White's Skink (Liopholis whitii) Catches Slater

With spring warming up, the reptiles in the backyard are becoming more active.   I've recorded 8 species in the backyard over the last 10 years; 6 lizards and 2 snakes. The lizard below is known as  White's Skink (Liopholis whitii)

White's Skink lives in a network of  burrows between rocks or fallen timber. It grows to around 90mm head to vent so at least double that if you include the tail. They live in family groups. They are said to be an ambush predator although I have seen them stalk their prey over short distances.

White's Skink lurking among the rocks.

In the video below, I was fortunate in capturing the moment this lizard caught and ate a slater (also known as a woodlouse, pill bug, roly-poly and many other names). You will notice that after killing the slater it drops it and then after a little while proceeds to eat it. I thought the lizard had accidentally  dropped the slater. However, the next day I filmed another White's skink and it did exactly the same thing, kill, drop, wait, and then eat. Now I'm wondering if they are actually making sure it is dead before eating it. Any thoughts?

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Eastern Barred Bandicoot

... Perameles gunnii
 
On Monday night we were honored by a visit from an Eastern barred bandicoot. In the nine years at my current domicile we have had some good views of the more common Southern brown bandicoot but this was our first encounter with this small nocturnal marsupial (a bit smaller than a rabbit).

Eastern barred bandicoot, Perameles gunnii, in the backyard

It was first spotted, from the lounge room window, hopping about in the the front garden. It then made it's way up the driveway to the backyard. I grabbed the camera and we went out to have a closer look. We soon found it foraging away under the Nectarine tree. That's when I discovered I had no memory card in the camera. I watched it for 2 or 3 minutes while someone ran back to the house for the memory card. It just stayed there going about it's business only a couple of metres away. Of course, once the camera was set up and ready, the bandicoot's sixth sense (camera detection and aversion) kicked in and it started getting nervous. The end result was one useable but blurry photo and one wonderfully clear recollection of the encounter.

The Eastern barred bandicoot is extinct in South Australia. In Victoria it is 'critically endangered'. Here in Tasmania it has already disappeared from some areas and overall numbers have declined since the early 1990's. Fortunately it is still common in some localities. What a privilege it is to find it in my own backyard.

Below is a photo of the more common Southern brown bandicoot, also taken in the backyard.

Southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus

Linked to Saturday's Critters  and Camera Critters

Heliotrope Moth (at last)

.....Utetheisa pulchelloides

Yesterday I spotted what looked like a small white butterfly. When I tracked it down to where it had landed I was thrilled to see it was my first Helliotrope moth. For some reason it seemed like every one else was seeing these moths except me. I've waited for four years to see this little beauty of a moth. The common name comes from the fact that they are known to feed on (among other things) the weed Heliotrope - Heliotropium europaeum.

In the evening I put the moth trap out for a few hours and it brought in another two of the moths and a fourth was found in a nearby wattle. So, I guess on average I've now seen one a year since moving back to Australia :-)

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Heliotrope Moth - Utetheisa pulchelloides

Heliotrope Moth - Utetheisa pulchelloides

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~ What Katy Did ~

Well actually I don't know what Katy did but I can tell you which Katydid. It's the Common Garden Katydid. Two of these came to the back door last night asking to have their portraits taken.

Katydids belong to the order Orthoptera along with crickets and grasshoppers.

(Click to enlarge)
Meet Katy - The Common Garden Katydid - Caedicia simplex

The Common Garden Katydid - Caedicia simplex

The Common Garden Katydid - Caedicia simplex

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White-bellied Sea-eagle Pays a Visit

.....Haliaeetus leucogaster

The White-bellied Sea Eagles often fly over my place but very rarely land. I was quite chuffed the other day when one circled around the hill and then came down and perched in a tree on the hill behind the house. I had to be content with not walking up the hill for an even closer look. Thus, the photos are quite heavily cropped and are not too good in quality but I'm very happy to have seen this magnificent bird at fairly close range.

(Click to enlarge)

White-bellied Sea-eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster

White-bellied Sea-eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster

...and of it flies.

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The Birds of My Backyard.

