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A Bug for Dan

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
This one is a Plague Soldier Beetle I think but there's very little info on them. Cool name. He was out the back on my beans. Chauliognathus lugubris - Wikipedia

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John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
I am pretty sure it is the right family, but I'm not sure about the species. The photos of Geisha mariginellus that I have seen all show the terminal end to be cut flat and not rounded as in your photo.

You are much more likely to correct than me. Found this one today while sitting around waiting for birds. Pretty sure it's a Botany Bay weevil Chrysolopus spectabilis

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Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
@John53 , how many different lenses do you carry for your camera and what kind? Obviously you have lenses at two different extremes. They both enlarge an image, but distant shots can't be taken with a macro and vice versa for tele.
 

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
@John53 , how many different lenses do you carry for your camera and what kind? Obviously you have lenses at two different extremes. They both enlarge an image, but distant shots can't be taken with a macro and vice versa for tele.

I use a Nikon p1000 bridge camera these days that has a 125x optical zoom, from memory it goes from 16mm out to 3,000mm. All the camera experts pooh pooh the image quality but I'm not trying to win awards just record the birds I see and I can change to macro in a second by turning a dial instead of 5 minutes unpacking and changing lenses. I did use a Nikon d5600 with a 600mm tamron lens but I can't hold it steady nowadays.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
I use a Nikon p1000 bridge camera these days that has a 125x optical zoom, from memory it goes from 16mm out to 3,000mm. All the camera experts pooh pooh the image quality but I'm not trying to win awards just record the birds I see and I can change to macro in a second by turning a dial instead of 5 minutes unpacking and changing lenses. I did use a Nikon dT5600 with a 600mm tamron lens but I can't hold it steady nowadays.


I am amazed at lens technology these days. I was never to heavy into photography, but I do remember when for macro photography that one had to have totally separate lenses. It has been forty years for me, but I do think that I had did have macro adapter where it reversed one's standard lens.
 

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
I am amazed at lens technology these days. I was never to heavy into photography, but I do remember when for macro photography that one had to have totally separate lenses. It has been forty years for me, but I do think that I had did have macro adapter where it reversed one's standard lens.

The pros still use DSLR's and various lenses. You can get extension tubes that reduce the minimum focus distance but I've never used one. My camera is considered a backward step in technology, your mobile phone probably has a bigger sensor and better optics but if the sensor was any bigger you'd need semi trailer to transport it. I took the picture of the bug which was about 20cm away when I put the camera near it, this Fairywren that was about 5 metres away a Honeyeater that was close to 50 metres away all sitting in the one spot this morning. I haven't processed them other than cropping and making them a bit brighter. The pixel counters would have contiptions over the poor quality but it's fine for my needs. I knew it was a Honeyeater but couldn't tell what species until I got home and checked the pics. (It's a White-cheeked HE in case you wanted to know).

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Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
I learnt today that weevils have the largest number of species of any insect about 97,000. I thought they were just things you got in flour.

Botany Bay Diamond Weevil (Chrysolopus spectabilis) · iNaturalist Australia
I you beat me to it. They are a very diverse family of beetles. I have a fair number of species in my collection and these range in size from 3-4 mm all the way up to about 2.5 cm. I have a palmetto weevil, Rhynchophorus cruentatus (Fabricius, 1775) in my collection from Florida that is apparently the largest weevil species known. Mine isn't record size, but it is big.
 

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
When I could see the picture, your identification looked correct to me. Really pretty. I have seen images of this weevil used puzzles and other insect artwork.

I read that it was one of the first Australian bugs to be described as it was collected by Joseph Banks or one of his assistants on Cooks maiden journey along the east coast of Australia.
 

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
I read that it was one of the first Australian bugs to be described as it was collected by Joseph Banks or one of his assistants on Cooks maiden journey along the east coast of Australia.
Some of the accounts of historical exploration are very interesting and I like the context that reading them brings to the natural history.
 

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
Some of the accounts of historical exploration are very interesting and I like the context that reading them brings to the natural history.

When I was a kid I wanted to be Joseph Banks discovering new plants and animals in an unexplored land. Probably kind of sad I guess, the other kids would have wanted to be Batman or Superman.
 

Dan From Smithville

What's up Doc?
Staff member
Premium Member
When I was a kid I wanted to be Joseph Banks discovering new plants and animals in an unexplored land. Probably kind of sad I guess, the other kids would have wanted to be Batman or Superman.
I don't think of it as sad at all. A hero, real or imagined is supposed to influence us to be better and follow our hearts.
 
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