Meinertellidae (family)

2 A Bristletail at Budderoo, NSW

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Identification history

Meinertellidae (family)	18 Oct 2020	KimPullen
Meinertellidae (family)	18 Oct 2020	KimPullen
Unidentified	5 Oct 2020	WattaWanderer

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User's notes

This was approx 25mm in length, surprisingly “crustacean-like” in appearance. In a crevice near the escarpment, moved quite quickly when disturbed.

3 comments

WattaWanderer wrote:

18 Oct 2020

@KimPullen - many thanks for the ID. Seems to be an interesting species/family. There are very few records on ALA - do you think this reflects their rarity or the fact that they are simply not regularly identified? Have you seen this family of insects in the Budawang Nature Map area previously?

KimPullen wrote:

18 Oct 2020

Hi WW - I personally have very rarely seen bristletails in the wild, and never in the Budawang NM area. They may be naturally rare, or it may be that their habitats and habits (and camouflage) make them hard to see. There may be a time of the year and time of the day (or night) that they more commonly present themselves. If we don't have an efficient way to observe or sample a particular species, our concept of its rarity depends largely on chance meetings - and there are very few of us actually looking for them!

WattaWanderer wrote:

19 Oct 2020

Thanks Kim - very interesting to learn! That makes sense re the difficulty in gauging rareity/population from incidental sightings alone. I will keep my eyes peeled when next in that area.

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