I often like to just sit in the backyard and watch the birds. My block merges into bushland at the back and I can also see the sea so there are a reasonable variety of birds to be seen. (see pictures of backyard here) Having said that, my "From the backyard" list is not very large at only 47 species and that's including several sea birds which I can watch with the binoculars or small scope.

The sea birds on my list include Black-browed Albatross and Shy Albatross and just yesterday I watched dozens of Australasian gannets. They were slowly heading west along the coast while actively fishing. Only once I spotted two Pelicans flying fairly low over the backyard.

There are also many birds of prey. They regulars include White (Grey) Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk and White-bellied Sea-eagle and it's not too unusual to spot one or more Wedge-tailed Eagles circling overhead.

Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoos regularly fly over and often land in the trees on the hill behind us but always in a position that makes it impossible to photograph them. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos have been seen but are a rarity here as are Galahs. Another regular is the Green Rosella. Usually we only see a pair but at this time of year their is often a small flock of 5 or 6. A much rarer visitor is the Swift Parrot.

Six honeyeaters are found here. My favourites are the Yellow-throated honeyeater and the Black-headed honeyeater. The most common is the New-holland Honeyeater. At the moment these are turning up in noisy and excited flocks of 15 to 20 birds. This is something I've not noticed before.

Five of Tasmania's 12 endemic birds have been seen in the backyard. These are Dusky Robin, Tasmanian Native Hen, Green Rosella, Yellow-throated honeyeater, and Black-headed honeyeater.

Tawny Frogmouths are known to inhabit the bush behind us but I haven't seen one. In fact it has been 36 years since I have seen a frogmouth anywhere. Of course 8 of those years were spent in Scotland so I wasn't exactly maximising my chances. We have had an occasional visit from a Boobook Owl.

We get our fair share of ferals too. Of these the Goldfinch and Greenfinch I could almost learn to like. Well almost :-) Beautiful birds but in the wrong place. The funny thing is I see far more Goldfinches here than I ever saw in Scotland where they are natives. The Blackbird has a beautiful call too but in the breeding season they are very aggressive in chasing off some of our natives including the Green Rosellas.

Of course seeing birds and getting a photograph are two different things. Below are some of this weeks attempts at photographing the birds in my backyard.

Some Backyard Bird Photos from the Last Week or So

(Click to enlarge)

Grey fantail - Rhipidura fuliginosa
Most of our Grey Fantails will soon be migrating north .

Grey fantail - Rhipidura fuliginosa

Green rosella - Platycercus caledonicus
A Tasmanian endemic

Yellow-tailed black cockatoo - Calyptorhynchus funereus
Flying over

White-bellied sea eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster
An immature eagle carrying a small fish.

Male Superb Fairy-wren - Malurus cyaneus
We currently have a flock of seven that spend most of their time in our backyard. Two are in male breeding plumage, one male in non-breeding plumage, and four females.

Female Superb Fairy-wren - Malurus cyaneus

Silvereye - Zosterops lateralis
Currently these are coming through in flocks of up to twenty. They all seem to be heading west perhaps in preparation for their migration across Bass Strait.

Male Scarlet robin - Petroica multicolor
These robins are regulars in autumn and winter but I only occasionally see them here in the warmer months

Female Scarlet robin - Petroica multicolor

Golden whistler - Pachycephala pectoralis
I've never seen a male here

Eastern spinebill - Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Feeding on Canna lilies. I've been trying to get rid of these lilies but they keep coming back. At least they are providing a little nectar.

Eastern spinebill - Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris

My "From the Backyard List"

Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)

Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta)

Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)

White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)

Grey Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae)

Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus)

Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus)

Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)

Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)

Tasmanian Nativehen (Tribonyx mortierii)

Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)

Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)

Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)

Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus)

Swift Tern (Thalasseus bergii)

Brush Bronzewing (Phaps elegans)

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)

Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor)

Shining Bronze Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx lucidus)

Southern Boobook (Ninox boobook)

White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus)

Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)

Yellow-throated Honeyeater (Lichenostomus flavicollis)

Black-headed Honeyeater (Melithreptus affinis)

Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)

Crescent Honeyeater (Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus)

New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)

Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)

Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus)

Brown Thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)

Australian Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)

Grey Shrikethrush (Colluricincla harmonica)

Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)

Forest Raven (Corvus tasmanicus)

Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)

Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)

Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis)

Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Common Blackbird (Turdus merula)

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

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A New Moth for the Backyard

..... Porela albifinis (Walker, 1855)

Well technically I didn't see it in the backyard; I found it in the bathroom as the light had been left on with the window open. It's the first new moth I've seen for a while as I have not been putting the light trap out. Now that I have a camera again I hope to get a few nights of mothing in this side of winter. I just have to wait for the rain and wind to stop. In Tassie that may be considered wishful thinking :-)

The moth is Porela albifinus of the family Lasiocampidae.

