#paropsisterna

[herpsandbirds]

Noble Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle (Paropsisterna nobilitata), family Chrysomelidae, Australia

photographs by Hongming Kan

[creatureimages]

paropsina my beloved

[clumsyvelvetworms]

Some various critters from a visit to a relative in (very) rural Vic last year!

Eucalyptus Variegated Beetle (Paropsisterna cloelia)

Harlequin Red Bug (Dindymus versicolor)

Punctate Flower Chafer (Neorrhina punctatum)

Common Pill Woodlouse (Armadillidium vulgare)

Calomela bartoni

Common Flatwing (Austroargiolestes icteromelas)

[skydarcyedwards]

Photobombing.

Beetle, probably Paropsisterna (maybe Paropsisterna nigerrima but beetles are difficult), and a millipede (probably the invasive Ommatoiulus moreleti or Portuguese millipede), just wandering through.

Canon 60D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro

Custom flash diffuser

[drhoz]

#1649 - Paropsisterna galatea

Another Paropsine Leaf Beetle, found by me in a teatree bush next to an urban lake here in Perth.

P. galatea is one of the few Paropsine Leaf Beetles that don’t eat Eucalyptus - its diet is exclusively Leptospermum, as does P. obliterata, some Paropsides and two Paropsis. There’s also a few species where the diet isn’t eucalyptus, but wasn’t identified when the insect was collected. 

[drhoz]

#1645 - Paropsisterna bimaculata

Bonus thrips on top of the stack.

Photo by Brendan Costello, but they didn’t say where. It might have been Victoria, where it is rare, or more likely Tasmania, where it is common. The species is best known for gathering into swarms by the millions and flying out into the ocean, only to wash up again on the beachs. 

[drhoz]

#1642 - Paropsisterna cloelia

Found by me, down near Dunsborough, in the SW of Western Australia. There was also a red one, which may or may not have been the same species, but it fell off the Eucalypt before I could photograph it. 

Another one of Australia’s many Paropsine Leaf Beetles, and similar to P. variicollis which is found across much of the country.

[drhoz]

#1647 - Paropsisterna nigerrima

Found by me down in Picton, in the SW corner of the country, by also found in the rest of the wetter parts of the country. 

Another species of Paropsine Leaf Beetle that may be entirely black, but can also be black with brown spots as here, black with brown stripes, black with a combination of stripes and spots, or reddish brown with a black head. The variability might be mimicry of common species in their locality such, but since they’re nocturnal and hide during daylight, and they don’t seem to have chemical defenses beyond the eucalyptus diet of most Paropsines, it’s not clear what advantage would be gained.