This site would not be possible without the magnificent support provided by some very generous people, as well as a large number of outstanding publications and websites.
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Personal Thanks
Tom Griffin, I am forever in your debt, mate. The work you have put into this project and the invaluable guidance you have given me leaves me a little lost for words. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Dr Ron Atkinson and Robert Whyte. Without your help, most of my spiders would remain nameless wonders.
Don Herbison-Evans, Mcleay University, Sydney, NSW. You have been a great help in identifying many of my moths and caterpillars. My sincerest thanks.
Also on the subject of moths, thanks to Doug and Axel from Melbourne University and Peter Marriott from Museum Victoria for their assistance in adding a few names to a few previously nameless species.
And thanks also to Donald Hobern from CSIRO Entomology for his help with identifying my Plume Moths (Pterophoridae), not to mention the other moths I have identified thanks to his large collection of photos on flickr.
Trevor Hawkeswood, biologist and author, for assisting with the identification of many of my insects. The fact that you have even taken the time to write a publication based on some of my observations is quite gratifying. Thank you.
Thank you to Dr Murray Fletcher, Visiting Scientist, Orange Agricultural Institute, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Charles Sturt University and Honorary Life Member, Australian Entomological Society. I thoroughly appreciate your assistance with the leafhopper identifications.
Chen Young, from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Thank you so much for your help with many of the mysterious flies. Without your kind assistance, I would have had no idea.
Thanks to the many other people who have helped me out over the years. The kind offers of advice have been a great help, but even just a few words of encouragement have provided so much motivation. Thank you all.
And a massive thank you to my family and friends for their continued encouragement and support. I hope I haven’t bored you all with my countless photos. I love you all, especially Brianna, my little angel and my greatest inspiration.
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Books and CD-ROMs
Spiders of Australia – Interactive Identification to Subfamily (CD-ROM) – Raven, Baehr & Harvey. CSIRO Publishing (c) Commonwealth of Australia 2002.
On The Fly – The Interactive Atlas and Key to Australian Fly Families (CD-ROM) – Hamilton, Yeates, Hastings, Colless, McAlpine, Bickel, Daniels, Schneider, Cranston & Marshall. Published by Australian Biological Resources Study and Centre For Biological Information Technology.
What Wasp Is That? – An interactive identification guide to the Australasian families of Hymenoptera (CD-ROM) – Stevens, Stephens, Iqbal, Jennings, La Salle and Austin. Published by Australian Biological Resources Study and Centre for Biological Onformation Technology. (c) Commonwealth of Australia 2007.
The Complete Field Guide To Butterflies Of Australia – Michael F.Braby. CSIRO Publishing (c) CSIRO 2004. Distributed by Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd.
The Complete Field Guide To Dragonflies Of Australia – Gunther Theischinger & John Hawking. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Gunther Theischinger & John Hawking 2006. Distributed by Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd.
The Complete Field Guide To Stick And Leaf Insects Of Australia – Paul D Brock and Jack W Hasenpusch. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Paul D Brock and Jack W Hasenpusch 2009.
Insects Of Australia – John Goode. Angus & Robertson Publishers. (C) Joh Goode 1980 (text), Angus & Robertson Publishers 1926 (illustrations).
Wildlife Of Greater Brisbane – A Queensland Museum Publication. (c) Queensland Museum 1995.
Wildlife Of Greater Brisbane (new edition) – A Queensland Museum Publication. (c) Queensland Museum 2007.
Melbourne’s Wildlife: A Field Guide To The Fauna Of Greater Melbourne – Museum Victoria. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Museum Victoria 2006.
The Waterbug Book: A Guide to the Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Temperate Australia – John Gooderham and Edward Tsyrlin. CSIRO Publishing. (c) John Gooderham and Edward Tsyrlin 2002.