(Click to enlarge)

Female White-tailed Porela - Porela albifinis

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More Birds

Here are a few more birds photographed over the last couple of days. All except the Currawong were in the backyard. The Currawong was taken near Lake Lilla in the Cradle Mountain National Park. I'll share some landscape photos from there over the next few days.

(Click to enlarge)

Male Scarlet Robin - Petroica multicolor
Backyard

Silvereye - Zosterops lateralis
Backyard

Silvereye - Zosterops lateralis
Backyard

Black Currawong - Strepera fuliginosa
Cradle Mountain National Park

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Grumpy and Chirpy

A couple of visitors to the backyard today. A reasonably chirpy looking male Superb Fairy-wren in full breeding splendor. I counted 7 in the flock today whereas I normally only see 5 or less. Only one male is still in breeding plumage while another has recently changed back to winter plumage.

(Click to enlarge)

Male Superb Fairy-wren singing - Malurus cyaneus

.....and a rather grumpy looking grasshopper.

Grasshopper ....looking rather glum
despite the recent rain and resulting fresh green grass shoots.

Lateral view of the grasshopper

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Fairy-wren and Robin

After posting yesterday I took a few more shots out in the backyard. I was actually trying to photograph the silvereyes but they refused to cooperate. At least the Fairy-wrens are always obliging and a Scarlet Robin made a brief show as well.

(Click to enlarge)

Male Superb Fairy-wren singing - Malurus cyaneus

Male Superb Fairy-wren - Malurus cyaneus

Female Scarlet Robin - Petroica multicolor

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On the Fly

.....Formosia speciosa

I'm posting this "on the fly". The photos below show a Tachinid fly found in my backyard a couple of months ago. As far as I can tell it is Formosia speciosa and, for a fly, it's actually rather good looking. It's a member of the tribe Rutiliini and, as such, is probably a parasitoid of scarab grubs.

(Click to enlarge)

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Cicadas of Tasmania

Two other bloggers have recently posted on cicadas (here and here) so I thought I'd keep the theme going by posting some photos of a couple of local ones. For the benefit of those doing Google searches for Tasmanian cicadas I have also included a list below of all the species which can be found in this state.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)
White Flash Cicada ( Cicadetta torrida )

Yellow-spot Cicada ( Diemeniana euronotiana )

Yellow-spot Cicada ( Diemeniana euronotiana )

In the three and a half years I've been back in Tassie these are the only two species I've seen although I must admit I haven't been actively searching for them. The White Flash Cicada came to the Mercury Vapour light at night and the Yellow-spot Cicada I just stumbled upon.

Two species is not much but it sounds better when you consider there are only eight species found in Tasmania.

Tasmanian Cicada Checklist

Cicadas belong to the order Hemiptera and the family Cicadidae.

Subfamily: Cicadinae

• Psaltoda moerens

Subfamily: Tibicininae

• Cicadetta abdominalis
• Cicadetta spreta
• Cicadetta torrida
• Diemeniana euronotiana
• Diemeniana hirsuta
• Diemeniana tillyardi
• Pauropsalta encaustica

References:

• Semmens, T.D., McQuillan, P.B. & Hayhurst, G. (1982). Catalogue of the Insects of Tasmania - Department of Primary Industry, Hobart.
• Moulds M.S. - (1990) - Australian Cicadas - New South Wales University Press
• Daley. E - (2007) - Wings - An Introduction to Tasmanias Winged Insects - Riffles

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Sibling Cannibalism

.....Common Spotted Ladybird (Harmonia conformis )


The macabre practice of cannibalism is rife in Tasmania. It's been occurring since long before the days of convict Alexander Pearce and right up to the present day. It takes place not only in the remote wilderness areas but even in some of the more affluent suburbs of our cities and towns. Read on if you dare.

