myrmecia: volume 55, part 1 · 2020. 2. 19. · 9th international congress of dipterology in...

MYRMECIA

News Bulletin of the Australian Entomological Society Inc. Volume 55, Part 1, 2019

CONTENTS ILLUSTRATION 2 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS AROUND AUSTRALIA 3 Australian Capital Territory 3 South Australia 6 Victoria 10 Queensland 11 Western Australia 18 Northern Territory 19 AES CONSERVATION COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2018 22

Notice Statements made in Myrmecia do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian

Entomological Society

austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 1

FRONT COVER drawing Congratulations to Marianne Coquilleau for her wonderful illustration of Hemiptarsenus varicornis (Girault, 1913) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) which will grace the cover of Myrmecia throughout 2019! Marianne is currently completing a Master of Research at The University of Melbourne, within the PEAR Group. As part of her research, she studies a number of wasps that parasitize small agromyzid flies. The wasps are incredibly minute and their jewel-like metallic cuticle and intricate features are hidden from the naked eye. Male Hemiptarsenus varicornis are especially striking, with their branched, antler-like antennae. M. COQUILLEAU

austentsoc.org.au

2 Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019

Australian Capital Territory ANIC was host institution for the 2018 Bush Blitz expedition organised by ABRS. Juanita Rodriguez (team leader), Olivia Evangelista, Youning Su, Michael Braby, Yu-Chi Lin and Luisa Teasdale joined Bush Blitz on behalf of ANIC. The team surveyed various invertebrate taxa in protected areas across the ACT, including Namadgi National Park, Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. The field work was followed by a highly successful community day at the Australian National Botanic Gardens held on 2 December 2018, to promote the importance of insects and taxonomy. In December, ANIC and the Australian National University School of Art and Design (especially John Forrester Clack), collaborated in presenting the second successful art exhibition in the CSIRO Discovery Centre, with ANIC specimens as inspiration for art classes. Six groups of art students were let loose with beetles as subjects and encouraged to “think big”. Each group selected pieces to go on exhibition, and the result was a striking 3-week public display of 21 very large and diverse works of art. This project gave viewers the opportunity to see insect biodiversity represented in new and wonderful ways stirring visitors' thoughts about insects and their role in our world. David Yeates, Xuankun Li and James Lumbers visited Europe in September to examine type specimens at the Natural history Museum London, the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris and the Museum Fur Naturkunde in Berlin. David went on to Freiburg in Germany to spend a week with colleague Karen Meusemann on phylogenomic analyses. Postdoc Alex Gofton has joined the Diptera group and is working with David Yeates and Andreas Zwick studying the microbiome of bushflies and houseflies. Alex and Bryan Lessard are supervising summer scholarship student Sienna Casolin from the University of Wollongong, who is studying march flies (Tabanidae) that cause anaphylaxis in northern Australia. In late November, David Yeates, Bryan Lessard, Keith Bayless, Xuankun Li and James Lumbers flew to Africa for the 9th International Congress of Dipterology in Namibia. The Congress was held at a conference venue in Windhoek and was an exciting forum for the world’s dipterists. Bryan and Keith both gave a number of presentations and co-organised two symposia; Xuankun was awarded second prize in the student poster competition. The 10th Congress of Dipterology will be in California in 2022. After the Congress, the group flew to Cape Town, and joined up with Andreas Zwick for a week of field work in South Africa. The first half of the week was spent in De Hoop National Park near the southern tip of Africa, then the group drove north to the Cederberg Wilderness. As well as many African insects and a huge sunspider, the group spotted zebra, ostrich, flamingos, eland, bontebok and baboons. During November, Bryan Lessard travelled to Canada to give an invited presentation at the Joint American and Canadian Entomological Societies on the importance of outreach and social media for museums. Bryan won, against a very strong local field to become the ACT Young Tall Poppy for 2018 at a ceremony in the Shine Dome at the Academy of Science. The award recognises excellence in both science and outreach and is coordinated by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS). Congratulations to Bryan on this significant achievement. austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 3

