by Peter Rowland | Monday, October 19, 2020
Alderflies, Dobsonflies and Fishflies (Order: Megaloptera) Two families represented in Australia, the largest is Corydalidae, which house 26 species, all except one occurring principally in eastern Australia, while Sialidae contains just three species, all found only...
by Peter Rowland | Monday, October 19, 2020
Bees, Wasps, Ants and Sawflies (Order: Hymenoptera) Large order, with 69 families and almost 12,000 species in Australia. Of these all but six families and around 200 species belong to the ‘true’ bees, wasps and ants of the suborder Apocrita. The abdomen is divided...
by Peter Rowland | Monday, October 19, 2020
Beetles (Order: Coleoptera) An extremely large order, with 117 families and just under 25,000 species described in Australia. Extremely variable in size (0.4 to 80mm) and colour, but usually typified by modified, hardened forewings (elytra), designed to cover and...
by Peter Rowland | Monday, October 19, 2020
Butterflies and Moths (Order: Lepidoptera) Australia has just under 11,000 species described, contained within 91 families. Of these around 400 species belong to the butterflies, the remainder to the moths, but there could possibly be a further 20,000 species of moths...
by Peter Rowland | Monday, October 19, 2020
Centipedes (Class: Chilopoda) These predatory terrestrial invertebrates have up to 177 flattened body segments, most of which have a single pair of legs. The first body segment has a pair of large venomous fangs (forcipules), used for hunting, which are a modified...
