Haven’t seen these beetles before, but I have a hunch I’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. Check out the wild antennae.
The Geraldton Wax was a hive of activity in the sunshine this afternoon, beetles, hoverflies of two different kinds, and other tiny flying critters I couldn’t get a handle on. I have a feeling this one may be a kind of weevil, but then again I may be mistaken! Due to the breeze I had to take all the shots one handed while holding the stalks to steady them, not easy.
Beetles — not my bag — but the flashy red ‘uns with the exuberant antennae look like a species called Metriorrhynchus rhipidius. They’re toxic apparently. (Not that you’re likely to pop one between a couple of slices of bread, but I thought I’d mention it.)
Spot on Snail, thanks. I’ll stick to witchetty grubs then.
These beetles (whatever Snail reckons they are called) are a common childhood memory for me from growing up in northern NSW. Balmy summer evenings, the air would be full of them hovering around our orchard. I used to take great delight in knocking them to the ground, catching them, and then watching them launch again from my fingers. Funny, the memories that stick with you!
Looks as if we’re being invaded from the north John!
Cool photos, Duncan, even if the second does look dodgy ;P
Snail’s very likely to be right about the identity of the beetles in the first two photos. They certainly look like Metriorrhynchus sp. (Family Lycidae); rhipidius is the most commonly noted species but, offhand, I don’t know how many species there are. They’re the model for several mimics in other Families of beetles — and also a moth, believe it or not!
The last photo is definitely not a weevil. Weevils have distinctive antennae: a single, long segment at the base, followed by a series of shorter segments (more or less). The arrangement makes the antennae of weevils look roughly like an arm bent at the elbow. Sorry I can’t give you an i.d. on the last photo, Duncan.
Thanks for setting me straight on that second species Pete. The shape reminded me of a weevil, but it didn’t have the proboscis I see on weevils in the woodheap, that’s why I qualified my remark! It’s great to have knowledgeable friends on the internet to help out. My pictures could have been better if I’d had my usual close up camera but the CCD died and it’s away getting a new one.