Australian Capital Territory The Coleoptera laboratory had its usual steady stream of visitors – Sarah Leeson (University of Western Australia, dung beetles); Chris Reid (Australian Museum, Lucanidae); Mary Finlay-Doney (NT DPI, Coccinellidae); Nicholas Porch (Deakin University, general Coleoptera); David Maddison (Oregon State University, Carabidae and amber fossils); Andras Szito (WA DPI, Dermestidae and scarabs); Hong Pang (Sun Yat-Sen University, Coccinellidae, Rodolia, and supervision of students); Andreas Urban and Cezary Rojewski (Sydney, identifications in a range of taxa); Roger De Keyzer (Australian Museum, Sydney, Cerambycidae and Lucanidae); and Lesley Ballantyne (Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Lampyridae). We welcomed a new PhD student, Yun Li, who will work with Adam Slipinski and Andreas Zwick on the faunal evolution of Australian darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae). Yun Li has worked on netwinged beetles (Lycidae) and has experience in collection curation. He is a keen artist and photographer with special interests in field observation of birds and reptiles and is looking forward to working with ANIC colleagues in multidisciplinary fields, from taxonomy to bioinformatics. The Lepidoptera group also welcomed numerous visitors in the last three months. Yu-Chi Lin from the National Taiwan Normal University visited for four weeks to curate our limacodid collection and to write a paper on a new limacodid species. She expanded 40 drawers of specimens into an impeccably curated collection, expertly relabeled by You Ning, and incorporating many years of accessions. Our friend Adam Kiss visited again from Hungary, continuing his work on the noctuid subfamily Acronyctinae. Andy Young spent a week at the ANIC identifying his material from Banrock Station in the Upper Murray district of South Australia, Marilyn Hewish and Cathy Powell consulted and improved our collection during their work on the next Moths of Victoria volume, Michael Moore visited to work on hepialids, and Peter Mackey spent two days in early January imaging lymantriids. The scientific highlight was the delivery of the Atlas of Butterflies and Diurnal Moths in the Monsoon Tropics of Northern Australia. This publication is yet another magnum opus by Michael Braby and his co-authors. This beautiful new book was published in December 2018 and will be officially launched in Darwin on 28 February 2019. Ted Edwards, Glenn Cocking and Suzi Bond are deeply involved in writing their book on the moths of the ACT, as a companion for the highly successful Butterflies of the ACT. Ted visited the Museum of Victoria in November for talks with Ken Walker, Peter Marriott, Marilyn Hewish, Axel Kallies and Doug Hilton. Marianne Horak is currently selecting a specimen of each Australian tortricid species for Andreas Zwick’s project entitled “Mobilising collections through genomics”, which aims to generate reference sequences from old collection specimens. Marianne has completed basic editorial work on the text of the forthcoming monograph on Sphingidae. Andreas Zwick joined a collecting trip by ANIC's dipterists to South Africa, collecting in the Western Cape Province. His objective was to collect fresh specimens of Tortricidae, Notodontidae, Eupterotidae, Lasiocampidae and other unusual taxa for molecular phylogenetics of Lepidoptera. Applications for the next round of funding from the Australian Lepidoptera Research Endowment are due by 1 April 2019 (https://www.australianlepidopteraendowment.com/). Honours student Hannah Zurcher submitted her thesis on millipedes in late November, while Master’s student David Yuan completed his fieldwork and started analysing data on prey preference in mud wasps. Mahin Chavoshi completed the first year of her PhD program, which focuses on the evolution of the Australian spider wasp genus Cryptocheilus. In late October, Juanita Rodriguez and Bryan Lessard joined a one-week expedition to Lord Howe Island sponsored by Australian Geographic, where they collected flies, bees and wasps with a group of volunteers. This month, Chris Freelance from the University of Melbourne visited for a week to continue imaging specimens for his doctorate research on the evolution of insect sensory systems.

austentsoc.org.au 4 Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019

https://www.australianlepidopteraendowment.com/

Australian Capital Territory The quiet time at the end of the year turned into the most active and productive part of the year in the thrips room. Shimeng Zhang was due to return to Yangling, China early in January to complete her doctorate thesis. Throughout December, Shimeng prepared and submitted three substantial manuscripts on phylogenetic relationships amongst genera of the family Thripidae. The other ANIC thrips student from China, Zhaohong Wang, submitted a manuscript on the Frankliniella species-group in China. We also welcomed Jun Wang from Jilin University in northern China, who will investigate the diverse thrips fauna in Australian leaf-litter. B. HALLIDAY

Participants at the Bush Blitz community day, Australian National Botanic Gardens, December 2018


South Australia Invertebrate Systematics group The Austin lab group congratulates a number of students who recently completed their theses. Alana Delaine completed Honours undertaking a research project on the systematics and host relationships of the psyillid genus Acizzia feeding on Dodonaea. Erinn Fagan-Jeffries finished her PhD on the systematics of microgastrine braconid wasps, as did Sophie Harrison working on the systematics of the idiopid trapdoor spider genus Blackistonia. All three students secured ABRS top-up scholarships which were instrumental in providing additional funding for fieldwork and DNA sequencing. Andy Austin returned from study leave in early December after working with colleagues in the UK, Germany and Western Australia.

austentsoc.org.au


Klára Daňková attracting a ‘swarm‘ of giant jewel beetles, Temognatha heros in the mallee.

Petr Janšta setting up a Malaise trap at Moorunde Wildlife Reserve, near Blanchetown SA.

