which is the well known Pumpkin Beetle, _Aulacophora olivieri_,
a reddish yellow and black beetle often called a “lady-bird,” and
which in many parts of Australia swarms over the young melons and
cucumbers and devours the flowers and foliage. _Monolepta rosae_ is
a delicate pale yellow beetle, with the front half of the elytra
shaded with rose red; it has a wide range, and on the northern rivers
congregates in great numbers at times, eating up the young foliage of
the citrus trees. The Fig-leaf Beetle, _Galleruca semipullata_, lays
its spindle-shaped eggs in patches on the leaves of both the wild and
cultivated figs, upon the surface of which the dirty yellow coloured
larvae feed, finally crawling down the trunks and pupating in the
ground. The beetle measures about ⅓ of an inch in length; is of a dull
ochreous yellow, with the outer margins of the broad elytra striped
with dull bluish black. _Hoplostinus viridipennis_ is a much smaller,
dull brownish yellow beetle, with shorter, rounded, deep metallic green
elytra. It feeds upon the foliage of the nettle trees growing in the
scrubs of the Northern Rivers, N.S.W.
[Illustration: =Fig. 98.=--_Paropsis immaculata_
(Marsham).
A typical Leaf-eating Beetle.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
[Illustration: =Fig. 99.=--_Monolepta rosae_
(Blackburn).
The Painted Leaf Beetle.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
The HISPIDES are a very distinct group of the plant-eating beetles,
whose larvae are sometimes very destructive; they bore into the foliage
or stalks of plants, feeding in, and not upon the plant tissue. The
beetles might be divided into two sections; those that are short and
broad shouldered like _Monochirus multispinosus_, which measures ⅙ of
an inch in length, is black in colour, with the whole of the dorsal
surface covered with short fine spines, and is common upon grass blades
on the South coast of N.S. Wales; and the elongate almost cylindrical
forms found on sedges belonging to the Genus _Euryspa_. These beetles
are remarkable for the situation of their antennae, which are very
close together at the base, and stand straight out in front of the
head. _Brontispa froggatti_, belonging to the latter section, is a very
serious pest on the cocoa nut palms in New Britain and Solomon Islands.
The CASSIDIDES are curious ladybird-like beetles of a general yellow or
light brown colour spotted or marked with black, with the outer margins
of the elytra spreading out into an encircling flange or rim. They are
confined to the more tropical forests of Queensland, but one species,
_Aspidomorpha deusta_, comes into the northern scrubs of N.S. Wales; it
is of the usual shape and mottled tints, measuring about ¼ of an inch
in length.
Family 51. Fungus Beetles.
EROTYLIDAE.
The larvae of these beetles can be often found in numbers feeding in
the different kinds of woody fungi that grow upon tree trunks, old
fences, and fallen logs. If these infested fungi are collected and kept
in a box the beetles can be very easily bred out. They can be readily
recognised by their elongate, boat-shaped form, and clubbed antennae.
_Episcaphula pictipennis_, one of our commonest species, is black, but
thickly mottled with deep orange red forming three interrupted bands
across the elytra. It measures about ¼ of an inch. _Thallis janthina_
is a smaller, shining, blue black beetle, slightly roughened on the
elytra; it breeds in the large, spongy, white fungus growing on the
tree trunks known as “punks.”
Family 52. Lady-bird Beetles.
COCCINELLIDAE.
These well-known beetles differ from the last family (which many of
them resemble in outward appearance) in having 3 jointed tarsi, and the
short usually 11 jointed antennae (occasionally 8–10) being slightly
clubbed at the tips. In their habits however they differ in being
carnivorous both in the larval and adult state, with the exception of
the members of the Genus _Epilachna_, which are phytophagus. They are
all small rounded beetles; the short head fits close into the thorax,
which in turn rests against the front of the elytra: most of them are
yellow, spotted or marked with darker yellow, metallic blue or black,
and are slightly pubescent. These insects are well known in our gardens
to the children as “lady-birds,” and the quaint rhyme of “Fly away
lady-bird” is said to have originated in the hop fields of Kent: after
the hop picking, the dead plants, where the common English lady-bird
was abundant feeding upon the hop aphis, were burnt off, and this was
a warning by the children to them to fly away before the fires were
started. They have been closely studied by economic entomologists
because they are the natural enemies of so many aphis and scale insects.
