Buggin with Bridgey – September 2023
Buggin with Bridgey is a Monthly report of sightings from the Let’s Go Buggin Cairns Nature & Photography Tour in the Cairns Botanical Gardens. As the months roll by, subtle changes in the seasons bring sightings of new creatures and this report aims to give people a wrap up of the current animals seen as well as provide an ongoing citizen science account of our wonderful critters that can be seen in the Wet Tropics of Queensland.
Mimesis in the Cairns Botanical Gardens
and Wet Tropics of Queensland.
In December 2022 my Blog entry focused on Mimicry in the insect world. I wanted to return to this subject to expand on some of the other styles of deception that are referred to as Mimesis. This is when animals take on the appearance of their surroundings to avoid predation. We have some wonderful examples of Mimesis in the richness of the Cairns Botanical Gardens and the Wet Tropics region.
Spiny Leaf Insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) Lichen colour morph
This first example of Mimesis is one of the most fascinating rainforest critters you could ever come across. Spiny Leaf Insects typically are a light brown colour with large flat appendages on their legs that help them blend into their leafy environment. This particular individual is displaying a rare, lichen colour morph adaptation. Therefore it has taken its deception to another level. Not only has it formed anatomical adaptations to form leaf-like shapes with its body, it has taken a further step and displayed colours to match a lichen covered tree.
These insects are a popular pet and can be purchased through many online pet stores. They make great pets because they are easy to care for. In researching for this blog, I found one insect breeder who claims that this colour morph can actually be encouraged, rather than relying on genetics. She claims to rear the insects in a lichen-filled terrarium to increase the chances of the instar developing this lichen colour morph after their first moult. Interesting!
Spiny Leaf Insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) lichen colour morph
Fruit Piercing Moth (Eudocima Aurineta)
This large moth is a master of Mimesis. They have developed a beautiful masquerade of a dead leaf. This individual was the most glamourous example of this species I have seen with gorgeous flecks of green and light blue. The appearance of leaf veins is nature excelling with this wonderful example of Mimesis in the Cairns Botanical Gardens. We spotted this one just sitting on some low hanging leaves during a Let’s Go Buggin Tour. It was a real treat for the participants on that day.
Fruit Piercing Moth (Eudocima Aurineta)
Mirrorball Spider (Thwaitesia sp.)
It is theorised that this spider is mimicking the look of glistening water droplets hanging off leaves in the rainforest. It seems completely feasible to me as they really do glisten as though the sun has hit them. Their tiny bodies with long legs are extremely challenging to find let alone photograph. Luckily for participants on Let’s Go Buggin Night Walks, these masters of Mimesis can be seen all year round in the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Their mirrorball like abdomens is the result of a digestion bi-product, known as ‘guanine’ that lines the inside of the abdomen instead of being excreted.
Mirrorball Spider (Thwaitesia sp.)
Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio) larvae
The previous Blog featured some spiders that are poo mimics. However, spiders are not the only arthropods that are a fan of pretending to be poo. We have a number of species of Swallowtail Butterflies (Papilio) that call the Wet Tropics of Queensland their home including Fuscous Swallowtail (Papilio fuscus) and Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus). Both species larvae use this style of Mimesis in their earliest stages. To a bird or other would-be predator, they look like bird droppings on the leaf. It’s a very effective evolutionary design that allows this group of animals to be so successful.
Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio sp.) larvae
Cyclone Larry Stick Insect (Sipyloidea larryi)
This small stick insect (Phasmid) has been named after the devastating cyclone that hit the Wet Tropics of Queensland in 2006. There are some people who think that it was named this when supposedly the cyclone carried them from another location to the Wet Tropics. However this seems to be a false idea and they have only been named after the cyclone. It’s a good theory though, and an even better story. It seems that this species is found in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Thailand and Panama which could suggest there is some truth to the idea. An anyone confirm of deny? Please comment below. They can be found all year round in the Cairns Botanic Gardens and are very popular with tour participants.
Cyclone Larry Stick Insect (Sipyloidea larryi)
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the examples of Mimesis in the Cairns Botanical Gardens and the Wet Tropics of Queensland. If you would like to take a deeper dive into some other encounters you can check out my Let’s Go Buggin Project on iNaturalist here.
Keen for a Let’s Go Buggin Tour? Use ‘blog’ as the coupon code for 15% discount on your tour booking here.
Next Blog in late October.
🐞 💚 🪲
Bridgette
I’m really enjoying the range of bugs you are finding and the quality of your photos. I also use the Olympus system. I would use a 60mm macro lens for bugs. Do you use a flash and diffuser? If so Which diffuser?
Hi Nella, I sent you an email with some more info.