Insect field guide


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.



Page 22 of 28

559

Pinara cana (Neat Pinara)

Pison sp. (genus) (Black mud-dauber wasp)

Platystomatidae (family) (Unidentified signal fly)

Plerapsalta incipiens (Pygmy Yellowtail)

Podacanthus typhon (Pink-winged Stick Insect)

Podalonia tydei (Caterpillar-hunter wasp)

Podomyrma adelaidae (Muscleman tree ant)

Podomyrma sp. (genus) (Muscleman Tree Ant)

Poecilometis patruelis (Gum Tree Shield Bug)

Poecilometis sp. (genus) (A Gum Tree Shield Bug)

Polichne parvicauda (Short-tailed Polichne)

1  «  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28 

816,499 sightings of 22,260 species from 14,006 members
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.