#bioblitz

[miyrumiyru]

[celestialmacros]

City Nature Challenge 2026

Join in the 2026 City Nature Challenge! Make observations of wild plants and animals 24-27 April, and take part in the largest community sci

Have you taken any photos yet? The weeds in the sidewalk, the bird on the fence, the fly trying to get out of your window. They all count!

City Nature Challenge, a world-wide bioblitz, is now live!

[celestialmacros]

City Nature Challenge starts tomorrow!

[celestialmacros]

Generated by create next app

This weekend, Friday through Monday, is the 2026 City Nature Challenge, a worldwide bioblitz sponsored by iNaturalist. Get out and take photos of any wild organisms and upload them to iNaturalist to be included!!

[drhoz]

Great Southern BioBlitz 2025 - Greater Perth - Other Kingdoms

BACTERIA

Firmicutes - Mollicutes

Acholeplasmatales - Acholeplasmataceae

Protea Witches' Broom Protea witches broom phytoplasma 1

CHROMISTA

Ochrophyta - Phaeophyceae

Laminariales - Lessoniaceae

Common Kelp Ecklonia radiata 2

FUNGI

Basidiomycota - Agaricomycetes

Agaricales - Agaricaceae

Shaggy Parasol Chlorophyllum brunneum 1

Polyporales - Fomitopsidaceae

Curry Punk Piptoporus australiensis 1

Polyporaceae

scarlet bracket Trametes coccinea 1

[drhoz]

#3571 - Peronella sp. - Pink Sand Dollar

The beach at the Port Kennedy Scientific Park doesn't get as much foot traffic as other beachs in Perth (although vehicular traffic is still a problem, not least because of arseholes knocking down the fences so they can drive their 4WDs over the endangered ecological community). But that lack of people is probably the only reason these Sand Dollars are as intact as they are - they're very fragile after death.

They are also quite pink, at least while they are alive.

Photo by Ria Tan, on iNaturalist.

Three of the five sand dollars found around here are pink - the fourth is a deep green.

Named after François Péron (1775–1810), a French naturalist and explorer who collected extensively in Australian waters. Peronella lesueuri, the best-known species here, is named after Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846), a French naturalist, artist, and explorer, who visited parts of Australia. It's found along sandy shores of Australia, SE Asia, and up to Japan. Here in Perth, population densities can reach .13 to 0.3 individuals per square meter.

Sand Dollars (variously known as sea cookies, pansy shells, snapper biscuits, and sand cakes or cake urchins if they're a thicker species) are flat, burrowing sea urchins with very short spines, that feed on algae and organic detritus on top of the sand, although some may prop themselves up to catching drifting food. The larvae of some species will split themselves in half if they detect the taste of predators in the water around them, which doubles their number and may help them avoid detection.

If, on the other hand, you see one 100m or so across, flying around at high speed, you're the prey.

[drhoz]

Great Southern BioBlitz 2025 - Greater Perth - Other Terrestrial Invertebrates

Chilopoda

Scolopendromorpha - Scolopendridae

Orange-footed Centipede Cormocephalus aurantiipes 2

Diplopoda

Julida - Julidae

Portuguese Millipede Ommatoiulus moreleti 17

Unfortunately the most often reported species of the weekend. Highly invasive.

Gastropoda

Stylommatophora - Geomitridae

Pointed Snail Cochlicella acuta 3 Small Pointed Snail Cochlicella barbara 2

Helicidae

Garden Snail Cornu aspersum 2 Green Garden Snail Cantareus apertus 2 White Italian Snail Theba pisana 7

Unfortunately, introduced species of snail have completely taken over the Perth area - native snails are now very rare.

Limacidae

Threeband Slugs Ambigolimax 3

also introduced.

[drhoz]

Great Southern BioBlitz 2025 - Greater Perth - Insects

As with the Arachnids, only the Research Grade IDs - a small fraction of the insect species recorded over the weekend. And many lack common names.

