| Bug of the Month |
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March 2008 - Glider Dragonfly, Genus Tramea This beautiful specimen was photographed along the railway line at Upper Burringbar, Northern NSW. It was an overcast morning with little insect activity but as the sun emerged so did the insects. Several species of dragonfly, wasps, flies, beetles, grasshoppers, all enjoyed the warming rays. There are four species of Tramea known from Australia. Dragonflies such as this Glider are carnivorous and catch insects in flight. Then they find a good perch to consume their prey. Juvenile dragonflies (nymphs) live in fresh water where they hunt aquatic insects and other macro invertebrates. For more information read Theischinger and Hawking, The complete guide to dragonflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing.
February 2008 - Grass Pyrgomorph Summer time is garden pest time. The warm weather and recent rains around northern New South Wales provide best conditions for any number of leaf-eating insects such as these Grass Pyrgomorphs (Atractomorpha sp.). These orthopteran insects have a particular taste for aromatic foliages such as this of basil, rocket and other herbs. While the feeding marks don't look very attractive, the produce is still perfectly fresh and suitable for consumption. This picture was taken after a rain shower and shows a pair of Pyrgomorphs mating. The male is the smaller of the two sitting on top of the female. The plant in this picture is Leaf Amaranth which is a fantastically nutritious green vegetable from South America.
Alan and Perri Wain have sent in this picture. It is a beautiful Two-spined Spider known as Poecilopachys australasia. These small (approx. 1cm) and attractive spiders build vertical complete wheel webs. They are common inhabitants in gardens where they build their web among bushes and shrubs. The Two-spined Spiders are active at night but gardeners often discover the brightly colored female hiding among vegetation waiting for dusk. Each night they construct a new web. In the morning they eat it up so valuable nutrients are not wasted. If you want to find out more about common and not so common spiders then Bert Brunet's excellent book The Silken Web is a good start.
This female assassin bug is a formidable predator. In slow motion she explores the vegetation of many gardens searching for invertebrate food. She is brutally efficient in seizing large insects mantis-like with her strong fore legs. Quickly she subdues the struggling prey with her hypodermic needle sharp proboscis. The prey struggles no more for her kiss is a poisonous and deadly one. The female photographed here is a third generation captive bread animal and part of our live insect collection used for education and display purposes.
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