A Field Guide To Insects In Australia – Paul Zborowski & Ross Storey. Reed New Holland. (c) P. Zborowski & R. Storey 1995, 2003 (text); P. Zborowski or as credited 1995, 2003 (photographs); Reed New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd 2003.
A Field Guide To Insects In Australia: Third Edition – Paul Zborowski and Ross Storey. Reed New Holland. (c) 2010 in text: Paul Zborowski; (c) 2010 in photographs: Paul Zborowski or as credited; (c) 2010 New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Spiders Of Australia: An Introduction To Their Classification, Biology And Distribution – Trevor J. Hawkeswood. Pensoft Publishers. (c) Pensoft Publishers 2003.
Spiders And Scorpions Commonly Found In Victoria – Ken L. Walker, Alan L. Yen and Graham A. Milledge. Royal Society of Victoria. (c) Royal Society of Victoria 2003.
Beetles of Australia – Trevor Hawkeswood. Angus & Robertson Publishers. (c) Trevor J. Hawkeswood 1987.
A Guide To Australian Moths – Paul Zborowski & Ted Edwards. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Paul Zborowski & Ted Edwards 2007.
A Guide To The Beetles of Australia – George Hangay and Paul Zborowski. CSIRO Publishing. (c) George Hangay and Paul Zborowski 2010.
A Guide To The Katydids of Australia – David Rentz. CSIRO Publishing. (c) David Rentz 2010.
A Guide To The Cockroaches of Australia – David Rentz. CSIRO Publishing. (c) David Rentz 2014.
A Guide To Crickets of Australia – David Rentz and You Ning Su. CSIRO Publishing. (c) David Rentz and CSIRO 2019.
A Guide To Native Bees of Australia – Terry Houston. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Terry Houston 2018.
A Guide To Australian Grasshoppers and Locusts – D.C.F. Rentz, R.C. Lewis, Y.N. Su and M.S. Upton. Natural History Publications (Borneo). Text (c) D.C.F. Rentz, R.C. Lewis, Y.N. Su and M.S. Upton 2003. Photographs and illustrations (c) 2003 as credited.
A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia – Robert Whyte and Greg Anderson. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Robert Whyte and Greg Anderson 2017.
Moths Of Victoria: Part 1 – Silk Moths and Allies – Bombycoidea (includes CD-ROM) – Peter Marriott. Entomological Society of Victoria. (c) Peter Marriott 2008.
Moths Of Victoria: Part 2 – Tiger Moths and Allies – Noctuoidea (A) (includes CD-ROM) – Peter Marriott. Entomological Society of Victoria. (c) Peter Marriott 2009.
Moths Of Victoria: Part 3 – Waves and Carpets – Geometroidea (C) (includes CD-ROM) – Peter Marriott. Entomological Society of Victoria. (c) Peter Marriott 2011.
Moths Of Victoria: Part 4 – Emeralds and Allies – Geometroidea (B) (includes CD-ROM) – Peter Marriott. Entomological Society of Victoria. (c) Peter Marriott 2012.
Moths Of Victoria: Part 5 – Satin Moths and Allies – Geometroidea (A) (includes CD-ROM) – Peter Marriott. Entomological Society of Victoria. (c) Peter Marriott 2014.
Backyard Insects – Paul Horne & Denis Crawford. The Miegunyah Press. Text (c) Paul Horne 2005, Photographs (c) Denis Crawford – Graphic Science 2005, Design and typography (c) Melbourne University Publishing Ltd 2005.
Insects On Grain Legumes In Northern Australia: a survey of potential pests & their enemies – Merle Shepard, R.J. Lawn & Margaret A. Schneider. University of Queensland Press. (c) University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Queensland 1983.
Grasshopper Country: The abundant orthopteroid insects of Australia – David Rentz. University of New South Wales Press. (c) David Rentz 1996.
Oecophorinae Genera of Australia Volume I: The Wingia Group – Ian F.B. Common. CSIRO Division of Entomolgy, Canberra, Australia. (c) CSIRO Australia 1994.
