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Project Noah Nature School
Paropsis sp.
A small red Paropsis tortoise leaf beetle covered with chains of golden beads.
On eucalyptus sapling in arid inland victoria.
Not competing, of course with Sergio in the brave new world. I have about 31 different tortoise leaf beetles including the genera of Paropsis (8), Paropsisterna (19), Trachymela (3)and only one Cassinia (1). In order to capture the 200+ species available in Australia of the Paropsis/paropsisterna group alone, I have an assistant who has kindly brought this beauty home from the little desert for me to photograph.
Spotted on Jan 10, 2014
Submitted on Jan 10, 2014
13 Comments
Ah well done. It looks good. Time consuming? I've often thought of experimenting with that idea. Maybe when I get my real camera back.
Mark, I hope the season remains uneventful for you both. My next trip will be inland, or Halls Gap, as I think these beetles are montane. They are certainly different in types and numbers to what we've seen in the last two years. Check the image I just added to show you an experiment in photostacking (merging six images with different focal lengths in photoshop to improve DOF).
Nice one Martin
Glad you are both alright. Hope it stays that way. I wonder what this constant fire season will do to our forests
So far. Martin should be ok (slightly further into suburbia) We have a eucalyptus forest directly north which is a real worry. Much more of the fire season to go though. It certainly tires you out worrying about it :(
Most fires are caused by lightning and quite remote. Those caused by humans are urban and small and attended quickly. Every summer someone has a sad story. Some of us with memories cannot even watch the news. I am well out of the way this time. Thanks for asking
excuse me getting off-mission. Are you out of the way of the fires?
These Paropsid spottings are gems Martin. I have been wondering what's in the Little Desert this year. They have actually had a good season for wheat nearby. I'll just have to go back there (after this ridiculous heat of course)
Thank you Stephen and Sergio.
They certainly are cousins, overlapping families and subfamilies but rarely genera and species. It is a vast group to study.
Very n ice, Martin, I loved. About competition, I think of our collections as complementary because, as you know, Australia and South America were once a single continent (that's why we both have marsupials in our countries). I like to think at our beetles as distant cousins, with a slightly different accent... :-) BTW, I am always amazed with aussie beetles, they are as colorful as ours!
Very nice beetle Martin, good find
Thanks Lauren. They are quite an obsession.
Another gorgeous Paropsis! Love these guys….