Insects

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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.

Insects

Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Bees (Hymenoptera, Apiformes)

Beetles (Coleoptera)

Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera)

Cicadas (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea)

Cockroaches (Blattodea, several families)

Dragonflies & Damselflies (Odonata)

Grasshoppers, Crickets & Katydids (Orthoptera)

Leafhoppers & planthoppers (Hemiptera, several families)

Moths (Lepidoptera)

Praying mantises (Mantodea)

Primitive insects

Psyllids, lerps, aphids & whiteflies (Hemiptera, several families)

Sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)

Scale insects & mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea)

Stick insects (Phasmatodea)

True bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera)

True flies (Diptera)

Wasps (Hymenoptera, Apocrita)

Other insects

Lacewings (Neuroptera)

Unidentified Insect Galls

Featured sightings

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) pulchra (Blue-banded Bee) at Sydney, NSW - 8 Apr 2024 by PaperbarkNativeBees

Tisiphone abeona (Varied Sword-grass Brown) at Ku-Ring-Gai Chase, NSW - 27 Apr 2023 by MatthewFrawley

Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) sp. (genus & subgenus) (Halictid bee) at Dulwich Hill, NSW - 10 Jan 2023 by JudeWright

Amata nigriceps (A Handmaiden moth) at Pennant Hills, NSW - 22 Oct 2022 by Roger

Zizina otis (Common Grass-Blue) at Blackheath, NSW - 8 Jan 2018 by MichaelBedingfield

Apis mellifera (European honey bee) at Hurlstone Park, NSW - 13 Sep 2015 by MichaelBedingfield

Latest sightings

Apiformes (informal group) at Springwood, NSW - 16 Nov 2024 by SapphFire

Lasioglossum sp. at Mount Wilson, NSW - 3 Nov 2024 by SapphFire

Camponotus sp. (genus) (A sugar ant) at Katoomba, NSW - 12 Mar 2025 by KooragindiJohn

Papilio aegeus (Orchard Swallowtail, Large Citrus Butterfly) at Blackheath, NSW - 12 Mar 2025 by PatrickM

Lipotriches (Austronomia) sp. (genus & subgenus) by SapphFire

Lipotriches (Austronomia) phanerura by SapphFire

Platybrachys sp. (genus) (A gum hopper) at Bateau Bay, NSW - 28 Feb 2025 by chrissybeetlz

Abantiades hyalinatus (Mustard Ghost Moth) at Illawong, NSW - 28 Feb 2025 by larissaodonovan

Musgraveia sulciventris (Bronze Orange Bug) at Bossley Park, NSW - 26 Feb 2025 by RaveonM

Polistes (Polistes) chinensis (Asian paper wasp) at Chatswood, NSW - 18 Feb 2025 by Choyster

Moderators

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Announcements

New priority species lists in the ACT

16 Mar 2025

Hello NatureMaprs!Three new priority species lists of exotic freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates, and vertebrates in the ACT have been added to NatureMapr. Uploading records of these species to N...

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Discussion

jb2602 wrote:

45 min ago

Thanks very much Ian and Don for identifying this little grey moth for me

Lichenaula onychotypa

Paul4K wrote:

1 hr ago

@

@DiBickers Done

Unidentified Wasp (Hymenoptera, Apocrita)

ConBoekel wrote:

3 hrs ago

Thanks Jennybach. They are a group that keeps on giving, pictorially speaking.

Unidentified True bug (Hemiptera, Heteroptera)

Jennybach wrote:

3 hrs ago

I recognise that glowing coal look from a sighting I ‘liked’ on the Higgins ACT grouping. Amorbus Genus, or very similar. Great pic.

Unidentified True bug (Hemiptera, Heteroptera)

ibaird wrote:

Yesterday

I' m not sure this is A. demistis. The shape of the forewing outer margin is not recurved, the moth has a dark thorax and a light coloured head. Lowerea (genus)?

Amelora demistis