia pyranthe crockera | White Migrant _—

Catopsilia pomona -LemonMigrant | | |

Peers ere

gorgophone

prensa smilie _| Sui Crasoiyollow__} ___[__} __} £ _

Large Grass-yellow ‘|

Caper White [i

Cepora perimale scyllara Caper Gull

—

las

iis pain ega | Yeow Aros |

ee oe

Delias argenthona Scarlet Jezabel (nome

Probable

Elodina species Pearl White

NYMPHALIDAE

Melanitis leda bankia -EveningBrown | |

Dusky Knight —— el eee

Hypocysta adiante adiante Orange Ringlet +

Polyura sempronius Tailed Emperor

sempronius

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 12

Pee | Ss

andromacha

_Cuphaprosopeprosope _| BorderedRustic || V | |

——a eee | | |e

shepherdi

_Hypolymnas alimena lamina_| Blue-bandedEgefly | | |

_Hypolymnas bolinanerina__| VariedEgefly | | |

_Junonia orithya albicincta__| BlueArgus | |

_Junonia villidacalybe__| MeadowArgus, | | |

_Vanessakershawi___| AustralianPaintedLady | | |

_Tirumalahamatahamata_| BlueTiger | |

Danaus petilia__—_———i| Lesser Wanderer | | |

_ Danaus affinis affinis_—i| SwampTiger— | |

el ee

_—

LYCAENIDAE

Hypochrysops apelles Copper Jewel

apelles

Hypochrysops ignita ignita |

Arhopala centaurus Purple Oak-blue 7

centaurus

Shining Oak-blue |

Hypolycaena phorbas Black-spotted Flash J

phorbas

Rapala varuna simsoni Indigo Flash

Anthene seltuttas affinis Dark Ciliated-blue

Candalides erinus erinus Small Dusky-blue

Nacaduba berenice berenice | Large Purple Line-blue

Nacaduba biocellata Two-spotted Line-blue

biocellata

_Nacaduba kurava parma __| White-bandedLine-blue | | |

_Psychonotis caelius taygetus | SmallGreen-banded blue | | |

_Prosotas dubiosa dubiosa___| Purple Line-bue ||

_Theclinesthes miskini miskini | WattleBlue |

js |

Theclinesthes sulpitius Samphire Blue

Li a cc

a ee

Jamides phaseli Purple Cerulean

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 13

Catochrysops panormus Pale Pea-blue V J J

platissa

_Lampides boeticus__| Long-tailed Pea-blue | |

| Zizina labradus labradus | CommonGrass-bue | |

_Famegana alsulus alsulus | Black-spotted Grass-blue | J | vf

_Euchrysops cnejus cnidus | Spotted Pea-blue | |

_Freyeriaputliputli__| JewelledGrass-blue | Vt

Probable

Hypochrysops delicia Moonlight Jewel

duaringae

Compiled by Graham Forbes from the observations of Ross Kendall, Andrew

Atkins, John Moss, Wesley Jenkinson and Graham Forbes

eS i i ee Se

ATTRACTING INSECTS and BIRDS TO GARDENS and

CONSEQUENTIAL ISSUES

My presentation is on attracting insects, birds, lizards and other fauna to the garden,

for the southeast Queensland area, with a view towards a few other consequential

issues also. It is a modified presentation originally given 25 May 2001, to the Wildlife

Preservation Society of Queensland.

Choice of plants

Plants can be examined by their capacity to provide * a nectar source, *

foliage for food, * and / or a fruit source, apart from other issues such as flower

beauty, windbreaks etc. Trees are also nesting / resting / hiding places.

Examine 1f your garden is providing fruit and flowers over much of the year.

Perhaps your plants cover periods where there is a shortfall in your surrounding area.

This will help to keep wildlife about for longer periods. Some trees stand out for

features such as extensive flowering periods, as in Callistemon polandii. Nobody

wants a tree that flowers while you’re at the supermarket.

Your locality may provide restrictions also, such as clay soil structures, tea

tree swamps or stony land. You might have a large stone for a backyard as do some

residents of Stanthorpe’?

Safety should also be a consideration, so choosing giant strangling figs or

large gum trees to be placed beside your house, can be a bad decision. Plants that

leave prickles to stand on, or grow uncontrollably over your garden, may not be what

you want.

Many a gardener has regretted planting mango trees leaning over the roof,

resulting in the bombing of the roof, fermenting clogged gutters, squealing flying

foxes, and those unmentionable dark splats on the walls.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 14

Some plants to consider (and some attracted fauna)

e Acacia (Wattles can be shorter-lived trees) (Tailed Emperor (Polyura

sempronius)/ leat-eating; Large Grass-yellow (Eurema hecabe) / leaves; Blue

Jewel (Hypochrysops delicia) / leaves, in company with ants Crematogaster spp.;

Fiery Jewel (A. ignita) in company with Coconut Ants (Papyrius sp.). See also

comments under “Some dubious natives’.

e Alphitonia Pink Ash (Small Green-banded Blue (Psychonotis caelius) / leaves).

e Brachychiton (Pencilled-blue (Candalides absimilis); Common Aeroplane

(Phaedyma shepherdi); Tailed Emperor (Polyura sempronius) / on leaves;

perhaps the Bronze Flat (Netrocoryne repanda) on B. populneus in some

localities).

e Buckinghamia Ivory Curl (flowers Dec. to Feb. and attracts a large array of

fauna). This tree is originally from north Queensland rainforests.

e Callicoma “Black Wattle” (Yellow Emperor Moth (Opodiphthera astrophela) /

leaves; Ghost Moths (Aenetus spp.) / trunk borers -see comments in “Other

considerations’ ).

e Callistemon (birds, butterflies, possums / flowers; ringtail possums / leaves) The