[Illustration: =Fig. 100.=--_Epilachna 28-punctata_
(Fabr.).
The Spotted Leaf-eating Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
Over 2,000 species have been described from all parts of the world,
and in the latest list given by Lea (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1901), 110
are recorded from Australia. Mulsant published his great work (Species
Coleopteris Trimeres Securipalpes) in 1850: Crotch published his
“Revision of the Coccinellidae” in 1874; in both of these will be found
descriptions of Australian species. Blackburn (Trans. Royal Soc. S.A.
1892) and Lea previously quoted, added a number of new species to our
fauna.
[Illustration: =Fig. 101.=--_Epilachna
guttatopustulata_ (Fabr.).
The Potato-leaf Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
[Illustration: =Fig. 102.=--_Leis conformis_
(Boisd.)
The Common Spotted Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
The Genus _Epilachna_ contains all our plant-feeding lady-bird
beetles, two of which are common. The 28-spot lady-bird, _Epilachna
28-punctata_, has a wide range extending from China and India to all
parts of Australia; it measures about ⅓ of an inch in length, is of a
dull yellowish brown tint marked with rounded black spots, and clothed
with a fine pubescence. Crotch says: “This species varies almost to
infinity, and gradually runs into the common 6-spotted type, so that
I cannot give any structural differences.” Its curious gregarious
larvae are dull yellow covered with black spined tubercles; about
Sydney they are often found upon the foliage of the trumpet flower
(_Datura stramonium_), but in the north of N.S. Wales often damage the
foliage of potatoes. _E. guttatopustulata_ ranges from Tasmania to
North Australia, and is a common insect in the Richmond River scrubs,
N.S.W.; it is a large beetle, easily recognised by the large, rounded,
yellowish red blotch on the sides of the elytra.
[Illustration: =Fig. 103.=--_Thea galbula_
(Mulsant).
The Yellow-shouldered Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
[Illustration: =Fig. 104.=--_Verania frenata_
(Erichson).
The Striped Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
The typical _Coccinella repanda_ measures ⅕ of an inch in length; it
is a little, rounded, bright yellow beetle, with the head and thorax
blackish, the elytra striped down the centre, and marked on either side
with two irregular black V-shaped blotches. It has a wide range over
Australia, and feeds upon all kinds of aphids, sometimes appearing
in great numbers all over the country. _Leis conformis_ is a larger
species, of a uniform bright orange yellow, thickly spotted with black.
It is a common garden insect, where the clusters of its slender yellow
eggs may be often noticed attached to the bark of aphis infested
trees; and its elongated, smoky tinted larvae, blotched on the sides
with orange, may be often watched feeding upon rose or peach aphis.
_Thea galbula_ is a dainty little lady-bird, with the dorsal surface
bright pale yellow, marked with black in the centre of the thorax; the
dorsal stripe down the centre of the elytra connects two pairs of black
blotches crossing the centre and base. It measures about ⅙ of an inch
in length, and is at times common in our gardens. _Verania frenata_
is ⅙ of an inch; it is yellow, with the thorax black behind, and with
three stripes of the same colour down the elytra. It has a wide range
from Tasmania to New Caledonia and the Malayan Islands.
The Genus _Orcus_ contains a number of metallic blue-black lady-birds
which feed chiefly upon scale insects; their larvae are grey and black
creatures with the dorsal surface covered with fine spines; several
species are common on scale infested citrus trees. _Orcus chalybeus_,
measuring about ⅛ of an inch in length, is of a uniform deep metallic
steel blue. _O. australasiae_ is a larger species with two rounded
yellow spots on each side of the elytra. _O. bilunulatus_ is a still
larger insect, with only one yellow blotch on either side of the front
of the thorax.
[Illustration: =Fig. 105.=--_Orcus chalybeus_
(Boisd.).
The Steel-blue Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
[Illustration: =Fig. 106.=--_Orcus australasiae_
(Boisd.).
The Six-spot Blue Lady-bird.
