> t~=——, *s 7 - @/ bh) I @/ sD) METAMORPHO Magazine of the Butterfly & Other Invertebrates C lub J mU ISSN: 1839-9819 http://www.boic.org.au DATE: DECEMBER 2017 ISSUE NO: 87 Price $6.00 PLANNING AND ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 2017 President: Ross Kendall 07 3378 1187 Vice President: Richard Zietek 07 3390 1950 Treasurer: Rob MacSloy 07 3824 4348 Secretary: Dawn Franzmann O07 3325 3573 Magazine: Daphne Bowden (daphne.bowden] @bigpond.com) 07 3396 6334 Field Trip Co-ordinator: Paul Klicin 0411 031 406 Committee Member: John Moss 07 3245 2997 PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION MEETINGS A quarterly meeting is scheduled 1n order to plan club activities and the magazine. See BOIC Programme. CONTACT ADDRESS AND MEMBERSHIP DETAILS PO Box 2113, Runcorn, Queensland 4113 Membership fees are $30 for individuals, schools, and organizations. AIMS OF THE ORGANIZATION e To establish a network of people growing butterfly host plants; e To hold information meetings about invertebrates; To organize excursions around the theme of invertebrates e.g. butterflies, native bees, ants, dragonflies, beetles, freshwater habitats, and others; e To promote the conservation of the invertebrate habitat; e To promote the keeping of invertebrates as alternative pets; e To promote research into invertebrates; e To encourage the construction of invertebrate friendly habitats in urban areas. MAGAZINE DEADLINES If you wish to submit an item for publication the following deadlines apply: March issue — February 1* June issue — May 1° September issue — August 1° December issue — November 1° All articles should be submitted directly to the Editor daphne.bowden1l(@bigpond.com ALL MATERIAL IN THIS MAGAZINE IS COPYRIGHT TO BOIC AND THE AUTHORS, ARTISTS, AND PHOTOGRAPHERS INVOLVED. COVER PHOTO Thin-striped Wattle Cicada (Ewartia roberti) — Photo Lindsay Popple BEDS PE DS PF OE be PE De De Pe be Pe be pe Pe bd Pe bg Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 2 FROM THE PRESIDENT Rob MacSloy has served as Treasurer of the club since its inception 23 years ago. We recently nominated him for an award and at our meeting on November 11" last, he was presented with a certificate issued by the Commonwealth Bank in recognition of his many years of service. Rob has been honoured 1n another way but I will let you read the magazine to discover how this came about! It 1s so easy to take things for granted when all 1s running smoothly for the club but it should be recognised that Daphne quietly and efficiently handles a lot of “‘adminis- trivia” to keep us “ticking over” as well as bringing together the work of others to produce our quality magazine. Thank you again, Daphne. We are deeply grateful to those who have once again contributed to making this edition an informative and interesting read. Thank you. The club’s mistletoe book published and launched in April last year has been well received and I suspect many of you already have a copy. However, we have decided to feature one mistletoe species in each magazine. Enjoy. Best wishes, Ross Creature Feature - The Treasurer’s New C1icada..........ccecccccccssssseececcceesseecceeeeesseeceseuaeasees 4 On Accumulating a Butterfly (Book) Collection... eecccssecccesececeeeeeeeeeceeeeees 9 IVES CSTOE NOMS 4. sca6d.2 Spstat, Lette ditty sacdradeveldetdhseudesebueldeadysoudesubvetdee te saudoadeuctdeettaty inbat 12 The Maystery of a Stran@e) Little INSCCE oc.ceccetdedepceedeacgueidetchtangevaguetepedyseugessteoudencnens tapds 14 Life history notes on the Chequered Swallowtail, Papilio demoleus sthenelus .......... 15 New Distribution Records for Polyommatine Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) WTHENUISI DIL, 5. Ve a cst seeeneaseatenta oe eae en eeeeeo saver enereacecna rare naps cceraee ctlacrtrcetse pes tees 15 Raising Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus) Caterpillars .............ccccceeccceeeseeeeeeeeeeees 29 Reports Spider DalkKecccececevetevetecededececed pceavyveey eavvsqey easy vaou vasa vera hae avery core aey eiey eevee Teta deletes 33 Entomological Society of Queensland’s, Inaugural Perkins Memorial Dinner..... 