South Australia In December, Gary Taylor travelled to Canberra to take part in the ABRS Bush Blitz survey in Namadji National Park. Highlights of the field trip included the rediscovery of Trioza banksiae, a species of triozid on Banksia marginata that has not been collected since its description by Froggatt in 1901, almost 120 years ago; additionally the discovery of an amazing 12 species of psyllid from a single eucalyptus tree, as well as new host and distribution records on other plant species. In January, Petr Janšta and Masters student, Julie Bohmova from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic visited the Invertebrate Biodiversity and Systematics laboratory to examine the Hymenoptera collection and associated field collections around the SA. Their specialty lies in the biodiversity of megastigmid and torymid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Megastigmidae and Torymidae). Field sites included the Mt Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Ngarkatt Conservation Park in the Murray Mallee, Mt Remarkable and Innes National Parks. Gary also hosted a visit with Petr, Julie and Klára Daňková, a Masters exchange student from Charles University studying hover flies at Flinders University, to Moorunde Wildlife Reserve setting up Malaise traps and collecting micro-Hymenoptera. Their visit to the Mallee coincided with a flight of giant jewel beetles, Temognatha heros that were strongly attracted to Klára’s bright orange t-shirt, reminiscent of the famous Gwynne & Rentz 1983 paper on “beetles on the bottle“ where male Julodimorpha bakewellii were attracted to the colour and sculpturing of discarded beer bottles. Petr and Julie also visited the South Australian Museum and in early February, travelled to the Queensland Museum to examine type material and the chalcoid collections.

Gary Taylor (left) and Flinders University PhD student Ben Parslow (Back right) with visitors to the Austin lab, Petr Janšta and Master’s student Julie Bohmova


South Australia Bee group The bee group at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine (The University of Adelaide) had a busy last quarter in 2018. Apart from active field work in apple, lucerne and native vegetation, we received a few visitors. Nadine Chapman and Michael Holmes (University of Sydney) visited to lure honey bee drones as a part of the collaborative research on feral honey bee densities in and around Adelaide. Robert Paxton and Anja Tehel (University of Halle, Germany) joined in a collaborative project on viruses of native bees. Scott Groom and Beth Fung made the return visit to Halle in December. In October, a new lab member arrived from Brazil: Abraao Almeida. Having won a prestigious PhD scholarship from the government of Brazil, Abraao will stay with us for a year continuing his work on modelling the distribution of insects in relation to climate and their resource requirements. In the coming year, Trace Akankunda (Diet width in Lasioglossum (Chilalictus)) and Jo Parish (Honey bees as vectors of plant pathogenic fungal spores) will finalise their theses, while Lizzy Williamson (Density of feral honey bee hives) begins her honours year. Fund raiser for conservation of the green carpenter bee Xylocopa aerata The AES fundraiser for the conservation of the green carpenter bee (Xylocopa aerata) on Kangaroo Island raised more than $2000! The fund raiser included a lunch concert “B-Keepers” by baroque violinist Lucinda Moon. The support from Phil Weinstein was vital to make this happen. The funds will go towards the manufacturing, placement and maintenance of nesting stalks. Natural nesting substrate is at a bare minimum on KI, as a result of the 2007 bushfire. The project is now in its third year and is highly successful, with 155 stalks used, out of 305 provided. The stalks that were supplied last winter had a very high rate of occupancy: we found excavated burrows in 70 out of the 100 new stalks. A higher proportion of stalks were used in areas that lacked natural nesting substrate, which goes to show that our actions fill a critical need for the bees! This project is led by Remko Leijs (SA Museum), Richard Glatz (D’Estrees Entomology) and Katja Hogendoorn (The University of Adelaide). More tax deductible donations are welcome through the AES website.

From L to R: Male green carpenter bee (X. aerata), Artificial nesting stalk in use on Kangaroo Island, Female green carpenter bee (X. aerata) (Photo: Remko Leijs)


South Australia

Flinders University PhD student Ben Parslow (studying Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae) featured in an episode of Totally Wild on Channel 10, discussing wasps and discovering new species; Ben did an excellent job of presenting entomology in a fun and accessible way to kids! Check it out here (Ben starts at about 4:37 minutes): https://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven/totally-wild/season-25/episode-154 South Australian Museum SA Museum welcomes the new Terrestrial Invertebrates Collection Manager, Matthew Shaw, who comes to us from the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch where he was Associate Curator (Natural History). Matt has worked at Queensland Museum in various collection-based roles in the Arachnology section and also public outreach roles in the Discovery Centre. Matt has a particular interest in both soil-dwelling and symbiotic dermanyssine mites and other invertebrates (even if they don’t harbour interesting mites….yet).

