Insect species

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The following moderators provide local knowledge and expertise for Insects:

WingsToWander  |  HarveyPerkins  |  AlisonMilton  |  canberrabutterflies

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Overview

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.

551 species

Cicadidae (family) (Unidentified cicada)

Cicadidae (family)
Cicadidae (family)
Cicadidae (family)

Clania ignobilis (Faggot Case Moth)

Clania ignobilis
Clania ignobilis
Clania ignobilis

Coccinellidae (family) (Unidentified lady beetle)

Coccinellidae (family)
Coccinellidae (family)
Coccinellidae (family)

Coleotichus costatus (Green shield-backed bug)

Coleotichus costatus
Coleotichus costatus
Coleotichus costatus

Comocrus behri (Mistletoe Day Moth)

Comocrus behri
Comocrus behri
Comocrus behri

Crabroninae (subfamily) (Unidentified solitary wasp)

Crabroninae (subfamily)
Crabroninae (subfamily)
Crabroninae (subfamily)

Creiis costatus (A lerp of eucalypts)

Creiis costatus
Creiis costatus
Creiis costatus

Crioa hades (Crioa hades)

Crioa hades
Crioa hades
Crioa hades

Cryptes baccatus (Wattle Tick Scale)

Cryptes baccatus
Cryptes baccatus
Cryptes baccatus

Cryptocheilus bicolor (Orange Spider Wasp)

Cryptocheilus bicolor
Cryptocheilus bicolor
Cryptocheilus bicolor

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mealybug ladybird)

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Ctenochares bicolorus (Black-tipped orange ichneumon)

Ctenochares bicolorus
Ctenochares bicolorus
Ctenochares bicolorus

Cyclochila australasiae (Greengrocer, Yellow Monday, Masked devil)

Cyclochila australasiae
Cyclochila australasiae
Cyclochila australasiae

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Insects

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2,203,459 sightings of 20,917 species in 9,213 locations from 12,749 contributors
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