33 PIER she eee adeateste te eteeateyiete teatestecncescriactescteer etree tre aestes colette reeteste tri etree teeta eer erestemn etree retraite rceirstertcr ane 34 134 GIL al Gs COve4 bs VUE LSP Reem Rel Rolie Bele IR, TO Pees BR RR eR CRE OR RIC tn PTO en Rt ey er ee 33 BEDS PE DS PF DE Ps PE DS De Pe be Pe be pe Pe bd be bd Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 3 CREATURE FEATURE The Treasurer’s New Cicada — Lindsay Popple Most invertebrate natural history studies involve visual surveys, the setting of elaborate traps and/or dedicated efforts in rearing to bring these smaller life forms within the range of close visual inspection. Cicadas, like birds, offer a different method of detection: their sound. Each species of cicada makes its own unique acoustic signature, termed the calling song. The calling song is made by the male cicadas for the purpose of attracting females. It is necessary for the calling song structure to be unique to the species so that it can be recognised by females of the same species. Through experience, it can become possible for human observers to recognise the calling songs of different species. With practice, it is possible to recognise many species calling simultaneously. Indeed, it can even become almost second nature for dedicated observers to make an inventory of the local cicada fauna, just by pausing for a moment when outdoors (or even from the window of a vehicle) to listen to the background sounds. There are actually very few people who can make lists of cicadas by actively listening to their calling songs. Having the knowledge and experience to identify birds by their call makes a difference. My long-time friend, and the BOIC’s very own treasurer, Rob MacSloy, 1s a good example of someone who has transferred their ability to identify bird call on to cicadas. When we catch up, we spend much of the time travelling across the landscape noting the birds we see (and hear!) and also the cicadas we find at each location. This is an effective and simple way of obtaining distribution records for cicadas. More than 60 described species of cicadas can be found 1n the Greater Brisbane region. At least a further 20 or so undescribed, rarely encountered species also occupy the area. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous small—medium sized cicadas 1n the region is the Wattle Cicada. In the book, Australian Cicadas (Moulds, 1990), it 1s referred to as Cicadetta oldfieldi. This was the name of the species for many years until Moulds (2012) transferred all Australian Cicadetta to new genera and, as a consequence, the name was changed to Ewartia oldfieldi (the genus Ewartia was named in honour of retired geologist and local cicada expert, Tony Ewart). When one listens to Wattle Cicada males 1n central eastern Australia, the complexity of the calling song can be quite baffling. Sometimes they make simple monotonously repeated short buzzes or chirps, at other times there are intermittent notes between the short buzzes, but then, in some cases, they can also adapt long and drawn out series of skipping or lilting notes that builds into a buzzing climax, with phrases lasting close to 30 seconds 1n the most extreme examples. Indeed, cicadas in the genus Ewartia can have some of the most complicated calling songs documented for cicadas. The variability and complexity has confounded cicada researchers for some time. Tony BEES Pa DT be Pe De be Pe Pe be he bd be Pe be Pe bd pg Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 4 Ewart was the first to suggest that E. oldfieldi may actually be a complex of multiple cicada species associated with wattles. a Be. When making ~~ ° ; + cicada observations 4 > . and lists, Rob and I -~ | = . use a Short-hand, - three-digit Despite their striking appearance, wattle cicadas (genus Ewartia) seem to numbering system camouflage quite well on the stems of their food plants. to identify the species. In the beginning of this exercise (the late 90s), Wattle Cicada for us was always number 231, but even locally around Greater Brisbane there seemed to be apparent variation. Some oI in the hand were bright green, whereas others ‘ : were reddish-brown. Some produced short song phrases, others long and extended. I also noticed that the more extended calls sounded slightly higher pitched. Further down the track, I came to the conclusion that the reddish-brown ones seemed to be associated with the shorter song phrases, and the green ones were the extended. With some potential structuring now identified, I restricted number 231 to the green, extended call examples and allocated the number 230 to the brown, shorter call ones. With this new found potential diversity to explore, I set about travelling across the distribution of the former Wattle Cicada collecting new specimen material, song recordings and making observations. | even ventured further afield and found another Wattle Cicada in the Top End. eee 7 ae aes After borrowing specimens from other A pair of Rob’s cicadas (Ewartia roberti; male | researchers like Max Moulds, Kathy Hill above, female below) sitting