First Bug Club Meeting

Our first Bug Club Meeting was at the Wildflower Walk at Landsborough on the 27th of April, 2022. We met at 3:30pm and set out with a group of 10 people all eager to look for Dragonflies (Odonata). It was a cloudy afternoon with a sprinkling of rain as we set off. We took with us some water nets, a butterfly net, collection jars for observations, magnifying glasses and nature journals.
The weather was not ideal for spotting dragonflies however we did manage to spot a few Red-tipped Shadeflies (Argiocnemis rubescent) a species of Damselfly which had a very pretty green body and a red-tipped tail as the name suggests. They have a length of 35-40mm. We originally thought it was the Red-rumped Wisp but with help from other identifiers we confirmed it was the Shadefly.

We used nets in the water to look for dragonfly larva but had no luck. Instead we found the awesome Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus insulanus). It is the biggest ‘true bug’ in Australia. They are also called the “electric light bug” or “giant fishkiller”. They can grow up to 7cm long and live in fresh water lakes.

They have excellent eyesight and powerful front legs to catch prey. It uses an extendable syphon at the end of their bodies, like a snorkel, to breathe underwater while hunting. It positions itself head-down on a submerged plant stem and hunts by ambush, taking tadpoles, small fish, frogs, snails and aquatic insects. They then use their proboscis to inject digestive enzymes into its prey. This liquifies the prey and then they suck it back out. They fly at night between hunting sites and are attracted to lights. Like most insects they don’t like being handled and could bite which is why it’s important not to pick them up.

Other interesting things we found were leeches, Creeping Water Bugs, freshwater snails, shrimp and crayfish, a Longihorn Beetle and an iridescent millipede (Spirobolellus).

We made observations, took photos and released our finds.

We finished the afternoon discussing what we found and writing up lists and drawing our observations.

What a great afternoon connecting with like-minded people and sharing our passion for the natural world.

Wikipedia
Australian Museum
Minibeast Wildlife

Publicado el abril 29, 2022 08:14 MAÑANA por shechosetofly