Scarlet Honeyeater seems very partial to Callistemon flowers.

e Capparis (Pearl-whites (Elodina spp.), Caper Gull (Cepora perimale); the

migratory Caper White Belenois java- all pierid butterflies / leaf eating).

e Ficus coronata and F. opposita sandpaper figs (Moonbeam butterflies (Philiris

spp.) / leaves; figbirds / fruit).

e Grevillea (many insects and birds including friar birds, parrots and honeyeaters /

flowers).

e Harpullia (Bright

Cornelian (Deudorix

diovis)/ seed borer).

e Hibiscus tiliaceus

(Harlequin Bug/ seed

feeder).

e Lomandra (Matrush)

clumps are very

popular in

landscaping, and

support skipper

butterflies such as the

chunky Splendid -

Ochre (7rapezites

= ee

° ° — \

symmomus) which 1s ;

making a come-back

into Brisbane.

The skipper 7rapezites symmomus 1s re-establishing its territory in

Brisbane, because of the popularity of Lomandra in landscaping.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 15

e Melaleuca (many birds, animals and insects including parrots, butterflies, moths,

jewel beetles, bees, are attracted to the bottle-brush like flowers, often wet in

nectar).

e Macaranga (birds / seed; ringtail possums / foliage and leaf stalks). Silvereyes

and figbirds are frequent visitors during seeding.

e Pipturus argenteus Native Mulberry (attracts an assortment of birds and insects

including the Jezebel Nymph (Mynes

geoffroyi), Speckled Line-blue

(Catopyrops florinda) and hawk moth

larvae (Theretra spp.).

e Pseuderanthemum Love Flower -

patches in damp shady spots

(Australian Leafwing (Doleschallia

bisaltide) / leat-eating).

e Trema Poison Peach bush (Speckled

Line-blue / leaves; figbirds / fruit;

Spiny Phasmid (Extatosoma tiaratum)

/ leaves). Orioles, figbirds and

silvereyes are often present in amongst

the foliage.

Some vines to consider:

e Cassytha (dodder vines for wallum

and open forest areas) (Candalides

spp. butterflies; the Whistling Moth

(ifecatesia fe enestrata). Clearwing Swallowtails (Cressida cressida) are

e Cissus and other vitaceae (the harder to keep in your yard, but the short visits

beautiful day-flying moth Agarista are magnificent.

agricola, and various hawk moths /

leaves). At least 7 species of hawk moths feed on Cissus.

e Melodorum leichhardtii (previously Rauwenhoffia) Fourbar Swordtail

(Protographium leosthenes).

e Trophis scandens (prev. Malaisia) (Eastern Brown or Purple Crow (Euploea

tulliolus).

e Pararistolochia praevenosa (Richmond Birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia).

Some dubious natives

White Cedar (Melia azedarach) 1s pretty, but can be heavily attacked by

White Cedar Moth (Leptocneria reducta). The larvae are covered with irritating hairs

that cause itchy rashes.

Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) looks good, attracts cockatoos, but has

foliage that is unkind to bare feet, and drops heavy seed pods from unbelievable

heights to the delight of your panel beater!

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 16

Processionary or tent caterpillars (Ochrogaster lunifer) are one of the worst

for severe rash— causing hairs, and rest in basal tents on acacia trunks around the

Brisbane area, but are found in branch tents on eucalypts around the Toowoomba

region. One way to help eliminate the problem 1s by crushing their white fluffy egg

masses on trunk bases during Nov. to Jan. Larval hairs can be stirred up during

whipper snipping or lawn mowing. The irritating properties of hairs can last well after

larval death.

Paper nest wasps never engender a warm feeling of joy, as their stings are

painful, but they restore a balance in caterpillar numbers, and they keep you fit!

Other fauna-attracting features

Humus heaps and branch

heaps are good for attracting the

Elephant Beetle (Xyvlotrupes ulysses

australicus) and flower chafer

beetles (for larval development),

Bearded Dragons (egg-laying sites)

and Blue Tongue lizards (snail-

feeding sites). Note: snail bait can

be bad for Blue Tongue lizards. The

above heaps can also attract

termites. The large Rhinoceros

Beetle (Haploscapanes australicus),

with an unforked horn on its head,

is seldom seen in Brisbane, and

breeds in the mulch cores of older

trees (see “Conservation aspects”’).

Besser blocks / bricks laid first

before branches are stacked, can An Elephant Beetle (Xylotrupes ulysses australicus)

provide a refuge for pet-hassled imbibes from a scrape on a Poinciana branch. I always

dragons and skinks, and provide enjoy watching their battles for supremacy.

egg-laying sites.

Leaf and branch stacks can help legless lizards, geckos and snakes. It has

been said that ‘bushy environments are snake havens’, but then are you ‘safe’ on a

manicured lawn? Carpet pythons do a good job, and are spectacular to observe.

Some branch stacking can provide larval sites for the brilliant green Stag

Beetle (Lamprima latreillei)

Rock stacks are good places for orchids, and also refuges for skinks, geckos

etc.

Bird baths hung in lower branches are a must, particularly in dry weather.

Placing a small container of water under hedges for wandering birds etc. and

placement of nesting boxes are good ideas.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 17

Learning to live with chewed leaves etc

Many people have trouble living with chewed leaves and ragged-looking

trees. Caterpillars turn to moths and butterflies,\ and these bring birds and lizards etc.

Even stick insects (leaf eaters) are amazing creatures. Pittosporum etc. can have

branches pruned by longicorn beetle larvae, but this can attract black cockatoos.

Mistletoes are often shunned even by conservationists. There are 88 species of native

mistletoe in Australia, and many totally dependent insects which feed on them. Some

people would argue that mistletoes stress trees, and therefore they should be

controlled, but then should we control koalas also?

