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Monophlebulus sp.
These grubs are not caterpillars, but are insects in the family Margarodidae. As larvae, they often appear mainly white because they secrete an outer layer of wax, which controls their water loss and may disguise them. As adults, they lose the wax layer and the orange-red and blue colour becomes visible. The body is segmented, and the size of this specimen was slightly less than 2 cms. They are often attended by ants as they exude excess sugar syrup. My first encounter with the species, so I'm not sure if this is male or female. Mealy bugs are known to feed on the sap of eucalyptus and callistemon species, but they also feed on other plants and some species are considered to be serious agricultural pests. There are about 200 species of Mealy bug in Australia.
Spotted on the bark of a native eucalypt, although I didn't take too much notice of the species at the time. I suspect it may be Eucalyptus moluccana, commonly known as Grey Box. ID pending next visit. I was walking on the Mt. Mathieson Trail, in open forest at Mt. Mathieson, Spicers Gap. This area is a section of Main Range National Park, a World Heritage Area. Australian native flora in a mix of dry eucalypt forests and subtropical rainforest.
Another good local link, particularly for its photos - http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_... And I really like the name "snow ball" mealybug. Make it sound ominous like the yeti or abominable snowman haha :) I've also seen the name giant "woolly" mealybug. It just keeps getting better.
Spotted on May 13, 2018
Submitted on May 20, 2018
16 Comments
Thanks for the update Neil! They're being understandably cautious :-)
Daniele, I've just received this email from the Queensland Museum. Nothing major to report yet...... Hi Neil. Our entomologist has provided the following information regarding your inquiry: I’ve had a look on the Australian Faunal Directory and there are five described species of Monophlebulus (assuming that this is in fact a species of Monophlebulus – I will send one of the images to Lyn Cook and see if she concurs with the generic level identification). The most recent taxonomic work on the genus was in 1924 when two new species were described. The taxonomy of scale insects is usually based on microscopic details of setae and pores and other features based on slide mounted specimens so I highly doubt that a species-level identification is possible based on photographs. If we receive any further information regarding your photos we will forward it to you.
Me too. Thanks.
Neil, that is perfect! Way to go in this situation. Looking forward to hear about their reply. On behalf of Project Noah many thanks again for your efforts.
Daniele, I have sent an email with photos to the Queensland Museum. Hopefully they will be able to confirm the actual species of this insect. I have contacted them before with a couple of my other insect spottings, with success. Replies are usually within 10 days.
Hi again Neil! Your efforts in researching and documenting your spottings as far as you do are greatly appreciated. It is because of this that we can have this conversation! On my side, I'm doing my best in my role trying to curate our collection. When a spotting is popular and well documented, like yours are, and we decide to potentially feature it as Spotting of the Day thereby greatly increasing its public exposure, we go an extra way to make sure we get it right. My concern, as a biologist not familiar with this family of insects, is that the majority of Monophlebulus species images or records I found online are only identified at genus level, including many in Queensland. What I am after is a clear criteria (related to morphology, or location) that tells us that this can only be Monophlebulus pilosior and not another Monophlebulus species. In the small amount of time I can dedicate to keep this site going I haven't been able to find one. Again I may have missed something in my search, so your help or anybody else's help here is welcome.
I've removed the species.
The Brisbane Insects link was provided mainly for the images. Re: Atlas of Living Australia, there are these spottings which identify a species - https://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/... Other than that, I don't understand what it is you're wanting. I've provided so much more information than most could be bothered with, particularly when it comes to researching a species I've never seen before, and providing evidence to ensure that my ID is as accurate as possible.
Hi Neil! My query comes come the fact the the link you provided for the Brisbane Insects page only identifies these mealy bugs at genus level, and doesn't venture into species. Also, the large majority of records for these mealy bugs in the Atlas of Living Australia are only at genus level:
https://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/...
So, I was wondering whether you have found any criteria (morphological, or geolocation) to help differentiate this one from other species of Monophlebulus found in Australia, which I may have missed. Thanks for your understanding!
Wiki link is in Swedish, btw, but it does have a translator.
I thought M. pilosior (Maskell, 1893) was the species, Monophlebulus the genus, of course. Synonym M. crawfordi (Maskell, 1893). Both are outlined on the Wikipedia link. Sorry, I didn't include the link when I initially posted this spotting. The Butterfly House link also says that this species was previously known as M. crawfordi pilosior. Hmmm, I'll stick with M. pilosior as my spotting ID.
I love these guys Neil! Do you have criteria for the exact species, or should it be left at genus level?
Awesome. Thanks for the nomination, Ashley :)
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
I though so too, Christine. I'd never seen one before. Quite a curious-looking creature.
Wow, so cool!