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Project Noah Nature School
Anoplognathus velutinus
A larger and more girthsome scarab type with all parts covered on white setae which seems to be growing in clumps of up to 3 from individual pits which covered the elytra. Also different by a dark spots on each wing cover. Longer white setae showing from below thorax and abdomen.
Attracted to night lighting at the local school.
Certainly different to the usual 'Christmas beetles' Thanks Stephen Thorpe for ID. family: SCARABAEIDAE subfamily: Rutelinae tribe: Anoplognathini genus: Anoplognathus ........ http://www.flickr.com/photos/69610519@N0...
Thanks Maria, Lauren, Stephen, Daniele... a happy Christmas period to all of you. :-)
Great idea Mark! And get them involved.You could create a mission for the school (lots of retrospective editing to put you spottings in there though... :-( )
Thanks Daniele. I was just thinking it would be great if we could present our UFTG Primary School spottings to them. I'm sure they would be amazed. Leuba and I must be into the hundreds now for that school. And they've probably got hours of interesting night time security video to go with it too. ;-)
Wow, what a find. I've never seen a xmas beetle like this before. Nice one, Mark.
Carne (1957: 134) records it from 'VICTORIA: Camberwell, Caulfield, Hall's Gap, Heidelberg, Heyington, Studley Park, Wallan.' (doi: 10.1071/ZO9570088)
Excellent spotting Mark. You're one Victorian who is not asleep on the job. I wonder if it is predicting a cold Christmas.
Thanks Yasser and Dilan. Stephen flyman13 (Flickr ref) is in Melbourne so I guess it is unofficially recorded here. He's pretty thorough. I'm wary of the problems we had with Xylonichus piliger - the green chafer - a NSW one and a Tas one with different genus but look identical.
Actually, it has been recorded from VIC according to http://www.tasfieldnats.org.au/TasNatura...
AFD seems to have missed the record
Brilliant! Thanks again Stephen. I suppose should have guessed it might be "velutinous" :-)
Anoplognathus velutinus. Not recorded for VIC, but there you go! http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversi...
Spotted on Dec 8, 2013
Submitted on Dec 9, 2013
