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Insects

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Overview

A guide to Australian insect families (from CSIRO) can be found at:
http://anic.ento.csiro.au/insectfamilies/

A useful introduction to Insects, visit:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/uploads/documents/9362/invertebrate_guide.pdf

A diagram of Insect morphology illustrating terminology with legend of body parts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_morphology#/media/File:Insect_anatomy_diagram.svg

A diagram of an insect illustrating terminology based on a worker ant, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaster_(insect_anatomy)#/media/File:Scheme_ant_worker_anatomy-en.svg

Photographing insects

There are two main ways to photograph insects with a camera: using a macro close-up lens or a zoom lens. If the insect tolerates your getting very close, then you can use the macro lens. For example, some moths will remain quite still when approached, believing they are camouflaged and invisible. However, many insects, especially those that can fly, will move away when you approach. This is especially true for insects like butterflies and dragonflies. So a good zoom lens is very useful for photographing many insects. If you are using a smartphone, then use a macro lens or a macro attachment. E.g. OlloClip for iPhone. If you want to have an insect identified to species then clear photographs are usually needed because minute parts of the anatomy may need to be checked. It is valuable to take several photos from various angles so that these anatomical details can be seen. Many insects are have particular plants that they feed on, and they can be identified more easily when the associated plant is known. So if the insect is resting or feeding on a plant, take note of what the plant is or ensure that a photo shows the plant clearly.

6 species

Conocephalus semivittatus (Meadow katydid)

Conocephalus semivittatus
Conocephalus semivittatus
Conocephalus semivittatus
Conocephalus semivittatus
Conocephalus semivittatus
Conocephalus semivittatus

Endoxyla encalypti (Wattle Goat Moth)

Endoxyla encalypti
Endoxyla encalypti
Endoxyla encalypti
Endoxyla encalypti
Endoxyla encalypti
Endoxyla encalypti

Lamprima aurata (Golden stag beetle)

Lamprima aurata MALE
Lamprima aurata MALE
Lamprima aurata FEMALE
Lamprima aurata
Lamprima aurata
Lamprima aurata

Perga sp. (genus) (Sawfly or Spitfire)

Perga sp. (genus) Adult
Perga sp. (genus) Larvae
Perga sp. (genus)
Perga sp. (genus)
Perga sp. (genus)
Perga sp. (genus)

Polistes (Polistes) chinensis (Asian paper wasp)

Polistes (Polistes) chinensis
Polistes (Polistes) chinensis
Polistes (Polistes) chinensis
Polistes (Polistes) chinensis
Polistes (Polistes) chinensis
Polistes (Polistes) chinensis

Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua (A flower-feeding march fly)

Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua
Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua
Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua
Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua
Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua
Scaptia (Scaptia) auriflua

Conservation Level

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Invasiveness

  • All invasiveness levels (change?)

Insects

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2,089,768 sightings of 18,688 species in 5,464 locations from 9,583 contributors
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