Tineid Genera of Australia (Lepidoptera) Volume 2 – Robinson Nielson. CSIRO Publications. (c) 1993 CSIRO Australia and British Museum (Natural History), London.
Zygaenid Moths of Australia – Gerhard M. Tarmann. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Gerhard Tarmann 2004.
Click Beetles: Genera of the Australian Elateridae (Coleoptera) – Andrew A. Calder. CSIRO Publishing. (c) CSIRO Australia 1996.
Tenebrionid Beetles of Australia – E.G. Matthews and P. Bouchard. ABRS, Canberra. (c) Commonwealth of Australia 2008.
Australian Weevils Volume V: Colour Plates 1-304 – Elwood C. Zimmerman. CSIRO Australia. Illustrations (c) CSIRO Australia 1991, text (c) Elwood C. Zimmerman 1991.
Australian Weevils Volume VI: Colour Plates 305-632 – Elwood C. Zimmerman. CSIRO Australia. Illustrations (c) CSIRO Australia 1992. Text (c) Elwood C. Zimmerman 1992.
Australian Lauxaniid Flies – S.P. Kim. CSIRO Publishing. (c) CSIRO Australia 1994.
Australian Ants: Their Biology and Identification – S.O. Shattuck. CSIRO Publishing. (c) CSIRO 1999.
Ants Of Brisbane – Dr Chris Burwell. Published by the Queensland Museum. (c) Queensland Museum 2007.
The Ants of Northern Australia: A guide to the monsoonal fauna – Alan N. Anderson. CSIRO Publishing. (c) CSIRO 2000.
A Guide To Camponotus Ants Of South Australia – Archie McArthur. South Australian Museum. (c) Archie McArthur 2010.
Castiarina: Australia’s richest jewel beetle genus – Shelley Barker. ABRS. (c) Commonwealth of Australia 2006.
Australian Beetles Volume 1: Morphology, Classification and Keys – John F. Lawrence and Adam Slipinski. CSIRO Publishing. (c) CSIRO 2013.
Australian Beetles Volume 2: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga (part) – Adam Slipinski and John F. Lawrence. CSIRO Publishing. (c) The Authors 2019.
Australian Longhorn Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Volume I: Introduction and Subfamily Lamiinae – Adam Slipinski and Hermes E. Escalona. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Commonwealth of Australia 2013.
Australian Longhorn Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Volume 2: Subfamily Cerambycinae – Adam Slipinski and Hermes E. Escalona. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Commonwealth of Australia 2016.
Ladybird Beetles of the Australo-Pacific Region: Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellini – Adam Slipinski, Jiahui Li and Hong Pang. CSIRO Publishing. (c) Adam Slipinski, Jiahui Li and Hong Pang 2020.
Colour Guide to Spring Wildflowers of Western Australia, Part 1, 2, 3 and 4 – Eddy Wajon. Wajon Publishing Company. (c) Johannes Edmund Wajon 1999.
A Guide to Native Orchids of South Western Australia (Second edition) – Bob Liddelow. R&R Publications Australia Pty Ltd. (c) W.R. Liddelow 2015.
Flora of Melbourne: A Guide To The Indigenous Plants of The Greater Melbourne Area (4th edition) – Marilyn Bull; line drawings by George Stolfo. Hyland House Publishing. (c) Marilyn Bull 2014; line drawings (c) George Stolfo 1991, 1993, 2001, 2014.
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Links To Other Great Sites
Visit the following sites for more insect and spider information and pictures:
The Find-a-Spider Guide – Ron Atkinson. A very comprehensive site about spiders of South-East Queensland, their habitats and toxicity.
Arachne.org.au Dr Greg Anderson and Robert Whyte are assembling a growing collection of images and information for Australian Arachinds.
Lepidoptera Larvae Of Australia A great site with plenty of pics and info about Australian butterflies and moths and their larvae.