Blattodea - Blattidae

American Cockroach Periplaneta americana 1

Pseudophyllodromiidae

Austral Ellipsidion Ellipsidion australe 1 bush cockroach Ellipsidion humerale 6 Balta hebardi 2

Coleoptera - Buprestidae

Castiarina phaeopus 3 Castiarina picta 3 Castiarina simulata 2 Stigmodera roei 2

Carabidae

Green Carab Beetle Calosoma schayeri 2 Conopterum bifurcum 1

Coccinellidae

Large Spotted Ladybird Harmonia conformis 7 Six-spotted Zigzag Ladybird Cheilomenes sexmaculata 2 Transverse Ladybird Beetle Coccinella transversalis 1 Orcus australasiae 1

Curculionidae

Elephant Weevil Orthorhinus cylindrirostris 2 Catasarcus impressipennis 1 Catasarcus spinipennis 2 Metacymia marmorea 1 Sitona discoideus 1 Tranes vigorsii 1

Dermestidae

Hide Beetle Dermestes maculatus 1 Varied Carpet Beetle Anthrenus verbasci 3

Scarabaeidae

Colymbomorpha lineata 1 Phyllotocus ustulatus 1

Tenebrionidae

Bronze Fieldbeetle Adelium brevicorne 2 Ecnolagria aeneoviolacea 1 Lepturidea occidentalis 1

Dermaptera - Anisolabididae

Anisolabis flavocapitata 1

Diptera - Anthomyiidae

Anthomyia punctipennis 2

Asilidae

Chrysopogon albopunctatus 1

Bibionidae

Australian garden maggot Bibio imitator 1

Calliphoridae

Common European Greenbottle Fly Lucilia sericata 2 Amenia nigromaculata 1 Calliphora albifrontalis 1 Calliphora dubia 2

Culicidae

Southern saltmarsh mosquito Aedes camptorhynchus 2

Dolichopodidae

Green Long-Legged Fly Austrosciapus connexus 2

Syrphidae

Common Halfband Melangyna viridiceps 2 Yellow-shouldered Stout Hover Fly Simosyrphus grandicornis 6 Eumerus obliquus 1 Melangyna ambusta 1 Orthoprosopa grisea 1

Therevidae

Neodialineura spinosa 1

Tipulidae

Australian Tiger Crane Fly Nephrotoma australasiae 1 Common Brown Crane Fly Leptotarsus costalis 1

Hemiptera - Aphididae

Rose Aphid Macrosiphum rosae 1

Aphrophoridae

Bathyllus albicinctus 4

Cicadidae

Tick-tock Physeema quadricincta 1

Coreidae

Crusader Bug Mictis profana 4

Miridae

Lincolnia lucernina 1

Pentatomidae

Brown shield bug Dictyotus caenosus 1 Gum Tree Shield Bug Theseus modestus 1 Pittosporum Bug Pseudapines geminata 1 Alcaeus varicornis 1 Poecilometis lineatus 4 Poecilometis patruelis y-nigrum 1 Poecilometis punctiventris 4 Theseus modestus scutellatus 1

Reduviidae

Red Tiger Assassin Bug Havinthus rufovarius 1

Hymenoptera - Apidae

European Honey Bee Apis mellifera 6

Colletidae

Banksia Masked Bee Hylaeus alcyoneus 1 Red-tailed Leioproctus Leioproctus rhodurus 1

Formicidae

Black-headed Sugar Ant Camponotus nigriceps 2 Black-scaped Bull ant Myrmecia nigriscapa 1 Coastal Brown Ant Pheidole megacephala 2 Copper-bellied Ant Ochetellus glaber 1 Green-head Ant Rhytidoponera metallica 2 Southern Meat Ant Iridomyrmex purpureus 2 toothless bull ant Myrmecia mandibularis 1 Camponotus molossus 2 Dolichoderus clusor 2 Dolichoderus ypsilon 2 Myrmecia clarki 1 Notoncus gilberti 1 Rhytidoponera violacea 3

Megachilidae

Megachile canifrons 1 Megachile remotula 1

Lepidoptera - Crambidae

Tree Lucerne Moth Uresiphita ornithopteralis 3

Erebidae

Australian magpie moth Nyctemera amicus 1 Clouded Footman Anestia ombrophanes 1 Desert Footman Thallarcha rhaptophora 1 Southern Moon Moth Dasypodia selenophora 1 Tropical Anomis Anomis flava 1

