A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
A multi brown small longicorn with very familiar patterns. This is likely attempting to imitate an ant but the beetle normally has even thickness laterally so this attempt at three bulbous body part looks quite strange and comical.
On a eucalyptus (stringybark) in a nature reserver
The specimen recorded by Peter Chew has black prothoracic dots and therefore might be a different species. (Ochrya sp.) This is similar to an ant, a clerid beetle and a seed bug. Which is the model and which is the mimic? Probably all three mimic the ant. Three possible species http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/Ento/im... http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/Ento/im... Alternatively Homaemota is similar http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/Ento/im...
Spotted on Sep 13, 2014
Submitted on Sep 13, 2014
6 Comments
Thanks Leuba.
Here are some other species that also appear to mimic the bull ant;
Seed bug. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/213...
Clerid beetle https://www.flickr.com/photos/31914013@N...
And the bull ant itself http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/221...
Martin, how fascinating ! bulges and markings in the right place to catch the light to mimic an ant - great spotting. I love the way he's stretching from one bud to the other in pic 3.
Thanks Lauren. Yes, I meant to say Clerid in my description, that is what I first thought it was.
Thanks Mark - I think he might get some respect. Those bull-ants were also there.
Thanks armadeus.4
What a cool little critter. Great pics Martin! Thank you for sharing :)
Fabulous spotting Martin. If that isn't a bull-ant... !!!
Fantastic Long-horn! It also looks like a Clerid….