on a banksia and David Marshall, I found that there hel le fe lant. Tad 4 adjacent to their wattle food plant were even more species in the Northern mod DE Od BE Dd Od Bd Bd Od Bd Bd Od Bd Od Od Od Od OD Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 5 Territory and one in Cape York. I also revealed some interesting distribution and song patterns in Queensland, including a more inland form, which 1n appearance, looked superficially like something in-between 230 and 231, but 1t received a new number (229). - 4 ay ‘ - , py -, : i aD Yh & Oi Boe Thin-striped Wattle Cicada (Ewartia roberti) is pale brown with a subtle, brown stripe. Broad-striped Wattle Cicada (true Ewartia oldfieldi) showing its especially bold, reddish- In south-east Queensland, I found that brown central ‘stripe’. the 229, 230 and 231 overlap at many sites, but they generally occur on different wattles. They had subtle but consistent differences 1n dorsal markings and consistent differences in song patterns, which indicated separate species status was warranted. Examination of the original type specimens of Ewartia oldfieldi (described originally as Melampsalta oldfieldi) from Bundaberg, showed that these matched 230. This meant that new names needed to be given to the other two species. I had been planning to name a cicada after Rob for some time in recognition of his efforts in making cicada observations over many years, so in the Popple (2017) paper, I named 231 Ewartia roberti. So now Rob can view the cicada 1n a new light, although like me, I am sure that part of his brain still thinks 231 immediately upon recognition of its call. The more inland cicada, which turned out to have a more variable song than the other two was named Ewartia lapidosa. Through following simple leads and knowledge gathering over approximately 12 years, there is now much clearer information on the PEPE PE DS DE OE PS Pe Re be PE he be Oe Pe Pe bd bd Pe Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 6 ecology of these cicadas, with each having overlapping, but also different geographical distributions, substrate associations and wattle associations. Following the revision in Popple (2017), true Ewartia oldfieldi, now known as Broad- striped Wattle Cicada, 1s found between the tropic of Capricorn and the Queensland/ New South Wales border, extending inland to the Western Downs. It 1s known to primarily be associated with Early-flowering Black Wattle (Acacia leiocalyx), which erows in sandy and gravelly soils in open forest and scrub. At dusk, this species calls prominently, with a fast repetitive ‘dit-derrrrr-dit-derrrrr’ or ‘ditit-derrrrr-dit-derrrrr’. During it also produces this call at times, but often breaks it up into a repeated and regular ‘dit-zit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-derrrr’, or ‘dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-dit-derrrr’. Ewartia roberti (Thin-striped Wattle Cicada) is found from south-east Queensland south to the mid north coast of New South Wales and inland to the Warrumbungles. It occurs on a variety of wattles from the ‘fern-leaved’ Green Wattle (Acacia irrorata) to the large fleshy phyllodes of Yellow Wattle (Acacia flavescens). In Greater Brisbane, 1t is commonly found on Brisbane Wattle (Acacia fimbriata) and 1s quick to colonise new plantings of this species in association with bush regeneration projects and on median strips. At dusk, this species produces a monotonous ‘zerrrrr zerrrrr zerrir zerrrr’ call. It also produces this call at times during the day, but more often breaks out into phrases of ~20 s duration, which contain a long cadence of skipping or lilting notes ending in a series of buzzes, with the longest being at the end. Its call is slightly higher pitched than E. oldfieldi. Ewartia lapidosa (Inland Wattle Cicada) is more widespread, occurring from near Georgetown in north-west Queensland south to Mount Hope and the Capertee Valley in New South Wales. It is found on a variety of wattles with medium-sized phyllodes erowing in harsh, sandy or stony environments and on rock pavements. At dusk, this species can be heard making an incessant and rapidly-emitted ‘ze-ze-ze-ze-ze-ze-ze- ze-ze-ze’. The same calling song is produced during the day, but the males also produce a longer cadence, similar to EF. roberti, but ending abruptly in a short buzz or series of short buzzes. The duration of each phrase in the longer song component 1s quite variable in this species, especially in Queensland. Across most of southern Queensland, between the Great Dividing Range and Charleville, the song phrases are quite short, lasting 1-3 seconds. In