What
Genus ThanatodictyaObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
A curved snout on this one
https://www.ellura.info/Blattodea-Coleoptera-Hemiptera.html#Thanatodictya
Photos / Sounds
What
Thanatodictya hebeObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
@wongun what do you think?
Seems to match this one:
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/149816550
We've had 4 and they all seem to have different wing venations. I'm not sure wing venation is necessarily diagnostic with these?
https://www.ellura.info/Blattodea-Coleoptera-Hemiptera.html#Thanatodictya
I've attached a compisite of the 3 wing venation differences.
Photos / Sounds
What
East Australian Boobook (Ninox boobook ssp. boobook)Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
It looks quite grey and has no yellow eye ring, compared to the 1st one we saw (in the link below). Is this age, gender or just individual variation?
We were super stoked when we just went for a stroll thru Ellura and both saw a Southern Boobook land in front of us high up in a mallee tree.
The only other time we saw & photographed one was 10 years - 10 days ago, in twilight.
Classed as RARE in our region.
Finally descent shots in full sun, well apart from shadows from the tree 🙂 We've been hearing it at night a lot lately, I really should go out and record it's call. Sounds a bit pigeon like.
Ninox (Nixon) boobook ssp boobook
https://www.ellura.info/Bird.html#Ninox-(Nixon)-boobook-ssp-boobook
They're all desktop sized photos, so you can zoom in 🙂
Photos / Sounds
What
Banded Bee Flies (Tribe Villini)Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~15mm long.
Another Clear-winged Striped Bee Fly (Villini sp ES01)
https://www.ellura.info/Diptera-Hymenoptera.html#Villini-sp-ES01
This one is larger than the others we've measured, and is our S8. It has the more usual clear wing without the shading around the cross veins.
This is an old one, but we managed to get an antennae shot. Not sure if it's good enough to help with id further than Villini though.
Photos / Sounds
What
Banded Bee Flies (Tribe Villini)Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~13.5mm long
~13mm wing length (hard to be sure as they are damaged)
Looking closely at the ventral shot, do the fan like structures around it's rear end indicate female?
I think this is the same as the majority of Villini Bee Flies we see. The only difference here is a bit of shading in the wings around a couple of the cross veins.
It's quite worn, particularly around the scuttelum & wing shoulders. As such, shows some heavy bristles coming off the scuttelum, and how heavy the wing shoulders are. Normally these are hidden by hair. But close inspection of our photo's finds they do exist in the others.
We were, unusually, able to get a shot of one of the halteres here. Bee flies tend to hid them quite well in their dense hair.
I was surprised to find we haven't posted this on iNat yet. This one is the 14th we've imaged.
Funny how the things we are used to get ignored, and it's the unusual that we spend our time on 🙂
We call this one:
Clear-winged Striped Bee Fly (Villini sp ES01)
https://www.ellura.info/Diptera-Hymenoptera.html#Villini-sp-ES01
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus MetopiusObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~14mm long.
Ringtail Ichneumon Wasp-Metopius sp
Can't see any ovi-positor, so assuming male? However, the first one had much thicker antennae, so it's possible this is the female?
This is our second Metopius. We assume it's a different species & not just gender variations. The first had a much more stripy abdomen. But they both share the same shield face. This has more of a dark shaded area towards the back of the wings.
NB: the strange saddle on it's back.
Plus the very large labium.
https://www.ellura.info/Diptera-Hymenoptera.html#Metopius-sp
Photos / Sounds
Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
Can't find this one anywhere.
~8mm long, ~15mm wingspan.
Not sure what the worm has to do with it. May have been attached to the moth when caught? It wasn't caught on purpose. Would be keen if anyone has any insights on it, but I didn't get any better shots that in the dorsal image here.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus BembecinusObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~10mm long Female (10 flagella). Unsure of id, happy to be corrected.