Brisbane Insects and Spiders (Chew Family) Another great site with lots of information and pictures for insects and spiders in the Brisbane area.
CSIRO Australian Insect Common Name A large database listing many of the invertebrates found in Australia. It includes pictures of some species.
Australian Moths Online (CSIRO) A good visual guide for a large number of Australia’s moth species.
Australian Cicadas A very comprehensive site that contains images and information on just about every known species of Cicada in Australia.
Auchenorrhyncha Keys – Dept. of Agriculture, NSW This site has keys for narrowing down identifications for cicadas, leaf hoppers and their relatives, and includes photos of many species. It’s best to have a specimen and a good magnifying glass or microscope with you to find some of the tiny identifying features.
Lucid Central A great place to go for interactive keys you can use for identifying a genus or species within some insect orders. The keys for Australian Heteroptera (bug) Families has been particularly useful.
myrmecos.net – ant and other insect photos A collection of fantastic photos of Australian and exotic ant species. A great visual guide put together by Alex Wild.
Spiders of Australia Image galleries containing pics of a number of the spider species found in Australia.
Vic Museum Butterflies A handy reference for identifying butterflies. Quite a few of the Victorian species can also be found in other states, including Queensland.
Insect Reference Collection Database ICDB Entomology at Dept. of Agriculture, WA A large collection of photos from the Western Australian Dept. of Agriculture’s insect collection. It includes species from all over the country.
Australian Ants Online (CSIRO) An interactive key for identifying Australian ants. Having a specimen and a magnifying glass or microscope at hand would be very helpful when needing to find some of the tiny identifying features.
Morwell National Park – Invertebrates A good site that includes a gallery of some of the invertebrates found in the park.
Australian Faunal Directory An initiative of the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Heritage. It provides a list of all known fauna species in Australia and is handy when trying to determine a species’ place in the taxonomic order.
www.australian-insects.com A site offering lots of pictures and information on Australia’s insects and spiders.
calodema.com Dr. Trevor Hawkeswood, biologist and author, has been studying fauna and flora all over Australia, as well as overseas, and has published many papers and books on the subjects. His publications are available for downloading or purchasing from his site.
beetle-diversity.com A site created by Boris Buche, a coleopterist from Germany, dedicated to the beetles of Indonesia. There are many photos, which makes this site a useful tool in at least placing some Australian beetles in families.
Leapfrogoz Moths of the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. A wonderful site by my friends, Buck Richardson and Eve Stafford. It contains a huge gallery of moth photos.
Lochman Transparancies A massive collection of images of Australia from Jiri Lochman, covering everything from landscapes to wildlife, including some fascinating insect photos.
Donald Hobern’s Lepidoptera Photos Donald Hobern, the Director of Atlas of Living Australia at CSIRO Entomology, has a huge collection of moth and butterfly photos. It is a very handy visual database to assist with identifications.
Steve Dew’s Aussie Creatures A collection of wonderful photos by Steve Dew, displaying Australian insects and other native wildlife.
www.ericasiegel-photography.com Erica Siegel’s site dedicated to native Australian wildlife, including many insect images.
Aussie Bugs Deb Yarrow’s outstanding collection of macro photos of Australian fauna and flora.
Cleridae of Australia A website devoted to the Checkered Beetles of Australia. Run in part by Justin Bartlett, who has assisted me with some of my identifications from this beetle family.
A Homeowner’s Guide to Entomology and House Insects – A useful page for people who would like to learn a bit more about insects and become amateur entomologists. Contains useful tips and links to other helpful sites.
Wild South Australia – Mark Newton’s fascinating site full of photos of South Australia’s living creatures and magnificent landscapes.
Butterflies in Your Playground – a great resource for kids to learn about butterflies and handy information about how to attract butterflies to your garden.
Spooky Spider Facts – A page that offers lots of interesting facts about spiders and dispels a few myths about these beautiful creatures. (thanks to Liam Gray for recommending this page).