central and northern areas, the phrases can be much longer, often 8—14 seconds, but up to as high as 27 seconds in the Nebo area. This variation may be a sign of incomplete divergence or the early stages of divergence. Alternatively, it may be incidental variation that has little (af any) consequences on mate recognition. BEES Pe De Pe PE De be Pe Pe pe he bd be Pe be Pe bd pg Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 7 The recently completed study on wattle cicadas 1s yet another study that has revealed multiple species within what was previously considered to be a single species (see also Popple, 2013). There are undoubtedly many other cases in cicadas and invertebrates in general that still await discovery and confirmation. This 1s one aspect that makes the study of these organisms both enjoyably challenging and rewarding. Knowing what I know now about the wattle cicadas, it is almost hard to imagine Ewartia roberti and E. lapidosa being considered the same species as E. oldfieldi, as each of these three species 1s very distinctive in its own right. Inland Wattle Cicada (Ewartia lapidosa) has a darker stripe than E. oldfieldi and E. roberti, One of the best outcomes of the study has but otherwise is very similar in appearance. been the opportunity to name such a charismatic cicada after Rob. I think it 1s particularly appropriate given that Ewartia roberti would perhaps be the most widely encountered wattle cicada in Greater Brisbane. Rob’s talents in identifying cicadas by sound are not to be underestimated and it has been an honour and a privilege to be his friend and to acknowledge his contribution to cicada knowledge in this way. References Moulds, M.S. (1990) Australian cicadas. New South Wales University Press, Kensington. 217 pp., 24 pls. Moulds, M.S. (2012) A review of the genera of Australian cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea). Zootaxa, 3287, 1-262. Popple, L.W. (2013) A revision of the Pauropsalta annulata Goding & Froggatt species group (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) based on morphology, calling songs and ecology, with investigations into calling song structure, molecular phylogenetic relationships and a case of hybridisation between two subspecies. Zootaxa, 3730, 1-102. Popple, L.W. (2017) A revision of the Ewartia oldfieldi (Distant) species complex (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae) with five new species from eastern and northern Australia. Zootaxa 4263(3): 401-449. Photos Lindsay Popple BEDS PERT PS Pe PT be Pe De be be be bd Pe be bd be Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 8 ITEMS OF INTEREST On Accumulating a Butterfly (Book) Collection — Alan Hyman Someone who builds a traditional printed library these days 1s likely to be seen by ‘progressive’ sections of society as quaint, old fashioned or retrograde. If the library’s components happen to include butterfly books, add ‘eccentric’. Be that as it may, for the lepidopteran enthusiast there is always something rather special in unearthing a new, unusual or rare book on this eclectic subject. Whether it is a scientific reference field guide, photographic essay, popular work, historic art volume or biography, I’ve found much satisfaction and excitement over the years in each new discovery and some of these I’ve mentioned below. Perhaps there are other collectors who have had similar experiences. Having become interested 1n collecting butterflies at an early age, it seems appropriate that a 10" birthday present from my father was a butterfly book. This was ‘The Butterflies of Australia & New Guinea’ by Charles Barrett and Alex N. Burns, a 1951 publication and the first substantial work available on the subject since Dr. G.A. Waterhouse’s (1932) ‘What Butterfly 1s That?’ Shortly afterwards, I was due to have a tonsillectomy and the book became a comforting companion during my hospital stay. (A few years later I was to meet a tolerant Alex Burns at the Australian Museum (Sydney) where he patiently showed an eager young teenager a few drawers of Papilio aegeus from the Museum’s ‘official’ collection and hand wrote in a mature script, addresses where I might obtain such items as entomological pins.) While I maintained a background interest in the subject — school studies, then work and tennis predominated and nothing more was obtained until the early 1970’s when several major books on Australian butterflies were unleashed within a short space of time. There had been talk of reprinting the Waterhouse volume for some years but the major factor in preventing this was that neither Neville Cayley’s original illustrations