A termite being mobbed by Termite-loving rhodacaroid mites

Matt collecting mites from possum tree hollow nests.


https://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven/totally-wild/season-25/episode-154

https://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven/totally-wild/season-25/episode-154

Victoria Agriculture Victoria - Agribio Bundoora A one-day “DNA Barcoding Meeting” was held at Agribio, Bundoora on the 1st November 2018, hosted by Michael Shackleton (La Trobe University), Jana Batovska and Mark Blacket (Agriculture Victoria). Participants and presenters visited from Agriculture Victoria (Vic), the University of Melbourne (Vic), La Trobe University (Vic), Macquarie University (NSW), Sydney Water (NSW) and University of Canberra (ACT). Presentations covered metabarcoding for surveillance of terrestrial insects of biosecurity concern and biological monitoring of aquatic macroinvertebrates. The meeting highlighted how metabarcoding can be applied to both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrate surveillance, as well as discussing opportunities for future collaborations, material sharing, and further meetings. A recently submitted manuscript titled, “Non-destructive extractions from fly larvae (Insects: Diptera) enhance morphological features” by Francesco Martoni, Isabel Valenzuela and Mark Blacket, investigated applying non-destructive DNA extraction methods to Muscidae and Tephritidae larvae. The aim was to test the effect of non-destructive DNA extraction techniques on soft-bodied larval insects and whether the specimens could be retained as identifiable reference specimens following the procedure. They found that the non-destructive DNA extraction method did not adversely affect the larvae but instead allowed better visibility of some important internal morphological features post extraction and avoided the need to dissect specimens whilst simultaneously acquiring DNA barcoding sequences for those individuals. This research was conducted through a PBCRC student internship and the Improved Market access for Horticulture (IMAH) program (Agriculture Victoria). L. SEMERARO


Queensland

John Neilson delivered a detailed presentation on quarantine entomology titled ‘Mosquitoes, moths and microscopes: life as a biosecurity entomologist in Australia’ at the November General Meeting. During December at the Notes & Exhibit and Xmas afternoon tea meeting, an array of speakers covered many fascinating topics and displays including ‘Gonipterus in Queensland: documenting diversity and distribution’ by Natalia Medeiros de Souza, PhD Candidate (and winner of this year’s ESQ Small Grants Scheme), University of the Sunshine Coast (n.b., Gonipterus are a type of weevil!); ‘Physicochemical Properties of Stingless Bee Honey from Queensland and Malaysia’ by Nida Zawawi, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland; ‘Pigeon Louse Pseudolynchia canariensis (Hippoboscidae) in Australia’ by Christine Lambkin, Queensland Museum (n.b., pigeon louse is a type of fly!) and ‘Some history about the stag beetle Phalacrognathus muelleri, our Society’s insect emblem’ by Geoff Monteith, Entomological Society of Queensland. There was also a display of beautiful insect-themed beaded art/fashion produced by the multi-talented Vivian Sandoval! The 2019 General Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday each month from 1 to 2 pm in the Seminar Room (or the ESP Library, see below) at the Ecosciences Precinct, Woolloongabba. ESQ meetings for 2019: • Tuesday 12 MARCH AGM & Presidential Address by Mike Muller ‘Come in Suckers – A 46 year Journey with

Biting Flies’ - ESP Library • Tuesday 9 APRIL • Tuesday 14 MAY - ESP Library • Tuesday 11 JUNE Notes & Exhibit /Student Award Presentation • Tuesday 13 AUGUST • Tuesday 10 SEPTEMBER • Tuesday 8 OCTOBER – Perkins Memorial Lecture 1-2 pm, Perkins Memorial Dinner evening • Tuesday 12 NOVEMBER • Tuesday 10 DECEMBER Notes & Exhibit and Xmas Afternoon Tea 3 to 4 pm Visitors Welcome. See all the latest news on our website: http://www.esq.org.au/ C. LAMBKIN austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 11

http://www.esq.org.au/

Queensland Robert Raven (Principal Curator, Arachnida) and volunteer spider carer and UQ student, Eamon Amsters, attended the ACT Bush Blitz in late November 2018, the first of the new round. Although the survey was centred around Namadgi and to a lesser extent Tidbinbilla; as a proof that biodiversity exists everywhere, we also surveyed the gardens of Parliament House and those of the Australian National Botanical Gardens (ANBG), neither of which failed to perform (Watch this space!). After arriving late, Eamon went through the helicopter induction and was duly christened a day later. The 23 year diesel 4WD vibration source (Robert’s Delica) was quickly drafted into action alongside roads in the area and proved remarkably effective, most spectacularly so on the National Park tracks but equally alongside the sealed roads. Daily, Eamon also roped in Peacock spiders in numbers from the campsite. With live spider diversity including a Giant Water spider, large Miturgids and a Funnel web in tow, we spent one busy Sunday at the ANBG as part of a Community Day, strongly supported by ANIC and retired entomologists. Each day we could, we were out shaking and rattling the ground and rarely taking less than a 100 specimens in sessions of 1-2 hours. Throughout, the presence of a great group of teachers kept our spirits and excitement firing. There were great sessions of camaraderie with diverse participants flowing through from ANIC and ANU. Coming from Queensland, we were not the most remote scientific participants with entomological colleagues from Adelaide, Darwin and even Perth in attendance; Tasmania was represented amply by one of the teachers. With the abundance of expendable miturgids in the higher elevations, two teachers decided to watch the mating behaviour of a male and female they had caught. The first attempt was unsuccessful but the second pair gave the teachers their claim to fame for the trip: they watched the spiders mating continuously over four hours into the night!

