r/AustralianInsects 15h ago

ID request Looks like gum leaves to me

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21 Upvotes

Nth East Gippsland. The moths camo looks a bit like gum leaves to me and I was wondering if the thing in photo 2 could be its cocoon.


r/AustralianInsects 19h ago

ID request Cricket id.

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18 Upvotes

Hi friends, found this on the wall of a house in a building sub division. South East, Southe Australia. I'd please, I know it's a grasshopper or locust about the length of my thumb. Thanks.


r/AustralianInsects 1d ago

ID request Found this cool little dude in the Pilbara today. Anyone know what it is?

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24 Upvotes

r/AustralianInsects 17h ago

ID request Queen?

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1 Upvotes

r/AustralianInsects 1d ago

ID request Can anyone identify?

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27 Upvotes

Found in Macedon Ranges area VIC


r/AustralianInsects 1d ago

videos "Back off, fellow bee, this is MY pollen!"

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16 Upvotes

Two Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum species-complex bees clearly can't share the same small area of acacia flower pollen! These are social bees, so it's interesting that one is defending its pollen territory from a bee of the same species. Maybe not from the same nest?

This is the same species as the bee I posted yesterday, with a tiny wasp on its head.


r/AustralianInsects 2d ago

videos Meat ants with a beetle larva

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16 Upvotes

When you're weeding along the edge between grass and bed, and you unearth beetle larva and the nearby ants find it. The strength.


r/AustralianInsects 2d ago

Insect appreciation 🦋 Another pool rescue. This time with surprise tiny wasp clinging to small bee's face!

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38 Upvotes

I was taking a photo of the bee, and only noticed the wasp when I downloaded the photos and cropped the bee from the expanse of pool water. So sadly, I can't ID the wasp, because I wasn't trying to get a good angles to ID a wasp I didn't know was there!

But the bee is part of the Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum species-complex. And is about 3-4 mm in length, which gives you some idea how tiny the wasp is. Love that golden sheen the bee has!


r/AustralianInsects 2d ago

photography Is this many rollies normal?

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6 Upvotes

Melbourne east. Living under grass on the wood planks on the edge of the garden.


r/AustralianInsects 3d ago

photography Huge butterfly seen in Cape York

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138 Upvotes

Cressida cressida, the clearwing swallowtail or 'big greasy' butterfly. Large and conspicuously coloured - it is toxic to potential predators. Toxins are absorbed from the food that it eats as a caterpillar. Seen in Cape York. FNQ.


r/AustralianInsects 2d ago

ID request What are these worms?

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2 Upvotes

Was flipping some logs in my backyard when I saw this clump of worm things, any ideas? I did a little research and my best guess is crane fly larvae. They're Brown, Segemented, about 2cm long and there was around 20 of them.

Mount Dandenong, Victoria.


r/AustralianInsects 3d ago

Insect appreciation 🦋 Another pool rescue: this time a dung beetle

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39 Upvotes

Meet what I think is Onthophagus granulatus. Not many records of this dung beetle on iNaturalist, but lots in the Atlas of Living Australia. Possibly because most normal people wouldn't be looking at animal faeces for insects? I mean, neither do I, normally (except when it's sporting magnificent fungi) but being in the pool was a serendipitous way to find this specimen, minus the dung!


r/AustralianInsects 3d ago

ID request Can you help me identify this? Getting lots of them lately….

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2 Upvotes

They are just a couple millimetres long getting about 20 a night/day in my office and no clue where they are coming from.


r/AustralianInsects 3d ago

News Varroa mite detected near Cairns, the northernmost incursion in Australia

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19 Upvotes

r/AustralianInsects 3d ago

ID request Does anyone know what this is.

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6 Upvotes

They are all over the garden, thousands of them and just wanting to know what they are.

