Tag Archives: Australia

Granny’s Cloak Moth

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Granny’s Cloak Moth

Do not be fooled by a granny’s cloak moth.

  • The scientific name for a granny’s cloak moth is Speiredonia spectans, and they are from the family Noctuidae, the family of owlet moths.
  • Granny’s cloak moths are native to Australia, typically found in the north eastern areas, but some have been randomly seen in New Zealand and Norfolk Island.
  • Granny’s cloak moth caterpillars have long, flat bodies that have brown coats spotted with spots that are black or black and white.
  • Granny’s cloak moths can generally be found in dark habitats, including caves, and also in or near human settlements.
  • Adult Granny’s cloak moths appear to have brown coloured wings with scalloped edges, with eye spots on each wing and streaks of dark colours, however, in the right lighting situation (especially with flash photography), purple coloured wings are visible.

Granny's cloak Moth, Pipe, Laundry, Four, Two Spots, Purple, Orange, Ten Random Facts, Bug, Insect, Spread, rest, Ten Random Facts

  • The wingspan of a Granny’s cloak moth can be up to 7 to 7.5 centimetre (2.8 to 3 inches).
  • Granny’s cloak moths can appear in an eclipse (group of moths) of twelve or more, commonly grouping by the particular plant the bug hatched on.
  • Granny’s cloak moths’ diet mainly consists of plants from the family Acacia, the family of wattles.
  • Granny’s cloak moths are generally active during the night, when their main natural predators, the birds, are asleep, although bats pose a threat.
  • Granny’s cloak moths have super sensitive ears, and can pick up the echolocation calls from some species of bats, who are their predators, and in response, they can dart around to avoid being the bats’ next meal.
Bibliography:
Granny’s Cloak Moth – Speiredonia Spectans, 2011, Brisbane Insects, http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_owlmoths/CloakMoth.htm
Herbison-Evans D, Crossley S & Shaw P, Speiredonia spectans (Guenée, 1852), 2013, Butterfly House, http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/cato/spectan.html

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Thorny Devil

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Thorny Devil

These facts are a lot easier to digest than thorny devils.

  • In 1841, John Gray, a zoologist from Britain, wrote about thorny devils, and he applied the scientific name of ‘Moloch horridus’ to them, naming them after an ancient god, ‘Moloch’, and the Latin word ‘horridus’, meaning prickly.
  • ‘Thorny devils’ are also known as ‘thorny lizards’, ‘mountain devils’, ‘thorny dragons’ and ‘molochs’, being the only species of ‘Moloch’ lizards, and they are from the family Agamidae, the family of dragon lizards.
  • The typical length of thorny devils is 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 inches), with males being typically smaller than females, and they have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years.
  • Thorny devils are native to the shrubby deserts of Australia, particularly in Western Australia and usually live among areas that have sandy soil.
  • Thorny devils are typically brown, cream and tan in colour, that camouflages them in desert, but the colour shades can change with the temperature.

Thorny Devil, Lizard, Dragon, Sand, Australia, Brown, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Thorny Devil
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • The body of thorny devils is covered with sharp thorns, mainly acting as protection against predators, however sometimes a lizard becomes the meal of a goanna or bird of prey.
  • Thorny devils have a head-like bump on their back that is shown to predators when feeling threatened, instead of their real head.
  • Thorny devils feed on thousands of ants every day, that they gather with their sticky tongue.
  • In Australia’s spring and summer, thorny devils lay three to ten eggs, in a hole approximately 30 centimetres deep.
  • Thorny devils collect dew on their backs, that is channeled to their mouth via grooves that sit between their spikes.
Bibliography:
Pianka E, Australia’s Thorny Devil, n.d, Varanus, http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/moloch.html
Thorny Dragon, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorny_dragon

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Trilobite Cockroach

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Trilobite cockroach, Giant Cockroach, Black, Female, Wingless, One, Wood, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Insect, Bug, Australia

Unlike trilobites, trilobite cockroaches are not extinct.

