Christmas Roundup

Some shots from here and there, starting with a few more from home, this Aeshna brevistyla found the brick wall inside the verandah a good spot to perch for the night.

One of the many jumping spiders that roam the walls, the attractive Hypoblemum villosum.

This spider wasp spent quite some time towing this paralysed spider around before finally disappearing with its offspring’s future food supply.

Going along the window glass.

And out in the garden one of the female St. Andrew’s Cross spiders has found a husband.

And here’s the male in close up.

A recent visit to Lake Glenmaggie was notable due to hundreds of Hyacinth Orchids in flower around the shore. Just a general shot with the little snapshot camera as the DSLR was carring the 200 micro for possible Odonata.

And strangely, despite much searching only one was found, a Yellow-striped Hunter, Austrogomphus guerini.

It is of course cicada time, and while climbing the concrete steps at the weir wall, a casual glance could have mistaken this tiny pair for large blowflies. To the best of my knowledge they are male and female of the Pauropsalta encaustica complex, commonly known as Black Squeakers. Wing length is approximately 15 mm, and the female is showing her red markings in the first image. Edit, (Dec. 2020) following further research on this complex these are probably the newly named Atrapsalta furcilla, the Southern Mountain Squeaker.

Click images to enlarge.