(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]
_Novius cardinalis_ is a tiny red and black lady-bird, very variable
in its black colouration; it was better known as _Vedalia cardinalis_,
when it was collected in great numbers and forwarded to America to
destroy the Fluted or Cottony-cushion Scale (_Icerya purchasi_), which
had been introduced from this country into California and damaged the
orange trees. It has since been introduced into other parts of the
world, and is now cosmopolitan. The Genus _Rhizobius_ contains a number
of small black beetles finely punctured and clothed with pubescence,
that gives them a rusty tint. _Rhizobius ventralis_ is very common
in the bush upon young eucalypts that are infested with _Eriococcus
coriaceous_; it measures about ⅙ of an inch in length and is very
pubescent. _Cryptolæmus montrouzieri_, a great foe to all kinds of
mealy bugs, has been introduced into Hawaii with good results. The
larvae are flattened brown insects that cover themselves with short
white overlapping filaments, so that their identity is quite lost;
they frequently swarm in thousands upon the trunks of scale infested
Auracaria pines, pupating in such numbers that they form large white
patches over the tree stems. The beetle is ¼ of an inch in length;
is of a uniform black tint, with the head, thorax and tip of the
elytra light yellow. The Genus _Scymnus_ contains many of our smallest
species: _Scymnus vagans_ is a minute black beetle only ¹⁄₂₄ of an inch
in length, which can be found on mite infested foliage. _S. notiscens_,
more than twice the size, is common both on wattles and orange trees;
it can be easily identified by the distinct reddish blotch in the
centre of each wing cover.
Order VI.--LEPIDOPTERA.
Butterflies and Moths.
Butterflies and moths are scale winged insects, and are among the
giants of the insect world; they can be defined as insects with two
pairs of membranous wings well adapted for extended flight, clothed
with scales overlapping each other like the slates on the roof of a
house, flattened and rounded on the surface of the wings, but more
or less hair-like upon the body. The head is usually provided with a
tubular proboscis or mouth, that can be curled up like a watch spring
when at rest, and is admirably adapted for sucking up the honey from
flowers when expanded.
The caterpillars may be smooth and naked, or thickly clothed with
spines or hair; with few exceptions they feed upon the foliage or
wood of plants: after undergoing a series of moults they either
spin a cocoon, bury themselves in the ground, or (if wood borers)
close themselves up in the burrow where they undergo a complete
metamorphosis. If the larva of a butterfly, the caterpillar attaches
itself to a twig by the tip of its tail and casts the larval skin,
which slips off, leaving the naked transformed pupa simply enclosed
in a stout, close-fitting pupal jacket. Some species of moths appear
in such numbers at times that they do a great deal of damage to plant
life, and are very serious pests.
Lepidoptera on account of their beauty and size have always been very
popular with entomologists, and large numbers have been collected from
all parts of the world, so that this is one of the best known orders.
Sharp estimates that 50,000 species are described, and every year adds
to this long list.
They are divided into two great groups, somewhat artificial, but
definable as RHOPALOCERA, butterflies; and HETEROCERA, moths.
RHOPALOCERA.
Butterflies.
The typical butterflies are usually slender-bodied insects, with
filiform and more or less clubbed antennae, delicate legs, and large
richly tinted wings; they fly about in the bright sunlight, visiting
flowers and feasting upon the nectar that they find in the blooms.
They have large compound eyes so that they can see very well; and the
slender tubular mouth is very highly developed in all butterflies. The
eggs are laid upon the food plant: the caterpillars are generally more
or less elongated, and naked or covered with scattered tubercles rather
than hairy; when full grown they attach themselves to the under side
of a twig or leaf by the tip of the abdomen. Some groups are furnished
with a silken girdle round the middle attached at each end to the leaf
or twig; and another section roll themselves up in leaves. They do not
form a cocoon, but as the larval skin slips off, it reveals the regular
pupal form fitted with a skin-like jacket through which the indistinct
lines of the rudimentary wings, legs and antennae can be traced. The
pupa may remain in this quiescent state for several months before the
butterfly splits the skin and emerges, a perfect, fully developed
insect.
As many of our butterflies have an extended range, some of them were
originally described from other countries, and when captured here were
named as new species; so that a good deal of confusion has existed in
the proper identification of some of our common species as to whether
they were Australian or only varieties of foreign species. In 1805
Donovan figured some of our commonest species in his “Insects of New
Holland.” After Kirby’s “Catalogue of Rhopalocera” was published in
1871, Masters compiled and issued a list of our Australian species.