A tangle of spider legs!


Queensland

Robert Raven has completed his work on the Australian Pisauridae (water spiders), which resulted in four new genera and 23 new species. Robert is continuing his work on the Australian Theraphosidae (tarantulas), following the completion of Renan Santana’s Ph.D. project, which greatly increased our knowledge of these spiders through a three-pronged approach combining venom profiling, morphological taxonomy and molecular phylogenetics. Robert also continues to collaborate with other QM arachnologists, Michael Rix and Jeremy Wilson, and is heavily involved in their projects. We are currently delighted to have Miguel Machado, a Brazilian student based in the Australian Museum on a CAPES grant, looking at the Queensland Museum collection of Bark mimicking spiders, Stephanopis and Sidymella. Stephanopis altifrons came to our excited attention when Alexander Karas, Beerwah, reported the spiders are living and hunting among lichen and look like they have a lichen garden growing on their back.

Miguel Machado austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 13

Queensland Michael Rix (Principal Curator, Arachnida & Research Fellow) has commenced an ABRS-funded project to revise another element of Australia’s mygalomorph biota. In this project, titled ‘Conservation systematics of Australia’s open-holed trapdoor spiders of the Teyl-complex (Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae: Anamini)’, Mike will sequence historical specimens of the genera Teyl and Namea, with the help of research assistant Jeremy Wilson, who recently submitted his Ph.D. By integrating molecular data with morphology, Mike, Jeremy and Robert will describe 50-100 new species in the complex, building on earlier work by Robert Raven and Barbara Main. With this taxonomic foundation, the project aims to identify range-restricted or otherwise threatened species and conduct formal conservation assessments relevant to State and/or Commonwealth agencies. In parallel with this new project, both Mike and Jeremy will continue revising the Australian Idiopid fauna (spiny trapdoor spiders). Mike’s paper revising the giant spiny trapdoor spiders of Western Australia (genus Gaius) has just been published in the Journal of Arachnology and Jeremy’s paper revising the palisade trapdoor spiders (genus Euoplos) of south-eastern Queensland is due to be published in Invertebrate Systematics in the coming month. Owen Seeman (QM Collection Manager Arachnology) attended a mini-symposium on Ectoparasites, organised by Renfu Shao (University of the Sunshine Coast), where he presented his first batch of results on his ABRS project on mites on beetles. The results from carabids suggest there are thousands of mite species associated with carabids, and that the mite family Podapolipidae – of which just five species are described in Australia – should comprise about 750 species in Australia alone.

Symposium on ectoparasites, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD


Queensland The Entomology section has been busy over the past month taking possession of 6 cabinets of insects collected over many years of ecological research by Roger Kitching and his students at Griffith University. The collection covers a range of rainforest locations (collected under National Park permits) including: Cape Tribulation, Atherton Tablelands, Mt Lewis, Eungella NP, Lamington NP and Broder Ranges NP. Collections include extensive material from the IBISCA Queensland project (Lamington NP) and the Queensland/Chinese Academy of Sciences Joint Project -Eungella NP, both of which had the Queensland Museum as a collaborating institution. Publications

