Fiddler Beetle
Profile
Fiddler Beetle
Front Legs
| Fiddler Beetle Profile | | Fiddler Beetle Front Legs | | ||
 | Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta) | |||
| Order: | Beetles (Coleoptera) | ||||
| Family: | Scarab Beetle (Scarabaeidae) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
| Species: | Fiddler Beetle (Eupoecila australasiae) | ||||
| This Photo: | 🔍Face🔎 | ||||
Thank you Mark Hura & Kurtise Templeton (NutsAboutNature) for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found in the Adelaide Plains and possibly elsewhere ~20mm long, found by our 16m old Grandson, Kayden. These are an Australian Native, but introduced to South Australia from the Eastern States. There is a very similar, locally native species, Chlorobapta frontalis. Both vary quite a bit in their dorsal patterns such that they are easily confused. However, a ventral shot shows the thighs of Chlorobapta frontalis are very yellow; here the thighs are generally dark brown with a small yellow patch on the front of the hind thighs. Looking further is seems Chlorobapta frontalis doesn't have the longitudinal yellow mark on the pronotum either. These are still a major concern as, like Koalas, they can have a devastating effect on the local environment; pushing out local natives. Some do say that being in a suburban environment (where this was found) is a lost cause. ie so much damage has already been caused by humans. However, within a few days both a Southern Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus) & a Four-toed Earless Skink (Hemiergis peronii) were both found in the same garden. So not all hope is lost in suburbia. Mark said "These seem to have appeared about 8 or 9 years ago, initially centered around the Golden Grove area, and so perhaps came in from landscape supplies as it is the site of large landscape suppliers. These have spread rapidly, covering most of suburban Adelaide now, which is a testament to their strong flying capabilities and their ability to adapt to a wide variety of flowering plants." | |||||
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