Photos / Sounds
What
Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Agrius convolvuli)Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
91mm wingspan, 40mm long, Female
Sitting by the front door under the carport last night, almost trod on it!
Was very hot, 41.5 deg, and dry, not rain for 2 months. At first thought it was a type of rain moth, didn't look very hawk like with it's dappled wing pattern, wings spread out but pink body not showing.
Photos / Sounds
Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~8mm long male, with 5mm long antennae. VERY long for a bee!
Syn: Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) hiltacum
Found drowned. I don't like posting dead specimens, especially drowned ones in poor condition like this as the hair is all matted, but this is the only one we've found. Perhaps I've found them before and stored them under flower wasps, due to the long antennae? I'll go and have a look.
Photos / Sounds
What
Green-and-gold Nomia Bee (Lipotriches australica)Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~11mm long female
What
Amblyomma limbatumObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
Female, feeding on a Shingleback.
https://www.ellura.info/Arachnida.html#Bothriocroton-hydrosauri
Photos / Sounds
What
Maculate Leioproctus (Leioproctus maculatus)Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~9mm long Male.
Seems hairier than other images, but the thorax is black. I wonder if this is a fresh specimen & they loose their hair easily.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus LeioproctusObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~8mm Female.
Not confident of my old id now, seems too hairy compared with other on-line photo's. Happy to be corrected.
Synonym of:
Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) sulthicum
Photos / Sounds
Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~20mm long, Captured Adult Female
https://www.ellura.info/Diptera-Hymenoptera.html#Priocnemis-tuberculatus
Photos / Sounds
Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
The gall was found on a small Eucalypt/Mallee.
You can see the 6 reduced "legs".
https://www.ellura.info/Blattodea-Coleoptera-Hemiptera.html#Apiomorpha-strombylosa
What
Genus OncocephalusObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
Oncocephalus sp ES03
https://www.ellura.info/Blattodea-Coleoptera-Hemiptera.html#Oncocephalus-sp-ES03
What
Genus OncocephalusObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~13mm
Oncocephalus sp ES02 https://www.ellura.info/Blattodea-Coleoptera-Hemiptera.html#Oncocephalus-sp-ES02
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus OncocephalusObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~15mm long
We seem to have found 3 different species in this genus:
https://www.ellura.info/Blattodea-Coleoptera-Hemiptera.html#Oncocephalus
What
Cryptophasa rubraObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
First Published on our web site as Cryptophasa ochroleuca on 1st Feb 2016.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus BembixObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~16 mm long Female.
Unusually black, with yellow leg highlights, but the typical bluish abdominal streaks.
Interesting how the labrum is in front of the Mandibles here, usually it's tucked up and under.
As best we can tell this is our 8th bembix sp at Ellura:
https://www.ellura.info/Diptera-Hymenoptera.html#Bembix
Photos / Sounds
Observer
ellurasanctuaryDescription
~18mm long Male.
This isn't Radumeris tasmaniensis, as it has 3 sub-margin cells on it's forwing veins.
I don't think it matches our other Pseudotrielis either:
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/97595628
This seems to have a lot more yellow markings, and is a broader wasp overall. The ventral patterns are also quite different, along with thicker yellow between the eyes & antennae, and the additional thoracic dorsal yellow markings.
Probably a Pseudotrielis sp, but the males are more difficult to differentiate than the females.
Here's our other 2 yellow scoliid wasp species:
https://www.ellura.info/Diptera-Hymenoptera.html#Pseudotrielis
Photos / Sounds
What
Rhytiphora lateralisObserver
ellurasanctuaryDescription
1st known record for SA.
7 Records on Atlas showing they've been found in WA, Vic & ACT. So clearly wide spread and no reason not to be in SA.
~15mm long.
Reference photos show some variations:
http://bezbycids.com/byciddb/wdetails.asp?id=20751&w=o
Silver-side Longhorn Beetle (Rhytiphora-lateralis)
Found dead in the carport hanging on a cob-web.