Beard, J.J. (2018) Spider mite species of Australia (including key exotic southeast Asian pest species). https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/spider_mites_australia/ Beard, J.J., Ochoa, R., Bauchan, G.R., Pooley, C. and Dowling, A.P.G. (2018) Raoiella of the world (Trombidiformes: Tetranychoidea: Tenuipalpidae). Zootaxa 4501(1): 1-301. Beaulieu, F. and Beard, J.J. (2018) Acarine biocontrol agents Neoseiulus californicus sensu Athias-Henriot (1977) and N. barkeri Hughes (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) redescribed, their synonymies assessed, and the identity of N. californicus (McGregor) clarified based on examination of types. Zootaxa 4500(4): 1-57. Castro, E.B., Beard, J.J., Ochoa, R., Bauchan, G.R. and Feres, R.J.F. (2018) Two new species of Tenuipalpus sensu stricto (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Brazil, with a discussion on the ontogeny of leg setae. Zootaxa 4540(1): 178-210. Castro, E.B., Beard, J.J., Ochoa, R. and Feres, R.J.F. (2018) Two species of Acaricis (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from New Zealand, moved from the genus Tenuipalpus, with a key to the known species. Acarologia 55(4): 855-867. Castro, E.B., Beard, J.J., Ochoa, R. and Feres, R.J.F. (2018) Redescription of Tenuipalpus palosapis Corpuz-Raros (Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) from the Philippines, with comparison to related species. International Journal of Acarology 44(2-3): 80-89. Harrison, S.E., Rix, M.G., Harvey, M.S. & Austin, A.D. 2018. Systematics of the Australian spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Blakistonia (Araneae: Idiopidae). Zootaxa 4518: 1-76. Mineiro, J.L.C., Sato, M.E., Ochoa, R., Beard, J. and Bauchan, G. (2018) Revisão taxonômica do ácaro da leprose dos citros e sua distribuição no Brasil. Citrus Research and Technology 39: 1-11. Rix, M.G., Raven R.J., & Harvey, M.S. 2018. Systematics of the giant spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Gaius Rainbow (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae: Aganippini): documenting an iconic lineage of the Western Australian inland arid zone. Journal of Arachnology 46: 438-472. Rix, M.G., Wilson, J.D. & Harvey, M.S. In press. A revision of the white-headed spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Euoplos (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae: Arbanitinae): a remarkable lineage of rare mygalomorph spiders from the south-western Australian biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Arachnology. Wilson, J.D., Rix, M.G., Raven, R.J., Schmidt, D.J. & Hughes, J.M. In press. Systematics of the palisade trapdoor spiders (Euoplos) of south-eastern Queensland (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae): four new species distinguished by their burrow entrance architecture. Invertebrate Systematics. C. LAMBKIN austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 15

https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/spider_mites_australia/

Queensland

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Members of the Brisbane and Cairns fruit fly Market Access Teams came together in Brisbane in September for a focus team meeting. Team members from both groups shared project updates and were briefed on industry issues by the team leader, Peter Leach, and discussed upcoming activities and team objectives. Lara Senior (Brisbane Market Access Team) attended the 3rd International Whitefly Symposium held in Fremantle (16th – 19th September). Lara is currently involved in two current projects relevant to management of whitefly in vegetable crops. The symposium provided an excellent opportunity to learn about current research in this area and develop links with other researchers in Australia and overseas.

Plant Biosecurity Laboratory, Biosecurity Queensland, DAF Mark Schutze and Jane Royer led a week-long fruit fly diagnostics workshop in Bekasi, Indonesia (30 October – 2 November, 2018) to build capacity in fruit fly identification among 18 participants from 10 South-east Asian nations. Funded via contract with DAWR and hosted by the Indonesian Agricultural Quarantine Agency, the workshop was delivered as part of the Economic Cooperation Work Programme (ECWP) of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). Mark and Jane provided detailed instruction in both morphological and molecular diagnostics as well as training in trapping, surveillance, collection management and curation, updated taxonomy and systematics, and general biosecurity. Mark Schutze attended the Scale and Mealybug Diagnostics Workshop (part of the National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network) at the University of Queensland (12-16th November). The workshop was organised and run by Michael Gorton and Cath Harvey (Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources) and was attended by 15 participants from Australia and New Zealand. Minor groups were covered, with the main focus on groups of pest importance, including the soft scales (Coccidae), armoured scales (Diaspididae), and mealybugs (Pseudococcidae). A most productive and enjoyable week was had by all. Justin Bartlett attended a NPBDN-sponsored Ant Identification workshop (29 October – 2 November, 2018) led by Antonette Walford, Ben Hoffmann and Kate Sparkes. The workshop was extremely useful in providing participants with take-home reference specimens of numerous exotic pest species. PBL welcomes University of Queensland honours student Shannon Close as the group’s new Entomology Science Technician.

Fruit fly diagnostics workshop in Bekasi, Indonesia


Queensland Invasive Plant and Animals Science, Biosecurity Queensland, DAF Peter Jones has resigned from DAF and begins a position with CSIRO at Black Mountain, Canberra. Peter was involved in the biological control of Cylindropuntia species, testing multiple lineages of the cochineal Dactylopius tomentosus determining the most suitable one for each Cylindropuntia species found in Australia. Very effective lineages were found for coral cactus, Hudson pear and rope pear. Peter will be missed and we wish him well in his new role.

Fruit fly diagnostics workshop in Bekasi, Indonesia


Western Australia Kym Abrams and Mark Harvey co-authored a paper led by Volker Framenau, describing 7 new species of subterranean schizomids from the Pilbara region. You can access the article here: https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-17-101.1 Alternatively, contact Kym at: [email protected]

Marc Widmer, Senior Entomologist and wasp eradication expert recently returned from a trip to the Cocos-Keeling Island where attempts to control the out-of-control-maniac Macao paper wasp Polistes olivaceus (Degeer, 1773) continues. More than half of residents have been stung at least once by these large aggressive wasps and almost 2000 nests have been destroyed since eradication attempts began in 2016.