nor the printing blocks could be located by the publishers. When these finally resurfaced in 1967, lan Common and Douglas Waterhouse (nephew of the original author) undertook to revise the work, ultimately becoming a complete rewrite but utilizing Cayley’s colour and black and white plates. These were supplemented by new additional plates illustrating species not covered 1n the original work. The book appeared in 1972 and a friend in the trade ordered a copy for me, selling it ata discount. His boss objected to him lowering the retail price and the two had a heated exchange. My friend quit his position on the spot and consequently I felt rather guilty about him losing his job — until he explained that he had been unhappy with the bookshop management anyway and this incident was merely a catalyst for the termination! I wonder 1f any other butterfly books have triggered similar crises. BEDS Pe De Pe Pe be be Pe Pd a he bd be Pe be Pe bd pg Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 9 At about the same time, the “Nature and Field Hobby Centre’ at Crows Nest in Sydney was selling all kinds of natural history paraphernalia and books. The proprietor, Lew Simpson, alerted me to two massive upcoming volumes — Charles McCubbin’s 1971 ‘Australian Butterflies’ (exquisite water colour illustrations and descriptive text) and Bernard D’Abrera’s 1972 ‘Butterflies of the Australian Region’ AUSTRALIAN = | (same size set specimen colour | BUTTERFLIES & Bu te erfi es photographs of every known regional ME. 3! LeAuMliat Region | species). Both were priced at the princely : ‘ sum of $25 but bearing in mind that back then the cost of a cappuccino was about 25c, the relative expense becomes apparent. Which to buy? (Eventually, both — my financial situation consequently taking a battering at the time.) Another find, T.G. Howarth’s 1973 edition of “South’s British Butterflies’ was a major update on a ™ iy British entomological classic. One curious entry concerns a species, | ot said to have been taken at Hampstead called ‘Albin’s Hampsted E mere IES Eye’. Described by James Petiver in 1717 from a single specimen, a Howarth comments: °....it 1s interesting to speculate on how it came to be recorded from such an unlikely locality and at that period of leisurely travel. At the present time of rapid travel accidentally introduced specimens are much more likely to become frequent’. The point is that today we know this butterfly as the familiar Indo- Australasian species, the Meadow Argus (Junonia villida)! Book browsing can occasionally yield the odd treasure when least expected. For example, 1n a Chatswood discount bookshop in the early 80’s, I came across a whole stack of SE = D’ Abrera’s ‘Butterflies of the Afrotropical Region’ end tarp Spee — price $35 each! Affordability aside, its size and approximately 5 kilogram weight ensured a logistic limit of “one per customer’. That such a work was considered by someone to be a ‘remainder’ seemed inexplicable! On another occasion in 1984, I glimpsed an interesting pees» SS looking item 1n a second hand bookshop window from 1 my homeward-bound 257 bus. A lunch hour expedition there the next day delivered another bargain D’ Abrera — ‘Butterflies of the Neotropical Region Vol.1’ in virtually new condition. In more recent times, a NSW country book barn yielded the classic work, ‘British Butterflies’ (1946 edition), by E.B. Ford, 1n quite good TUT Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club #87 — Page 10 Butterflies order and just $11. The original owner’s name was stamped on the top of the flyleaf and at the base, “Sold by Kelly and Walsh Ltd. Singapore’. The historic travels of this book would probably make an epic tale in its own right! The Canadian volume ‘A World for Butterflies — their lives, behavior and future’ by Phil Schappert, was extracted for a modest price from the trestle Feelk. table of a pop-up pre-Christmas book outlet. A few years ago, I ee nesecum found a pristine copy of ‘Museum’ (Robyn Stacey and Ashley Hay, FACS 2007) the richly illustrated story of the (Sydney) Macleay Museum ’s natural history collection, including its historic butterflies. This was in a Glebe bookstore for less than a third of its original almost $80 price tag. More recently still, a popular Sydney ey discount bookstore yielded a copy of ‘The Butterfly Isles’ (2010) by Patrick Barkham, a Cambridge educated features writer. In the book, the author sets out to find every species of British butterfly (there are 60) 1n a single summer. Beautifully written as an engaging adventure and including colour images of all species, the book 1s just ~