Eucalyptus Weevil

Description and Notes do add immense value to the spotting. Learning, learning and learning. Amazing natural world this is... Thanks for sharing.

Excellent work Leuba - you've got it - thanks.
(and very interesting link thanks auntnance)

Here's an example of the same , I think: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/790...
If it is, it's called frass.

Looks like they are at art class. COOL!

Yes ArgyBee, I too thought it's probably excreted waste products; the coils are not formed to a pattern and, they look very dry !! .Here's confirmation.....

http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/forestry/public...

Fascinating spotting and info : )

maybe they eat too much?? but really interesting creatures.

So right martinl - we walked only 200 metres into the local state forest with cameras this morning and I will need to spend days on this website as a result.
Can't wait to try a National Park or two.
These 'strings' were really quite tough btw... like wires.

Well there goes my theory, CXW's guess looks more likely. Nature always has another surprise.

thanks Atul - for a moment I thought they had iPods

wow great info and cool spotting Argy

Thanks CXW - how common is it?
I thought this might possibly be a decoy plan for potential predators.

Many insect keep their feces and other excrement on their body.
Seems like this is one of them.

Hi martinl. I thought you might like these. Thanks for the thoughts however bizarre. These guys were very much alive so if your fungus theory is true it hasn't killed them yet. Interesting eh!

How bizarre! The larvae are leaf beetle, therefore technically a grub and not a caterpillar. My wild guess is a fungus that eats the insect tissue from inside and then grows a spore producing body, like a fruit.