Macao paper wasp Polistes olivaceus nest

WA hit the ground running again, in this our 43rd year of European wasp eradication run by Marc Widmer (Senior Entomologist and Catherine Webb from the DPIRD). A total of 35 nests have been destroyed since December. The 2018 season was our worst on record with 130 nests, with activity and surveillance covering an area greater than Tasmania, and this year looks like it will surpass that.


https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-17-101.1

mailto:[email protected]

Northern Territory NT Department of Primary Industry and Resource

Welcome Bert Lukistch to the entomology team who brings to the team a background in weeds and their associated biological control. Bert will be working with browsing ant eradication program. He and Haidee Brown share the load of processing the considerable number of browsing ant samples received in December. With a new year comes new responsibility and Bert has now taken the mantle of ant diagnostician. Haidee has been processing loans from NTEIRC, thrips specimens in preparation for the DAWR Masterclass to be held in Brisbane in February. Haidee has also processed 270 000+ stinky flies from screw worm fly traps with no screw worms detected. Mary Finlay-Doney continues to visit the ANIC Coleoptera Hall to work on those pesky Australian epilachnines (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Thanks to Cate Lemann, Adam Slipinski, Lingzi Zhou, Tom Weir, Lauren Ashman, Andreas Zwick and Di Hartley for being such welcoming and accommodating hosts. Brian Thistleton, with horticulturalist Constancio Asis, visited the Philippines in November to attend the inception meeting of an ACIAR funded fruit fly project. The project is being run by QDAF but the NT will collaborate both directly and also through a parallel mango project to start soon in the same area. The meeting involved planning sessions and a field visit to Samal Island and visits to the University of Philippines Mindanao Campus (UPMin) and the Southern Philippines Fresh Fruit Corporation Packing shed. Brian also visited Alice Springs for a meeting with Dan Ryan (SITplus Program Director, HIA) to scope a possible eradication program of Bactrocera tryoni using sterile males. The B. tryoni population in Alice Springs is well defined and isolated from other populations in Australia so there would be a reasonable chance of a successful eradication which would be a good test of SIT technology. However, a decision on whether to proceed will be determined in the near future. Mary, Brian and Dale finalised the handover of conference information to Dave Merritt as the entomology chair of this year’s joint conference with the Society of Australian Systematic Biologists in Brisbane in November 2019. We hope to see you all there. Mary attended the Crawford Masterclass on Agricultural Research Leadership and Management in Penang, Malaysia (4th – 9th November). The masterclass had 21 participants from 16 countries and the highlight of the week was learning from the diverse experiences of this range of attendees.

Crawford Masterclass on Agricultural Research Leadership and Management in Penang, Malaysia austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 19

Northern Territory

Field work slows for us in the wet season but we continue to conduct fruit fly monitoring and vegetable surveillance. The team also conducted a number of tours for visiting Indigenous Rangers and Thai Farmer delegations. Mary and Mark Traynor continue to build their stingless bee apiary and their research received an article in RM William’s Outback magazine. During December, we congratulated Thilini Ekanyake (Katherine based entomologist) and her husband who welcomed a baby boy into their family; they are all well and settling into family rhythms.

RM William’s Outback magazine article.

austentsoc.org.au


Northern Territory

CSIRO Darwin The ant biodiversity lab was busy late 2018 and has been extremely quiet with the start to 2019. CSIRO’s Magen Pettit travelled to Melville Island six times between October 2018 to January 2019 continuing the surveillance and treatment of the invasive Tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata). This three year eradication program is in collaboration with Tiwi Land Council working with Tiwi Land Rangers, Willy Roberts and Brian Austral. Over 100 tropical fire ant nests have been located and chemically treated in and around Milikapiti. This is the final population of this species known on the island. CSIRO’s Ben Hoffmann commenced the final round of baiting for Yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) on the Gove minesite. These are the last known populations of the ant on the minesite, and in mid-2019 work will shift from baiting to assessments using a specially trained detector dog.

Solenopsis geminata nests (Photo: M. Pettit).