A small patch of unattended grass (including tall grass) does look untidy but

will support various skipper butterflies and Evening Brown butterflies. Together with

the branch heaps and shaggy trees you'll be the talk of the neighbourhood!

Biodiversity issues

Biodiversity is the species-richness factor. The price you pay for a species—

rich area is chewed leaves, pock-marked stems, rank grasses etc. giving you an untidy

looking yard perhaps.

Brisbane has a rich skink fauna and an impressive array of insects. In my

Corinda suburban garden, 93

species of butterflies, well

over 250 species in the order

Hymenoptera (includes

wasps, parasitic wasps, bees,

ants) and this includes nearly

40 species of ants and 50

species of native bees (such

as the large black and yellow

carpenter bee) and over 80

species of birds have been

recorded. It must be noted

here that some 160 butterflies

and 370 birds have been

recorded for Brisbane and its

environs and a total of over

. The beauty of butterflies in your yard is worth the chewed leaves.

200 butterfly species occur in An example is the Varied Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina), but it 1s

the southeast area of understandable that some prefer the name “Blue Moon’.

Queensland.

Some plant combinations provide their own rich biodiversity such as

Callistemon supporting Amyema, Dendrophthoe, Notothixos and Viscum mistletoes

which attract birds such as honeyeaters, mickies (or Noisy Miners), silvereyes,

parrots, mistletoebirds, possums, jezebel butterflies (Delias spp.), azure butterflies

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50- Page 18

(Ogyris spp.), the Mistletoe Day-flying Moth (Comocrus behri), the large Mistletoe

Emperor Moth (Opodiphthera loranthi) and so on.

Acacia can attract a diverse fauna and, apart from previous listings, includes

a number of lycaenid butterflies which eat the flower buds, three hairstreaks

(Jalmenus spp.) that eat leaves, the large stick insect, Eurycnema goliath, a number of

leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) and some stem-boring wood moths (Endoxyla spp.) and

SO on.

The eucalypts also attract a large range of fauna including flying foxes,

gliders, koalas, birds, reptiles, and many insects. Jewel beetles, flower chafers,

butterflies and moths readily come to the flowers and an array of leaf eaters like the

huge stick insect, Acrophylla titan. The shiny gold Christmas beetle, Anoplognathus

viridiaeneus, 18 one of our gems. The world’s bulkiest moth, with a wingspan of up to

260 mm, the Giant Wood Moth (Endoxyla cinereus) has larvae which bore into the

trunks of some eucalypts. Tunnels are generally shorter than might be expected, and a

couple of attacks can usually be tolerated by a tree.

Conservation aspects

Exotic plants are a serious burden on our environment. Also nursery—

distributed plants should be more stringently controlled.

Priority should be given to native species, but there are some very good

exotic plants which don’t invade, and do provide nectar and leaves to our wildlife as a

supplement, such as Cassia fistula.

To assist local native plants and their survival, it 1s useful to target and

cultivate these local species. Your garden and your neighbours’ gardens can assist in

strengthening corridors.

* Pararistolochia praevenosa plantings may help support our local birdwing

butterflies.

* Planchonia careya 1s an important plant for the Rare Red-eye skipper / Ornate

Dusk-flat (Chaetocneme denitza).

*Wilkiea huegeliana and W. macrophylla are foodplants for the rainforest Regent

Skipper (Euschemon rafflesia).

Perhaps there is a localised threatened species of insect or lizard which could

benefit by the addition of a plant, or the non-modification of acreage. The Australian

Fritillary (Argyreus hyperbius) 1s very dependant on permanent patches of native

violets, Viola betonicifolia. Perhaps your property 1s suitable for Bursaria trees and

the copper butterflies (Paralucia spp.) which are dependant on them.

Two other nymphalid butterflies which may need a little help around

Brisbane are the Chocolate Argus (Junonia hedonia), which feeds on Hygrophila and

the introduced Hemigraphus and the Bordered Rustic (Cupha prosope), which feeds

on Flacourtia and Scolopia.

Brisbane has some rarities such as the Christmas beetles Mesystoechus

ciliatus and Schizognathus apricagger and are dependant on their environments

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #5 0- Page 19

remaining intact. Saw-sedges (Gahnia spp.) have been badly treated in Brisbane and

the southeast corner, and as a consequence the Swordgrass Brown (Tisiphone abeona

morrisi) have suffered also.

Water features are worth protecting and looking after. The Eastern Water

Dragon is making a resurgence in the Brisbane area, but they do need constant water

features, as do frogs. Some Brisbane nursery sprinkler systems have been sufficient to

keep water dragons happy, but the drought has been a negative for the dragons.

On acreage a gnarled tree with a mulch core can be a safety hazard, but 1s

also important for tree core-dwelling fauna including the huge carab beetle Hyperion

schroetteri (the predator of the Rhinoceros beetle (Haploscapanes) mentioned earlier)

and flower chafer beetles such as the large Trichaulax marginipennis. These trees

also provide nesting sites for gliders, possums, parrots and other fauna, but land

development has severely reduced their number in Brisbane.

Property owners should protect scrub pockets on their lot, particularly along creeks,

or consider areas with

struggling native remnants. It

has been shown that fenced /

weed-managed plots have

produced a rich assortment of

natives, particularly where

grazing animals are present. -

These areas are also protected

from constant mowing /

slashing and other activities.

The modification of

environments can sometimes be

non-negotiable for some

species (e.g. a lizard dwelling

in rocky outcrops) so that

reassembling this disturbed An odd dying branch can attract longicorn beetles such

as the Paradisterna plumifera and are part of our

environment.

environment may not be a

solution. As an example some

flightless carab beetles are not always able to reestablish. The balance of ant species

may be changed, and we know that ants can play a major role in environments.