In 1878 Semper published his list of Australian species; and in 1891
Miskin produced his “Catalogue of the Australian Butterflies,” in
which he included and described some new species (No. 1, Annals of the
Queensland Museum); this remained our working list until Waterhouse
published his “Catalogue of the Rhopalocera of Australia” as No. 1
Memoir of the New South Wales Naturalists’ Club 1903. In Waterhouse’s
list a great many changes have been made in the genera and species;
a number of our well-known names have vanished, with very little
explanation; for example, _Pieris teutonia_, our common white,
appears under the name of _Belenois java_; this is unavoidable
to a certain extent in bringing Catalogues up to date, but is very
confusing to beginners in the work of classification.
For a list of the writers upon, and references to our butterflies, the
student is referred to Waterhouse’s Catalogue.
I am indebted to Messrs. Anderson and Spry for notes on the life
histories of some of the southern species described in their “Victorian
Butterflies” (Melbourne 1893).
Family 1. Brush-footed Butterflies.
NYMPHALIDAE.
This group comprises a number of large or medium sized butterflies that
are known as “Fritillaries,” “Emperors,” “Admirals,” and many other
popular names in England, and are generally brightly coloured; many
have a very wide range over the world. The fore-legs of both sexes
are imperfect, the male with one or two, the female with four or five
tarsal joints. The larvae are usually spiny, or clothed with hairy
warts; and the pupae are suspended by the tail. Sharp places them in
eight sub-families, four of which are well represented in Australia.
The DANAINAE are brightly coloured butterflies of a general reddish
brown tint with blackish markings; the larvae are smooth cylindrical
caterpillars with the tips of the body ornamented with a fleshy tail.
The Genus _Danais_ contains six species, of which the best known in
Eastern Australia is the “Monarch” or “Brown Gypsy,” originally a
North American insect but now almost world wide in its range; it is
known under at least four names, and though usually figured as _Danais
archippus_, its correct name is _Danais menippe_. The handsome banded
black and cream coloured larva feeds upon the introduced “bladder-weed”
(_Gomphocarpus fruticosus_), and turns into a beautiful pale green pupa
with metallic markings. This large, deep reddish brown and black lined
butterfly is too well known to require description.
[Illustration: Plate XIX.--LEPIDOPTERA.
Family PIERIDAE.
1. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Eggs on foliage.
2. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Eggs enlarged.
3. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Caterpillar.
4. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Caterpillar (enlarged).
5. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Pupa (enlarged).
6. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Pupa on leaf.
7. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Showing upper surface.
8. _Pieris teutonia_ (Fabr.). Showing under surface.
This butterfly is now known under the name of _Belenois
java_ (Sparrman).]
[Illustration: _Plate XIX.--LEPIDOPTERA._]
_D. petilia_, a much smaller butterfly, has broader white markings
on the tip of the fore wings and none round the edges of the hind
pair. It has a wide range over Australia, across Asia to Europe. The
caterpillar is of a lavender colour and feeds upon the cotton grass;
it transforms into a beautiful green chrysalis marked with scattered
golden spots and a band of the same colour round the abdomen. _D.
hamata_, a fine pearly blue and black species, is recorded by Olliff
from Cape York to as far south as Shoalhaven, N.S.W., but is a rare
insect in the south.
Fourteen species of the Genus _Euploea_ are described, of which
_E. corinna_ is a mottled black and white species, very abundant
in sheltered gullies in N. Queensland, also ranging southward to
Sydney. The larva feeds on a creeper (_Mandevillia_); it is a slender,
dull-coloured caterpillar with four pairs of fleshy tentacles on the
back. The pupa is suspended to a leaf, and is a rich, bright metallic
silver.
* * * * *
The ACRAEINAE contains a single species, belonging to the typical
Genus _Acraea_, which is found from North Queensland to Sydney. _A.
andromacha_ measures 2¾ inches across the wings; is blackish brown; the
fore wings are transparent with dull brown markings; the hind pair are
opaque, creamy white, edged with brown; it always looks as though badly
rubbed. It has a range from New Guinea, Fiji, and Samoa into Australia.
The yellowish brown caterpillar clothed with branched fleshy spines,
feeds upon the passion vine, and is not uncommon in Sydney gardens.
* * * * *
The NYMPHALINAE comprise a number of handsome butterflies, which differ
from the previous ones in having the cells of both pairs of wings open
or imperfectly closed. The larvae are very variable, some being slender
hairy caterpillars or armed with spines and tubercles; others are short
and cylindrical, furnished with horns upon the head.