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of some ladybird eggs on my nectarine tree. Well the tree is now covered in all stages of the ladybird life cycle.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Newly hatched ladybirds - Harmonia conformis

After hatching, many insects feed on their own egg shells for their first meal. In the photo above you can see newly hatched larvae feeding on the eggs. I knew something was wrong with this photo but it took a few moments for it to dawn on me that the eggs in the photo have not hatched.

Note the empty (white) egg shells on the left

A few centimetres away you can see the empty eggs shells where the larvae have come from. They have then moved along to feed on their unhatched siblings.

Sibling cannibalism among ladybirds is not unusual. In fact it can be quite common, particularly if there is a shortage of food. It's a mechanism which appears to allow at least some of the ladybirds to get a good start in life as opposed to them all going hungry and dying off.

Larval Moult

This one is doing well. It has shed it's skin and entered another stage in it's development. You have to wonder how many siblings and cousins have helped it to get to this stage.

A larger (probably final instar) larva.

A pupa which looks ready to emerge

A newly emerged adult.

Adult Harmonia conformis

References:

* Osawa, N. 1992.
Sibling cannibalism in the ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis - Fitness consequences for mother and offspring.
Researches on Population Ecology 34, 45-55.

* Nakamura, K.; Miura, K.; Jong, P.W. de; Ueno, H. (2006)
Comparison of the incidence of sibling cannibalism between male-killing Spiroplasma infected and uninfected clutches of a predatory ladybird beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
European Journal of Entomology 103 . - p. 323 - 326.

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Ticks on Blue-tongue Lizard

(Edited on 21st Dec 2009 to reflect new information)

This Blotched blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) was found here in my backyard. Closer inspection showed it to be covered in ticks, mostly at the back of the neck as well as in the axilla or armpit.

One fully gorged tick was actually causing the lizard discomfort (judging by the way it was walking) so we decided to remove them. Blue-tongue lizards are quite commonly parasitised by ticks. In fact some species of tick only feed on reptiles. Of the nine ticks we removed there were three distinct types. I had originally thought that these were three separate species but thanks to the helpful advice from Dr Bruce Halliday and Prof. Michael Bull I now know that they are all the same. They are the Southern Reptile Tick, Bothriocroton hydrosauri formerly known as Aponomma hydrosauri. There were more ticks in the lizards ears but I did not want to risk causing damage as their ear drums are close to the surface. A local herpetologist recommended putting vegetable oil on the ticks which should cut off their air supply and get them to drop off. This might be worth a try if your squeamish but it did not work for me. I've since been told:

"It is quite ok to physically pull the ticks from the ear. There may be a little bleeding but it is temporary, and probably far more effective than any oil treatment. Actually the ticks do little damage to the lizard unless there is an excessive load, and indeed they are just as much a component of the biodiversity as the lizards, so it is probably best just to leave the natural interaction intact. The fully engorged female tick you found in the axilla of the arm, may have caused a little discomfort, but they only remain in that state for a very short period of time before detaching to lay eggs."

The following taxonomy is based on the "Australian Faunal Directory" web site.

• Phylum: Arthropoda
  
• Class: Arachnida
  
• Superorder: Acarina
  
• Order: Parasitiformes
  
• Suborder: Mesostigmata
  
• Superfamily: Ixodoidea
  
  
  
  • Family Argasidae (Soft ticks)
    
  • Family Ixodidae (Hard Ticks)
    
  
  

You can clearly see the scutellum (shield like plate at the back of the head) in two of my ticks photos below which is a feature of Hard Ticks ( Ixodidae). I had thought Tick C below was of the Argasidae as there seemed to be no obvious scutellum. This turned out to be a case of not seeing the forest from the trees as apparently in the male the scutellum covers the whole body.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Blotched blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea)

A fully gorged tick in the the axilla as well a a smaller one of a different species below it.

Ticks (Bothriocroton hydrosauri )under the scales on the back of the lizards neck.

Tick A - An engorged female (Bothriocroton hydrosauri )

Tick B - A female in the unengorged state (Bothriocroton hydrosauri )

Tick C - A male (Bothriocroton hydrosauri )
these do not become engorged like the females do

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