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

donhe wrote:
2 hrs ago
Ah: P. rubropicta has a cusped pale submarginal arc like this, but the orbicular and reniform are all wrong.

Neumichtis expulsa
donhe wrote:
3 hrs ago
N. expulsa has a marginal arc of black daggers on the forewing, which this specimen does not have.
None of the Noctuidae illustrated on LBH have the sharp cusp on the pale submarginal double band on the forewing like this specimen appears to have. Is it a visual artifact from overlapping wings ?

Neumichtis expulsa
donhe wrote:
3 hrs ago
The front legs on C. delocentra and C. nigricincta in the photos on LBH look very similarly black and white banded like this.

Cryptophasa (genus)
donhe wrote:
3 hrs ago
I cannot discern a pattern to match.

Tortricinae (subfamily)
donhe wrote:
3 hrs ago
No white patches.

Sphenarches anisodactylus
816,364 sightings of 22,257 species from 14,003 members
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