  • Trilobite cockroaches are usually dark brown, flat, oval shaped roaches that appear to have armour, and they sit close to the ground and are not usually fast movers.
  • Trilobite cockroaches are from the family Blaberidae, the family of giant cockroaches.
  • Trilobite cockroaches range from a size of 1 to 2.5 centimetres (0.4 to 1 inches) in length.
  • ‘Trilobite cockroaches’ are named after ‘trilobites’ due to the females looking like the extinct, unrelated, aquatic species.
  • There are approximately 15 species of trilobite cockroaches, all of which are native to Australia except two that can be found in Papua New Guinea.

Trilobite cockroach, Giant Cockroach, Black, Female, Wingless, One, Wood, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Insect, Bug, Australia

  • Trilobite cockroaches can be found in wooded areas, forests and gardens, and are often found underneath objects such as leaves, bark and wood or rotting vegetation.
  • The scientific name of trilobite cockroaches is ‘Laxta’, or ‘Laxta Walker’, the genus named after the British entomologist Francis Walker, who worked for the British Museum in the 1800s.
  • Trilobite cockroaches are also known as ‘bark cockroaches’, ‘woodroaches’ and ‘flat cockroaches’.
  • Trilobite cockroaches live in little groups that communicate via smell and their diet typically consists of fibres from wood.
  • Trilobite cockroach female adults do not have wings, while males do; therefore the wings significantly change the appearance of the two genders.
Bibliography:
Bark Cockroach, 2011, Brisbane Insects, http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_cockroaches/BarkCockroach.htm
Flat cockroach, 2009, AustralianMuseum, http://australianmuseum.net.au/Flat-Cockroach
Trilobite Cockroach, n.d, Oz Animals, http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Trilobite-Cockroach/Laxta/sp.html

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Bamboo

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Bamboo, Tall, Green, Leaves, Grass, Hollow, Running, Ten Random Facts, Australia.

Plant the bamboo… and watch it grow before your eyes!

  • Bamboo are generally very tall, strong, woody, flowering grass plants that are hollow and cylindrical, and those that are particularly sturdy are used as materials in construction and weapons, as well as many other items.
  • There are 1450 species of bamboo, and they come from the family Poaceae, the family of grass, and they fall into two categories, ‘clumping bamboo’ and ‘running bamboo’, which describes the growth pattern of the roots and rhizomes.
  • One species of bamboo grows up to 91 cm (3 feet) in one day, which is the fastest of all plants in the world.
  • Most continents have native species of bamboo, however there are none native to Europe and Antarctica.
  • Bamboo can grow up to 30 metres (98 feet) in height, or more, although common species generally grow a lot less, and can have a diameter of up to 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 inches).

Bamboo, Tall, Green, Leaves, Grass, Hollow, Running, Ten Random Facts, Australia.

  • Bamboo from tropical regions generally can not stand extreme cold, and some other species can survive up to -29°C (-20°F).
  • Bamboo plants are evergreen and may only flower every 30 to 130 years, sometimes with all the same stock plants of a species flowering at the same time throughout the world, and then dying after flowering.
  • Bamboo shoots, although they contain a poison, cyanide, that can negatively affect the digestive system, can be eaten if the shoots are prepared properly, usually by boiling them, and are generally eaten boiled, pickled or fermented .
  • In China bamboo is an important symbolic plant, symbolising moral principles, among others, and it represents friendship in India.
  • Bamboo is used in a similar way to wood, and different species are used for building materials, kitchen utensils, fabric and paper, and are also the food source of a number of animals, including the well known Chinese giant panda.
Bibliography:
Bamboo, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
The History of Bamboo, 2011, BambooKi, http://www.bambooki.com/blog/the-history-of-bamboo/

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Cyana Meyricki

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Cyana Meyricki

Any more hair and the cyana meyricki caterpillar would be a hairball!