Some useful exotic plants

This is a highly contentious area where care is needed to ensure that exotic escapees

do not further stress our environments. There are a number of non-invasive species

which are very attractive to wildlife.

e Golden Shower (Cassia fistula) attracts a range of butterflies. Some ‘yellows’

(pieridae), Tailed Emperor (nymphalidae) and ‘blues’ (lycaenidae) eat leaves and

flower petals.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 20

e Citrus trees support the Orchard, Dainty and Fuscous Swallowtail larvae (Papilio

spp.).

e Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) can be a good place to park your mistletoes

such as Amyema conspicuum. Red and black flashes of the Mistletoebird is a

delight.

e Oleander (Nerium) will attract Common Crow butterflies (with their silver

pupae), and by supporting the mistletoes Amyema conspicuum and Dendrophthoe

vitellina will also attract

Jezebel butterflies.

e The blue flowering

Plumbago will provide the

Zebra Blue (Leptotes

plinius) most of the year.

These are very under-rated

but very attractive little

butterflies.

e Poinciana (Delonix regia)

is excellent for attracting

elephant beetles which

scrape patches of bark in

order to suck sap.

e Gardenias (Gardenia spp.)

provide leaves for the An Eastern Dusk-flat (Chaetocneme beata) hides under a leaf.

larvae of clear-winged

hawkmoths (Cephonodes spp. )

e Bookleaf pines (Thuja spp.) attract pale-headed rosellas, rainbow lorikeets, king

parrots, white cockatoos and corellas to the small conelets; stick insects

(Acrophylla spp.) will eat the foliage.

e Custard apples (Annona spp.) attract some of the Graphium spp. butterflies and

the Eastern Dusk-flat (Common Red-eye) skipper (Chaetocnene beata).

Some obnoxious exceptions

Dutchman’s Pipe Vine (4ristolochia elegans) not only poisons larvae of

birdwing butterflies, but also competes by scrambling over our native plants. Large

areas of our rainforest / wet sclerophyll forest around Oakview, Kandanga and

Amamoor southwards are suppressed by this vine.

Cat’s Claw Creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati) also grows 1n the above areas

and on very steep slopes, where mechanical removal is difficult. It is a serious

problem in our region. Attempted removal of these vines will be an expensive

environmental issue.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 21

Lamb’s Tail or Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia). This vines and many

other weeds seem to serve no useful purpose. It is difficult to eradicate as each stem

nodule that gets brushed off will grow into a new vine.

The peppercorn tree from South America, Schinus terebinthifolia, growing

to 5 or 6 m in height, attracts birds but unfortunately seriously displaces our flora by

erowing in thickets. Some of our creek edges in Brisbane have been heavily stressed

by it.

We have an endless array of escaped weeds in our environments and an

exercise to do next time you go ‘bush’ 1s to check how many are actual weeds.

Other considerations

A number of insects require a combination of foodplants or factors in order

to survive. As mentioned above, the Elephant Beetle requires humus / branch heaps

for the larval development and tree sap for the adults to imbibe.

Many ‘blues’, ‘jewels’, ‘azures’, etc. require the presence of a certain ant

species, as well as a suitable foodplant (larval host plant), to exist. An example of this

is the Purple Azure (Ogyris zosine) which requires a suitable mistletoe, sugar ants

(e.g.Camponotus claripes) and nesting and hiding sites.

The Blue Jewel

(Hypochrysops delicia) larva

and its Crematogaster ants *

need acacia branches with borer

holes, to hide in during the day.

Ghost moths (Aenetus

spp.) are spectacular, seldom

seen, blue, green and red

coloured moths. Otherwise

known as rifleborers, owing to

the larval stem tunnel, and

circular webbed pad, these

moths use Callicoma,

Syzygium, Dodonaea,

Casuarina and others. The

damage these moths do 1s not More insects attract more predators such as

necessarily serious in amongst this dragonfly Rhyothemis phyllis.

tree clumps, and exit holes can

be calloused over by the tree.

Remember that Australian plant species may still be exotic to your locality.

If you plant palms, be prepared for defoliation and ragged fronds caused by

Orange Palmdarts and Yellow Palmdarts (skipper butterflies).

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 22

Neighbourly love bushes

Dendrocnide spp. include a number of stinger trees which 1f grown along fence lines,

will ensure a lasting relationship with your neighbour and his dog “Odd Job’ and

provide an alternative foodplant for Jezebel Nymphs! I don’t know if anyone 1s

willing to supply potted stock

Prickly Capparis spp. along the fence line will also retain a loving relationship with

your neighbour, his roving donkeys, straying parked cars, and so on and will also

increase the pierids in your area.

Murdoch De Baar debaar@powerup.com.au

Photos by Murdoch De Baar

AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEES #14

NAR AND PEACE - PART 2

In Part 1 of this topic we looked beyond the general perception that our stingless bees

are always peaceful and industrious insects and discovered that, while these

interesting little creatures are completely harmless to us, they occasionally exhibit

ageressive behaviour towards others of their own kind 1n the form of fighting

swarms. This behaviour presents a challenge to stingless beekeepers who naturally

want to avoid the loss of so many bees 1n apparently pointless wars of attrition.

The uncertainty about what factors summon the opposing forces to the battlefield was

increased by the belief of some beekeepers that on occasions a hive would engage in

civil war. This idea evolved when apparently isolated hives were observed to engage

in fighting behaviour. Recent

scientific experimentation seems

to have thrown cold water on that

theory, but a few of us believe

that we are still some way from

discovering all the reasons for the

bees’ belligerent activity. Here we

will confine ourselves primarily

to discussing the two most

popular theories for these clashes,

‘territorial disputes’ and “home

invasions’.

