Predatory Katydids
January 22nd, 2010 | 
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Gram for gram, there’s probably not much separating the Raspy Cricket (above) from its Cicada prey. Both dropped to the ground at the feet of a small group of nightwalkers last evening, amidst the desperate, resonating alarm-calls of the victim.
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Macleay’s spectre – Extatosoma tiaratum
In a most improbable sighting yesterday afternoon, an attachment to a wait-a-while rachis had the tenor of an insect, so I took a closer look and was delighted to find this male Macleay’s Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum) Spiny Leaf Insect.
Neon Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus nitidulus)
In another stunning exposé of blue, the neon cuckoo bee (Thyreus nitidulus) roosts in the company of half a dozen others, on the peripheral stems of a fallen branch.
Yellow Walnut (Beilschmiedia bancroftii)
At the top of the cabinetwood timber industry’s wish list, the chunk of trunk in the foreground contains the equivalent of $100,000 worth of spectacular hardwood asset – Yellow Walnut (Beilschmiedia bancroftii). Of course, under World Heritage legislation, its protection confers a potential three-year jail term for any attempt at removal.
Two-spined Spider (Poecilopachys australasia)
Behold, the colourful Two-spined Spider (Poecilopachys australiana). This species forms a very loose wheel-web; most often, it would seem, in a horizontal plane. Like many small wheel-web weavers, it is far too much of a target for birds during the day, so it dismantles its web before dawn and hides beneath green leaves.