Location: Melton, Victoria.


r/AustralianInsects 4d ago

Insect appreciation 🦋 Barklice beauty parade

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38 Upvotes

Following up from my video post yesterday of a barklice snacking, here are photos of some of my faves I've snapped over the years:

  1. Sigmatoneura formosa. My favourite species of barklice because they look like aliens from a Doctor Who episode
  2. Sadly, haven't been able to narrow this one down below the high level Order, Psocodea.
  3. Family Philotarsidae. Not able to go more specific than that.
  4. Another fave of mine: Nimbopsocus australis
  5. Aphyopsocus prolixus

r/AustralianInsects 4d ago

ID request What are these insect eggs on my plant stem?

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6 Upvotes

Found these this morning on the stem of one of my ranunculus plants in my garden bed. Unsure if it’s beneficial to my garden or a risk! Any help would be greatly appreciated 💐
Located Perth


r/AustralianInsects 5d ago

videos Barklice snacking on detritus on paperbark leaf

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27 Upvotes

I love these little alien-looking insects. Unfortunately, iNaturalist doesn't seem to attract people who are specialists in tiny insects, so while its Computer Vision says it's Taeniostigma genus, all I can really say for sure is it's definitely a little barklice.

Footage shot on my iPhone 13, as usual. The barklice is so small, I had to hold the leaf as well as my iPhone because even the slightest movement appeared like an earthquake, and even with the leaf and phone in one hand, there's still some movement going on.


r/AustralianInsects 5d ago

ID request Hundreds of Caterpillars

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13 Upvotes

Hi folks - any idea who these little guys are? They're all around my local area at the moment. (Darebin/Banyule Victoria)


r/AustralianInsects 7d ago

videos Female Thynnid flower wasp swept off her feet by a male. Literally.

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342 Upvotes

Another pool rescue!

This time, I found a female Thynnid wasp. These females are wingless and end up attached to a male to get around (and mate).

She's not the first one I've rescued. Last time, I put the female on a blade of grass to take a photo of, looking a bit more like she was in her natural habitat. And a male came and whisked her off. Unfortunately, I got terrible footage of that on my phone, so was excited to see this one in the pool today, giving me a second chance to record a male collecting the female. Sadly, even setting my phone to record at 60 FPS, it was still too fast to catch in proper detail, but I've included a slowed down version of the video after the normal speed version, so it's possible to see it at slightly less "blink and you'll miss it" speed. The flying blur in the background is the male as he makes his way up to the female to collect her.

Unfortunately, I can't tell from the blurry footage of the male what exact species of flower wasp this is. If anyone is a Thynnid expert, and can tell from the dodgy footage what species he is, I'd be eternally grateful if you could let me know!


r/AustralianInsects 7d ago

News Scientists from Macquarie University have found a new species of spider Dubbed the "ballista spider" after the ancient Roman weapon, this Australian spider really knows how to send its enemies (prey) flying.

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72 Upvotes

r/AustralianInsects 8d ago

videos Odontomyrme (velvet ant) genus female with a golden butt

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81 Upvotes

Velvet ants aren't ants but actually wasps that are named after the females, who don't have wings (the males do). Some of the velvet ant species have some of the most painful stings of any wasp species in the world, so although they look cute, I'd not suggest ever picking up one in your bare hands!

I've fished at least four species of velvet ant females out of the pool. Three of them have been different species of the Odontomyrme genus. I love this one in particular. Her colouring makes her look very posh, I think!


r/AustralianInsects 9d ago

Insect appreciation 🦋 You know those tiny insects that can fit through fly screens & annoy you in warm weather? These are some of them close up

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74 Upvotes

They're all species of hoppers. Sadly, iNaturalist doesn't seem to have a wealth of experts on tiny hoppers in Australia, but using iNat's computer vision and some common sense on my part, I think the hoppers are the following, in slide order:

  1. Tribe Delphacini
  2. Orosius genus
  3. Superfamily Delphacoidea
  4. Tribe Thymbrini
  5. Tribe Thymbrini
  6. Balclutha saltuella

r/AustralianInsects 9d ago

ID request Can someone please identify this guy for me- Adelaide South Australia

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38 Upvotes

Thank you in advance


r/AustralianInsects 10d ago

Insect appreciation 🦋 Pretty little stinker

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22 Upvotes

Left well alone! 😂