Amongst stingless beekeepers

there 1s considerable support for

the view that SOMe fighting The porcelain frog provided no deterrent to the

swarms arise out of territorial invading force intent on home invasion.

disputes, particularly when hives

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 23

in a collection are positioned too close together. It is as though the bees from one hive

resent the encroachment of other bees onto their turf. How much ‘turf’ a hive needs to

feel secure is the subject of conjecture, but early theories suggested that hives should

be positioned at least 5 metres apart. However, in natural settings it is not uncommon

to find two, three or even more colonies living within a single tree. It 1s also

interesting to note that often a number of artificial hives in close proximity will live in

harmony for years, but the introduction of a strange hive into their midst may

suddenly trigger a major upheaval. On one occasion, while in the process of moving a

Trigona carbonaria hive to another site, I left it briefly on the tailgate of my ute in

order to install a steel post to position the hive amongst others already at this location.

Within minutes a swarm formed up around the back of my vehicle with the bees

showing interest, not only in the new hive, but also in some of the small cavities and

dark areas on the ute such as the rubber stripping and the ends of roof racks. This type

of activity is often reported as being associated with fighting swarms. At such times

eroups of workers will examine any holes or even dark spots they presumably

mistake for cavities in the vicinity of a hive. Needless to say I did not feel the new

colony would be welcome at this location and removed it without ever opening the

entrance.

| 4 '

Hostilities may also erupt

when one hive tries to take

over another. Sometimes

referred to as a ‘home

invasion’ this usually involves

a strong, belligerent colony

attacking a weaker hive. As its

name implies, “home invasion’

involves a forced entry by the

invading forces and

presumably the installation of

a new royal family. It has even

been suggested that a young

warrior queen, intent on

establishing her own colony,

| might accompany the attacking

Arial combat — an empty hive has been placed on top of the

hive under attack in a vain attempt to distract the attacking acnky ww As the size of the

force. defending force dwindles, an

increasing number of bees

from the dominant swarm land on the hive and begin forcing their way inside.

Fighting pairs of bees may tumble from the hive entrance or be dragged out by a third

worker as the battle continues inside the nest. A few bees will position themselves on

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Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 24

tiptoe near the entrance and fan their wings vigorously, presumably releasing

pheromones to call reinforcements to the action.

This aggressive behaviour may also cross the species barrier with at least one

reported incident of a 7. hockingsi colony invading and defeating a much weaker 7.

carbonaria nest. Unlike territorial disputes, home invasions are not always seen as

disastrous events by the beekeeper. Often weak, barely viable colonies are

transformed into strong hives following such an incident, despite the initial loss of

bee lives. It doesn’t pay to be too sentimental 1n stingless beekeeping. There 1s no

compassion or pity 1n the world of insects - only survival of the fittest.

A recent scientific study used DNA ‘fingerprinting’ techniques to identify the

participants in eight 7rigona carbonaria fighting swarms. It showed that there were

always workers from two or more colonies involved in the battle. Typically the

swarm formed up close to the entrance of one particular hive and invariably bees

from this nearby hive were present 1n the samples taken. The other bees involved may

have been from a neighbouring colony or from some unidentified hive outside the

sampling range. In 80% of cases the fighting pairs consisted of workers from these

two colonies, but occasionally workers from the defending colony had fought each

other to the death, probably mistakenly.

The study also showed

that by tricking

workers from one nest

into returning to

another could induce

fighting swarms. The

defending nest

responded to this

apparent invasion of

foreign workers by

mounting an aerial

defence typical of

fighting swarms. This

data strongly supports

the “home invasion’

theory yet there are

still many unanswered

questions about this

fighting behaviour.

For example what factor stops two relatively equal colonies from continuing their war

of attrition until the bitter end’? In many cases a successful home invasion does not

result from fighting swarms yet the hostilities usually cease well before all the

Home invaders. Note the bees circled are fanning their wings,

perhaps signaling with pheromones to draw in reinforcements.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 25

foragers are lost on either side. Do the combatants come to respect the relative

strength of their opponent and agree to a cease-fire? Perhaps a more fundamental

question 1s why is it better defensively to form up into a large flying swarm than

simply strengthening the security of the entrance? By swarming out in great numbers

at the first signs of possible invasion, 1s the defending colony displaying its strength

and by so doing trying to impress on the potential invader the foolhardiness of

proceeding against it? Worker swarms have been known to disperse without fighting

which may add some credibility to this proposition.

These and other issues leave the subject open to speculation and experimentation by

amateur beekeepers. Important discoveries have resulted from the observations of

enthusiasts in many fields. As mentioned earlier this aspect can be one of the

attractive features of this hobby.

Things we need to discover include how to identify when a hive 1s about to engage in

fighting behaviour and then how to prevent it, or at least stop it, before it becomes too

destructive. In part 3 of this long dissertation on bee warfare (aptly titled War and

Peace) we will discuss some of the techniques currently employed by stingless

beekeepers to try to bring about a truce between the warring factions, that I promised

in the last edition. We may even get a chance to look at those more peaceful swarms I

also mentioned.

John Klumpp

Photos by John Klumpp

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Further notes on “The osmeterium-type structure found on the

larva of Phaedyma shepherdi”

Those of you who have been long

time members of the Butterfly and

Other Invertebrates Club will probably

remember an article I submitted in

Newsletter # 32, March 2004. I have

included the same photograph with €Head

this article to refresh everyone’s ;

a AN Adenosma

Since that time, I have also found the

same structure on the larva of Polyura

sempronius, but so far have not

managed to photograph itt.

Adenosma on Phaedyma larva

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 26

An American colleague has since been 1n contact with me and it turns out that the

gland has a name! It is called an adenosma and to the best of his knowledge, we are

the first to have photographed it.