  • A Cyana meyricki is a type of lichen moth from the family Arctiidae, a family of moths that includes lichen moths, tiger moths, wasp moths, and footman moths.
  • Cyana meyricki caterpillars are mostly black and tan in colour and have lots of long hairs, and are believed to eat lichen and algae.
  • Cyana meyricki caterpillars protect themselves during the pupa stage, by using their long hairs, joined together with silk to create a small, mesh-like cage that surrounds the pupa.
  • A Cyana meyricki pupa rests in the cage without touching the sides, suspended by fine threads of silk.
  • A Cyana meyricki moth squeezes out of the springy cage without tearing or breaking it.

Cyana Meyricki Caterpillar, Hairy, Wedge, Wood, Moving, One, Ten Random Facts, Bug, Animal

Cyana Meyricki Caterpiller

Cyana Mericki Cacoon, Pupa, Mesh cage, bug, Moth, Ten Random Facts, Australia

Cyana Meyricki Pupa
  • Cyana meyricki moths have a wingspan that is typically 3 to 4 centimetres (1 to 1.5 inches) in length.
  • Cyana meyricki moths are tan and black in colour, and have stripey bodies, with symmetrical large yellow patches or spots on their wings.
  • Cyana meyricki pupae are sometimes destroyed by a tachinid fly (a large fly) inside its cage, as these flies are parasites, laying eggs on the caterpillar, or on the caterpillar’s food so that they are consumed and then cause internal damage to the caterpillar, and then the cage is used by the fly for protection of its own pupa.
  • Cyana meyricki caterpillars and moths are native to Australia, in the states of New South Wales and Queensland.
  • Cyana meyricki moths are one of more than 60 Cyana species, and they have also been called ‘Clerckia meyricki’ and ‘Chionaema meyricci’.
Bibliography:
Cyana Meyricki (Rothschild, 1901), n.d., Atlas of Living Australia, http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:828cb218-e027-4411-a71d-ec6561e3cfa1#
Herbison-Evans D & Crossley S, Cyana Meyricki (Rothschild, 1901), 2013, Caterpillars: Especially Australian Ones, http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/arct/meyrick.html

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Pelargonium

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Pelargonium

The sweet-smelling pelargoniums are confusing.

  • Pelargoniums are a group of 200-250 species of flowering perennial plants, from the Geraniaceae family, the family of geraniums.
  • ‘Pelargoniums’ are also known as ‘storksbills’ and ‘geraniums’, and although they are commonly confused with and called ‘geraniums’, they are different to the species of the same name.
  • Pelargoniums are native mostly to South Africa, although some species are native to Australia, the Middle East, New Zealand and other parts of Africa.
  • ‘Pelargoniums’ is derived from the word ‘stork’ in Greek, ‘pelargos’, while the common name for the plant, ‘storksbill’ refers to the seed head’s shape.
  • Pelargoniums have flowers that can be white, cream, pink, mauve, purple, orange and red in colour, and they bloom mainly in spring and summer.

Pelargonium, Flower, Red, Pink, Stalksbills, Cluster, Leaves, Fence, Plant, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Pelargoniums are evergreen and can also survive in drought and strong sunlight, and the shape and texture of the leaves vary significantly, depending on the species.
  • Pelargoniums have 5-petalled flowers, which are distinguished by colours and patterns; with two petals at the top and three below.
  • Some species of pelargoniums have useful perfume-smelling scents, including mint, rose, fruits and spices.
  • Most pelargonium flowers and leaves can be eaten, and they are used in the flavouring, of primarily, desserts.
  • Pelargonium oil, extracted from scented leaves, is sometimes used as a relaxing agent, while parts of the plant can be used to treat sicknesses and injury.
Bibliography:
Pelargonium, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelargonium
Plant Profile: Pelargoniums, 2011, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866723.htm

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