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Graham Brown had flying visits to the Australian Museum and Western Australian Museum to finalise details of his impeding revision of Thynnidae. Graham attended a meeting with Ryan Zonneveld from CSIRO about potential local biocontrol agents for invasive Acacia in the Florida Everglades. The Museum is currently hosting the Australian Museums Spiders Exhibition and managed by Caitlin Henderson. It is being well received and visitor numbers are larger than anticipated. austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019 21

AES CONSERVATION COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2018

In acknowledging that terrestrial invertebrates perform critical ecological functions in all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems; and given the unique levels of continental, regional and local endemism in the Australian invertebrate fauna; and recognising that this fauna is facing widespread threats including habitat loss, climate change, invasive species and urbanisation; the Australian Entomological Society through its Conservation Committee will promote research, disseminate information, develop and inform policy, and manage conservation of terrestrial invertebrates, both in taxonomic and functioning entities, in native and modified ecosystems. The AES Conservation Committee welcomes Richard Glatz from the environmental consultancy D’Estrees Entomology as a second Representative from SA, and Michael Rix, Queensland Museum, as a third Representative from Queensland onto the Committee. The Committee convened the Symposium ‘Insect conservation: conserving the little things that run a rapidly changing world’ with Michael Braby and Gary Taylor chairing the session at the AES Conference in Alice Springs in October, 2018. Following the conference, the Committee met to discuss future directions on invertebrate conservation in Australia. Since the Meeting in Terrigal the committee has:

1. Compiled a database of insects (and their allies) that are listed under State (various Acts), the EPBC Act and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, to better inform the current state of listed species

2. Convened a Special issue on Insect Conservation in Australia in the May 2018 issue of Austral Entomology, comprising:

a. A symposium Overview (Taylor) b. A joint paper on strategic nomination of invertebrates for conservation management (Taylor et al.,

AESCC as co-authors) c. Review articles on Insect conservation: past, present and future (Sands), Action and Recovery plans

(Braby) and Urban insect conservation (New) d. Review article on benefits of native habitat in agricultural landscapes (Gagic et al.) e. Case study of the Lord Howe Island Cockroach (Carlile et al.)

3. Forwarded a submission to SA State Government to oppose controversial Kangaroo Island ‘crown land’ development (Glatz, Taylor)

4. Forwarded a submission to SA State Government minister to review legislation to allow recognition of invertebrates as ‘wildlife’ under SA’s NPW Act (Hogendoorn)

5. Posted AESCC pages on the AES website a. Posted names and images of State representatives b. Posted ‘Species dossier’ pro forma (Table 4 in ‘strategy’ paper) on AES website for nomination of

flagship species 6. Richard Glatz (SA) and Michael Rix (QLD) have both accepted positions on the AESCC 7. Sponsored the Alan Yen Award for best presentation in invertebrate conservation at future AES conferences.

The inaugural awardee at the Alice Springs conference was Chris Sanderson, ANU, for his presentation titled “The butterflies Australia Project: addressing data deficiency in insects using citizen science.”

8. Convened a Symposium on Invertebrate Conservation at the AES Conference in Alice Springs, 2018 (with request to the entomological community for nominations of flagship invertebrates) in the Symposium ‘Keynote’ address (Taylor)

G. TAYLOR Convenor, Australian Entomological Society Conservation Committee



South Australia Convenor Dr Gary Taylor University of Adelaide (08) 8313 8347 0457 600 235 [email protected]

Dr Katja Hogendoorn University of Adelaide (08) 8278 1905 0409 728 869 [email protected]

Ex Officio Director – President, Australian Entomological Society Prof. Phil Weinstein University of Adelaide (08) 8313 5328 0466 778 089 [email protected]

Dr Richard Glatz D’Estrees Entomology University of Adelaide, South Australian Museum 0419 843 254 [email protected] [email protected]

Australian Capital Territory & Northern Territory

New South Wales

Assoc. Prof. Michael Braby Australian National University (02) 6218 3536 0405 186 434 [email protected] Mr Mick Andren Office of Environment and Heritage NSW (02) 6659 8252 0455 190 661 Email: [email protected]

Prof. James Cook Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University (02) 4570 1371 0435 430 893 [email protected]

Queensland Dr Don Sands CSIRO, Honorary Fellow (07) 3374 1608 0403 517 224 [email protected] [email protected] Dr Michael Rix Queensland Museum (07) 3840 7722 0407 694 713 Email: [email protected]

Emeritus Prof. Roger Kitching Griffith University (07) 3735 7491 0413 112 621 [email protected]

Victoria Emeritus Prof. Tim New La Trobe University (03) 9479 2247 [email protected]

Dr Isabel Valenzuela AgriBio Centre, Bundoora (03) 9032 7329 0403 920 267 [email protected]

Tasmania Dr Peter McQuillan University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2840 [email protected]

Ms Shasta Henry University of Tasmania 0416 884 261 [email protected]


















Western Australia Dr Melinda Moir Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (08) 9368 3287 0439 999 226 [email protected]

Dr Mark Harvey Western Australian Museum (08) 9212 3737 0407 553 567 [email protected]

Attending members of the AES Conservation Committee at the Alice Springs Meeting include, Katja Hogendoorn, Isabel Valenzuela, Phil Weinstein, Don Sands, Gary Taylor and Michael Braby

24 austentsoc.org.au Myrmecia Volume 55, Part 1, February 2019



myrmecia: volume 55, part 1 · 2020. 2. 19. · 9th international congress of dipterology in...

Documents