Head of Elymnias larva - undisturbed

. Head of Elymnias larva showing colouration

Whilst looking under the microscope at a after being disturbed

larva of Elymnias agondas australiana, |

have seen another anomaly that could serve as a defence mechanism. Instead of being

a retractable gland under the larva, as is the case with both the Phaedyma and

Polyura, the larva of Elymnias has a bright pink colouration under the head, which 1s

exposed when the larva 1s threatened. I have attached a photograph of this as well,

showing the larva in its normal resting position and then with the pink showing as the

larva felt threatened. This may just be a flash of colour to deter predators, as a smell

was not detected.

Bob Miller

Photos by Bob Miller

AT THE LIGHT TRAP

The Anthelidae

Over the last year and a bit that I have been light trapping, I have had

several species of moths in the family Anthelidae come to light. The Anthelidae were

once regarded as a subfamily Anthelinae, in the Lymantriidae, which belongs to the

superfamily Noctuoidea. Now a family in its own right Anthelidae has been placed in

the superfamily Bombycoidea. This may not be the final answer as the latter 1s

regarded as a complex and is far from sorted. Restricted to Australia and New

Guinea, the Anthelidae has 74 species described from the former and 20 from the

VIPI RTPA DAPI PT PT PPPS PF PT Pe Pa er bd Pe ed PF

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 27

latter. Many undescribed species are known to exist. The Australian species are

placed in two subfamilies the Anthelinae and the Munychryuinae.

Until recently all the species I have had at light traps belonged to the

Anthelinae. This is probably not surprising as

the Munychryuinae only has three species;

Gephyroneura cosmia, which is known from

the western side of the Atherton Tableland,

Munychryia periclyta, from south-western

Australia and M.senicula, which occurs on the

Atherton Tableland, and from southern

Queensland to Victoria, South Australia and

Tasmania. On the 25"" July 2008, I had my first

Munychryiinae, Munychryia senicula, come to

light in the middle of a cold snap here at

Sheldon near Brisbane.

M. senicula has a wingspan of '

about 28mm. It is grey with wavy black lines Munychryia senicula

through the forewing and typical of the

Anthelidae, has a woolly thorax and bipectinate antennae. The larvae are known to

feed on Casuarina, a few species of which occur on my property.

The subfamily, Anthelinae, as opposed to the Munychryiinae, which

have a proboscis, are without a proboscis, and as such cannot feed. In Australia the

Anthelinae consists of six genera, of which four have come to my light trap. The

genus Anthela with about 56 species is the largest in the family. I have had five

different species come to light.

Anthela acuta group Anthela asterias

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 28

Anthela acuta seem to be a complex of species

and as such 1s treated as “A. acuta group” by

some authors. This can be said of several other

Anthela species. I have had members of this

variable group come to light on several

occasions. They occur from southern

Queensland, through eastern New South Wales

and into Victoria. The larvae have been recorded

on Musk Daisy Bush, Olearia argophylla,

Acacia spp. and Phoenix roebelenii (Dunn,

1993). Anthela asterias has males with a

wingspan of about 40mm. The larvae feed on

acacia. A. asterias varies in colour from a light

brown to a dull red. It has come to light on my

bush block, west of Bundaberg. Anthela ocellata

has a distribution from Bundaberg, Queensland

to Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. A.

ocellata 1s a variable species with larvae that are

—

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Anthela phoenicias- male and female Anthela varia female - with eggs

known to feed on grasses. On one occasion I have had a female come to light on a

property south of Tenterfield in New South Wales. On the same property Anthela

phoenicias made an appearance. The males of this species are reddish while the

females are yellow. By far the most frequent Anthel/a to visit is A. varia. As the name

implies this is another variable species and colours can range from yellows to pinks to

browns with or without various markings. The females like most are larger than the

males (J am talking about moths!) and have a wingspan of about 80mm with males

reaching just over 60mm. It has a distribution from southern Queensland to Victoria

and the larvae feed on eucalypts.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 29

reall waa \| ae i] wigan

o 10 20 mew a0 or} 60 ro 80 0 100 «1900120 1350) 1a

Chelepteryx chalepteryx - female Chelepteryx collesi - male

The genus Chelepteryx contains two species both of which came to light on a

property south of Tenterfield in New South Wales in April 2008. Both male and

female specimens of Chelepteryx chalepteryx appeared. C .chalepteryx 1s a large

species with the wingspan of females reaching 120mm and males 100mm. It occurs

on the Atherton Tableland and from southern Queensland to Victoria. The larvae feed

on bipinnate species of Acacia. Chelepteryx collesi 1s the largest of all Anthelidae

with the wingspan of females reaching 160mm and males 140. It is found from

central Queensland through eastern New South Wales and throughout most of

Victoria. Known as the White-stemmed Gum Moth, its larvae, which feed on

eucalypts, are known for their irritating bristles, which can pierce the skin. During

pupation, these bristles are broken off and pushed through the wall of the cocoon,

leaving a nasty surprise for any creature that handles them.

Chenuala heliaspis Nataxa flavescens - male

C’. heliaspis, the only member of the genus Chenuala, also came to light

in April on a property south of Tenterfield. This species is known to be sexually

dimorphic, where the males and females do not resemble each other. The males have

brown fore-wings and reddish hind-wings, while the females are a whitish grey all

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 30

over. It occurs from southern Queensland to Victoria and the larvae feed on

eucalypts.

The final genus of Anthelinae I have had come to light 1s Nataxa, the

species being Nataxa flavescens. This is another sexually dimorphic species, with the

males being black and white and the females brown and reddish with a creamy white

stripe through the fore and hind-wings. It occurs in southern Queensland, New South

Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The larvae feed on Acacia.

In writing this article I am indebted to Ted Edwards who looked over

some of my images and gave his opinion of the identity of many of the specimens, in

particular the Anthela acuta group.

