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Project Noah Nature School
Family=Pergidae
Larvae of this insect have false eyes and pointed tails that look sharp
they feed collectively on Eucalyptus leaves
These insects produce foul tasting fluid to dissuade predators and will wave their abdomens if disturbed. The second pic is the flipside of the same leaf. The yellow larva is newly molted.
Well, I tried to breed these out and sadly, I can confirm that they are difficult.
I should try to grow them, Argy, to determine the adult form. Brisbane insects said they are difficult.
martini, absolutely! I think I have learned more about biology & botany in 4 months on this site than I managed to absorb the whole time I was at school!
@KarenL - totally agree - the Net's fantastic that way.
@Martinl - these larvae are so much better than the black ones !
And don't you just love learning things you never knew before!!!
Here's the sawfly, different but close
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/785...
Don't you just love the internet - it allows me to ID a species I have never seen in a country I haven't visited (yet!) all from the comfort of my armchair!
Yes that's right Karen. Thank you. Checking that link also reveals that I've spotted a sawfly that I thought was a wasp
Three weeks frozen may be a record. That is incredible!!! I always see the black ones but seldom this kind. I never see the sawflies though.
Fantastic martinl - these creatures amaze me because I saw a friend put a clump of them in his freezer for 3 weeks and when he took them out they thawed and walked off.
(don't feed them too much :) )
Spotted on Nov 22, 2011
Submitted on Dec 2, 2011
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