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.

Announcements

Discussion

SimonDunstan wrote:
42 min ago
Possibly C.capito?

Camponotus sp. (genus)
SimonDunstan wrote:
15 Jan 2025
Camponotus sp major.

Camponotus sp. (genus)
28 Oct 2024
Thanks for contributing Olly. We would be interested in any other wild creatures you see in your area.

Stigmodera roei
olly wrote:
27 Oct 2024
Thanks guys for updating info! I'm new to this & after a google search, came across this site & thought it would be cool to add a sighting as we have never seen a beetle like this before.

Unfortunately when the kids went back to the park about a week later, the beetle was in the same spot & hadn't moved :(

Stigmodera roei
23 Oct 2024
Species added to taxonomy. Maybe you are having a similar problem to Allen. If you can't find a species in a regional area, you can click the "Can't find it?" button. This will then give you the global list of all species within the NatureMapr taxonomy. If you still can't find it in this list, it is then that you need to add a new species.

Castiarina subcincta
1,905,115 sightings of 21,327 species from 13,130 contributors
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