Anthela varia - males

Photos by Peter Hendry

Peter Hendry

References:

Zborowski, Paul and Edwards, Ted (2007) .A Guide to Australian Moths CSIRO.

Publication

Coupar, Pat and Mike (1992) Flying Colours, New South Wales University Press.

Common, I.F.B. (1993). Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press.

Zwick, Andreas (2008). Molecular phylogeny of Anthelidae and other bombycoid

taxa (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea) Systematic Entomology v33.

JON’S NEW CALEDONIAN BUTTERFLY QUIZ

More notes on Jon’s New Caledonian butterfly photos

It was a delight to see more pacific butterfly photos when I flipped through newsletter

#48. The Danaine depicted, with its peculiar De/ias-like pattern on the upper-side but

recognisable taxonomically by its characteristic underside, 1s Danaus pumila —a

shade-loving species, which haunts the fern/grass understorey of dense secondary

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50-— Page 31

forests. I doubt it has a common name, or at least one in English! It 1s quite small, and

in flight, together with its reclusive habits, this dainty black and yellowish creature

reminded me of 7ellervo — the hamadryad butterfly of northern Australia and New

Guinea. It is a challenging species to photograph as it perches at moderate heights on

twigs in dappled light, these two factors in combination confusing the auto-focus on

my videocam.

I found D. pumila locally common at the La Yahoue River Falls, near Noumea, in

early February 2004. Adults were timidly busy in flight at

midday, but by mid afternoon seemed more easily approached

for a photo shoot, as they had began to roost and settle more

often. Incidentally, the La Yahoue River is a wonderful spot to

see butterflies — I found 24 species there — this, in my

experience, is quite a good tally for New Caledonia! I also saw

the butterfly on Tanna (Vanuatu) that same month. Towards

evening at 1800h local time, a singleton flew near the ash rim,

just beyond the giant tree-fern forest, on the upper slopes of

the Mt Yaser volcano. For those fixated on completing a tick-

list of “must see’ endemics, the populations in Vanuatu

actually belong to a different subspecies (if that is at all

meaningful?) And, by the way, if any readers plan to look for

it there, I offer a word of caution — just make sure the volcano

is not spewing too much fiery magma! If lava bombs are

sizzling anywhere near you in the forest, eruptive activity categorised at ‘level 2’,

then find another butterfly playground! An unfortunate tourist or two (including

guides) have come back — or not at all — with an indelible memory of their adventure

into foolhardiness.

Luthrodes cleotas, the strikingly orange-banded butterfly shown in figures 3 & 4, is

absent from Australia but occurs in New Guinea. Although

localised, it 1s often abundant near the larval food plant,

Cycas, which grows in open forests and as an ornamental in

towns and villages. Epidermal scars on fronds hint to the

likely presence of larvae. I watched a female in a camping

eround, some 3km S of Wao (New Caledonia). In early

afternoon, she was highly site-tenacious. Even after repeated

disturbance she returned to perch nearby on the same

Coconut palm frond, at about 3m above ground, where she

overlooked a host plant a metre or so away. Companion

males perched, about 2m above ground, on shrubs some 10m

away from the same larval host and herself. They

occasionally patrolled the neighbouring airspace, interacting

with other flying males. The flight is usually slow,

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 32

maximising the visibility of the blue and orange wing colours and making its

identification easy in the field. My best guess is that the broad orange band serves as

warning colouration — aposematism — the cycad 1s likely a toxic plant.

Beyond New Caledonia, I have seen the species in Port Villa (Efate) and Luganville

(Santo) in Vanuatu, likewise flying during February. In addition, in July 2006, I

found a male hill-topping at 0830h, near Kokopo, in New Britain (PNG). This male

perched, for lengthy periods between patrol flights, on a low shrub growing on a

gentle grassy summit in the Queen Emma’s cemetery. There seems little reported of

its overall flight period, and I have only seen it rarely. Indeed, I saw none in the

Solomon Islands (August) or on mainland Papua New Guinea (June) for that matter,

two major regions where the butterfly also occurs.

Kelvyn Dunn

WHAT INSECTS ARE THESE?

Photo by Graham Forbes

Photo by Ross Kendall

NOTICE OF NEW BOOK

Mothology: Discover the magic. By Buck Richardson. September 2008. Privately

Published. 66pp., full colour, hardback. Available from info@leapfrogoz.com.au for

trp $29.95 postage free within Australia.

This book starts with 11pp of illustrated introduction; pp. 12-39 consists of colour

photos of identified live moths from Kuranda, Qld, mostly the larger species and

shows approximately 370 species, which is followed by pp. 40-65 consisting of

various artistic designs generated by many arrangements of the moth photos.

Members will either be interested in the fascinating artistic designs or in the many

identified photos of large moths from Kuranda. As it 1s a privately published and

distributed book such notices as this are the only way members are likely to become

aware if it. For further information see www.leapfrogoz.com.au Ted Edwards

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50- Page 33

PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM BOIC

Add postage and handling costs (in Aust.) — Booklets $1.10 — Posters and Books $5.00 —

CD’s and DVD’s - $2.45

Booklets -

Grow More Butterflies — Featuring butterflies and their host plants - $5.50

Butterfly Gardening — How to establish a Butterfly Garden - $2.20

Butterfly Host Plants of S.E. Qld. and Nth. NSW — Revised 2008 —

A comprehensive list of host plants - $8.50

Butterfly Habitat Regeneration Project — Applicable to anyone wanting to

establish an area for butterflies - $3.00

Swallowtail Butterflies of S.E. Qld. — A companion booklet to the poster - $4.50

Posters -

Lifecycles of the Swallowtail Butterflies of S.E. Qld -M’bers $6 Non-m’bers $10

The Butterfly Alphabet Poster — shows letters of the alphabet appearing in the wings of

butterflies and moths - M’bers $23 Non-m’bers $25

Dragonflies of Brisbane - $5.00

Discovering Australian Butterflies — a companion to the book - $9.00

Books -

Butterflies of Aust. - M’bers $40 Non-m’bers $45

Create More Butterflies — A guide to 48 butterflies and their host-plants for S.E. Qld. and

