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Project Noah Nature School
Eupoecila australasiae
Bright cetonid beetle (flower beetle) with conspicuous green stripes on shiny brown shell.
Feeding on the only flowering Sweet bursaria flowers on a hilltop in Melbourne parkland (Yarra bend).
Feeding on fragrant Thorny box (Bursaria spinosa). About six flew away very rapidly but these two amoruos individuals stayed a few more distracted moments for this photo opportunity. Unlike most beetles that open their wing covers and then their wings, cetonids slide their wings out in one rapid movement, instantly flying away with no warning. Over winter I found several cocoons in a dead tree and grew them out to reveal this same beetle. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/771....
Spotted on Dec 30, 2011
Submitted on Dec 30, 2011
4 Comments
Thanks Ashish. This is a favorite for us and seems to be becoming more common now. I found some cocoons under the bark of deadwood and these emerged =) http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/771...
Lovely Scarab beetle...Super shots...
These are considered common along eastern Australia although I've rarely seen them until this summer. This was spotted in Fairfield, Yarra Bend Park, Melbourne.
Fantastic martin. Is he from Buxton? What a spectacular local beetle.