Geometridae

Common Gum Emerald Prasinocyma semicrocea 5 Cryptic Bark Moth Gastrinodes argoplaca 2 Delta Geometrid Isturgia penthearia 1 Flecked Wave Moth Idaea philocosma 1 Grey Taxeotis Taxeotis intextata 2 Native cranberry moth Poecilasthena pulchraria 2 Northern Emerald Prasinocyma rhodocosma 1 Pink-bellied Moth Oenochroma vinaria 1 Red-lined Looper Crypsiphona ocultaria 1 Red-spotted delicate Epicyme rubropunctaria 2 Varied Wave Moth Scopula optivata 1 Amphiclasta lygaea 1 Anachloris uncinata 1 Cleora displicata 1 Fisera belidearia 1 Microdes villosata 1

Hesperiidae

blue iris-skipper Mesodina cyanophracta 1 Silver-spotted Ochre Trapezites argenteoornatus 4 Western Sand-Skipper Antipodia dactyliota 1 Trapezites sciron sciron 1

Lycaenidae

Two-spotted Line-blue Nacaduba biocellata 1

Noctuidae

Bogong Moth Agrotis infusa 1 Brown Cutworm Agrotis munda 2 Dark-barred Wainscot Leucania diatrecta 5 Green Garden Looper Chrysodeixis eriosoma 2 Native Budworm Helicoverpa punctigera 5 Oriental leafworm moth Spodoptera litura 1 Southern Armyworm Persectania ewingii 1 Southern Whistling Moth Hecatesia thyridion 1 Tobacco Looper Chrysodeixis argentifera 3 Variable Cutworm Agrotis porphyricollis 2

Notodontidae

Long-tailed Bombyx Trichiocercus sparshalli 7

Nymphalidae

Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi 4 Western Xenica Geitoneura minyas 4 Yellow Admiral Vanessa itea 2

Oecophoridae

Aeolocosma cycloxantha 3

Pieridae

Cabbage White Pieris rapae 2

Plutellidae

Diamondback Moth Plutella xylostella 1

Psychidae

Lomera xanthochrysa 1

Pyralidae

Meal moth Pyralis farinalis 2

Tineidae

Blotched Monopis Moth Monopis meliorella 1 Wool Moth Monopis icterogastra 1

Mantodea - Nanomantidae

Southern Boxer Bark Mantis Paraoxypilus tasmaniensis 1 Spiny Bark Mantis Gyromantis kraussii 2

Neuroptera - Chrysopidae

Apertochrysa edwardsi 1 Nothancyla verreauxi 2

Hemerobiidae

Tasmanian Lacewing Micromus tasmaniae 1

Odonata - Aeshnidae

Australian Emperor Anax papuensis 2

Coenagrionidae

Aurora Bluetail Ischnura aurora 2 Red and Blue Damsel Xanthagrion erythroneurum 1 Southwestern Billabongfly Austroagrion cyane 2

Corduliidae

Tau Emerald Hemicordulia tau 1

Gomphidae

Western Inland Hunter Austrogomphus collaris 2

Lestidae

Slender Ringtail Austrolestes analis 1

Libellulidae

Blue Skimmer Orthetrum caledonicum 4 Swamp Flat-tail Austrothemis nigrescens 3

Orthoptera - Acrididae

Bark-mimicking Grasshopper Coryphistes ruricola 2 Common Gumleaf Grasshopper Goniaea australasiae 2 Giant Grasshopper Valanga irregularis 1 Long-legged Bandwing Heteropternis obscurella 1

Tettigoniidae

Common Marauding Katydid Metaballus frontalis 2 Common Sluggish Katydid Hemisaga denticulata 1 Gumleaf Katydid Torbia viridissima 1 Balloon-winged Katydid Tympanophora andreae 1

Phasmida - Phasmatidae

Key's Stick Insect Podacanthus keyi 1