Nthn. NSW - M’bers $22.45 Non-m’bers $24.95

Discovering Australian Butterflies — a simple guide to Australia’s most common

B’ flies - $29.95

Dragonflies of South East Queensland - $40

A Guide to Australian Moths — M’bers $35 Non-m’bers $40

Mothology : Discover the Magic — M’bers $25 Non-m’bers $30

Australian Stingless Bees - M’bers $32.95 Non-M’bers $34.95

BOIC Newsletters Nos. 1-45 —- CD-ROM - M’bers $20 Non-m’bers $35

Garden on the Wing: Attracting birds and butterflies to your garden (CD-ROM)- = $22

Butterflies — Lifecycle and Survival Strategies — (DVD) - M’bers $12 Non-m’bers $15

Insects and Spiders: Brisbane and near areas (CD-ROM) - $40

CORRECTION

It was reported in our last Newsletter (No. 49) that Zodiac moths had been collected at

Redcliffe in March this year. Unfortunately, this report has been found to be incorrect.

Ross Kendall

BUTTERFLY AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES CLUB PROGRAMME

Garden Visit

What: Visit to Ian Ferrier's garden in Mitchelton, and viewing some old collections of moths

and butterflies. Followed by a cuppa, then visit to revegetation area for lunch.

When: 10am, Sunday 19th October 2008.

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 34

Where: Mitchelton. For address please phone Ian Ferrier (3355 5894, 0419 734 500) or Alisha

Steward (3275 1186, 0402 091 863).

Bring: Lunch to eat at the park near the reveg area after the garden visit.

More Information: Ian's garden mainly consists of Australian rainforest species, established in

early 1990. The garden includes butterfly host species. Ian's house and garden are on a 48

perch (1200 sq m) block. Visitors may be interested in viewing some old cases of moths and

butterflies that Ian inherited from his Grandfather, and also a stunning case of stuffed birds that

this gentleman collected over many years. A cuppa on the verandah after/during the inspection

can be provided. After the garden visit we will proceed to a nearby revegetation area for some

invertebrate spotting. The revegetation of Kedron Brook is proceeding nicely on the edge of

Teralba Park with plenty of parking off Osborne Road along the entry to the Mitchie Soccer

Club. Members may like to have lunch in Teralba Park. UBD map 138 M2.

Planning and Management 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, 22"° November, 2008 at 1.30 pm

Where: Lois and John Hughes’ home at Mt. Cotton — address supplied on RSVP

Contact: Lois on 3206 6229 or Daphne 3396 6334 or daphne.bowden!l @bigpond.com

A visit to Rainforest Liqueurs and Barung Landcare Nursery

What: Rainforest Liqueurs at Conondale! Meet at Barung Landcare Nursery, Maleny.

When: Saturday, 29th November 2008. The nursery opens at 9am. For those of you

interested in purchasing plants or simply having a look around, it will be best to meet at 9am.

We plan to leave the nursery at around 10:00am to arrive at Rainforest Liqueurs by 10:30am.

Where: Meet in the Barung Landcare Nursery: 17 Bicentenary Lane, Maleny. The address of

Rainforest Liqueurs 1s 272 Ahern Road, Conondale.

Bring: Lunch, hat, sturdy shoes, insect repellant. Bring a box if you would like to purchase

some plants.

RSVP: Please contact Alisha Steward on 3275 1186 or 0402 091 863 or

alishasteward@bigpond.com if you plan to attend. I would like to have your contact details in

case of any changes.

More Information: This excursion is a repeat of a very successful excursion held a few years

ago. We will first meet at Barung Landcare Nursery for ease in getting everyone

together (www.barunglandcare.com.au). The nursery has a great range of butterfly host

plants. See the website for a plant species list. We can have a look around the nursery and

purchase plants if desired. During the last excursion we saw many butterflies at the nursery,

including a Macleays Swallowtail! We will then make our way to John and Mary King's

Rainforest Liqueurs property at Conondale (approx. 15 minutes drive from the nursery). We

can look for aquatic invertebrates in their lovely cobbly creek, and also look out for rainforest

butterfly species on the wing.

There are 20 acres of Bunya Pine forest on the property that we can also visit. By that stage we

could have some lunch, and we would have worked up a thirst for liqueur tasting. The liqueurs

are produced from the fruits, leaves and flowers of native species growing on John and Mary's

property. The liqueurs will be available for purchase on the day. See the website for more

information: www.rainforestliqueurs.com.au

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club 4#50— Page 35

DISCLAIMER

The Newsletter seeks to be as scientifically accurate as possible but the views, opinions and

observations expressed are those of the authors. The Newsletter is a platform for people to

express their views and observations. These are not necessarily those of the BOIC. 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 newsletter is done with the efforts of:

e Those members who have sent in letters and articles

e Lois Hughes who provides illustrations including the cover

e Daphne Bowden who works on layout, production and distribution

e John Moss, Martyn Robinson, Dr Geoff Monteith and John Feehan for scientific

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

e Printing of this publication is proudly supported by |

Brisbane City Council

—_

We would like to thank all these people for their TEL ha T

contribution. BRISBANE CITY

Dedicated to a better Brishane

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 $20.00 for

individuals and $25.00 for 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 no. and surname e.g. 234 Roberts.

Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club Inc.

PO Box 2113

RUNCORN Q. 4113

Next event — Visit to a Garden at Mitchelton, Sunday 19th October 2008, see

Programme for details

Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #50— Page 36