Insects


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

Daley, A. & Ellingsen, K., 2012. Insects of Tasmania: An online field guide

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.

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Discussion

trevorpreston wrote:
16 min ago
I think this is Polyzosteria aenea (Pink-tailed heath cockroach) but not 100% sure.

Platyzosteria sp. (genus)
KMcCue wrote:
Yesterday
This flowering shrub is a huge magnet for insects though they have to battle multitudes of European Wasps. Thanks again for the id, maybe I will learn to id them myself one day.

Scoliidae (family)
KMcCue wrote:
Yesterday
Thanks for identifying that wasp Simone, only one of them comes visiting. I feel sorry for all the insects labelled 'common'.

Polistes (Polistella) humilis
HarveyPerkins wrote:
Yesterday
An Australian Emperor munching on a Tau Emerald.

Anax papuensis
JonLewis wrote:
Yesterday
Must have been a great place to raise a family.

Camponotus aeneopilosus
1,912,172 sightings of 21,504 species from 13,350 contributors
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