Entomological Society of Victoria N e w s l e t t e r No. 4 November 2014 INDEX Melbourne City Council’s Urban Bioblitz Melbourne City Council’s The City of Melbourne’s Urban Bioblitz is the City Council’s first major effort Urban Bioblitz….…......…1 to record the fauna of inner Melbourne, as part of its Urban Ecology and Biodiversity Strategy. Connecting the public with the wildlife of Gippsland Over the next two weeks until November 15, a Lakes………………….… 3 number of independent citizen science activities will be on offer, as well as tours lead by amateur Meet your naturalists, biodiversity experts and ecologists, as ESV Council……………..5 featured in The Age, The Brisbane Times and last Friday night’s Channel 7 News. Articles of interest……….6 Anyone can participate individually by downloading the 12-page toolkit from the City of Upcoming Melbourne website Conferences……………..9 (http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/files/881 4/1465/1772/BioBlitz_Web_Toolkit.pdf). Surveys ESA webinars….….......10 of parks, backyards, balconies and laneways can be conducted any time during the two week Around the period with photos and location data registered societies…………….….11 with twitter, Instagram or Bowerbird, Australia’s first social science website (http://www.bowerbird.org.au/#about). From the Archives……..12 In total, 50 events are happening over the coming fortnight, beginning last ESV Council……………13 Friday with surveys of Fitzroy Gardens. Despite the fact that these gardens abutt the CBD and have been dominated by introduced ornamental plants Species profile…………14 and grasses for more than 150 years, there was a surprising number of insect species recorded. December excursion….16 Sampling of freshwater invertebrates in the ponds uncovered Predacious Diving Beetle larvae (Family Dytiscidae), dragonfly and damselfly nymphs (Order Odonata), caddisflies (Order Trichoptera), bloodworms (Family Chironomidae), backswimmers (Family Notonectidae) and Small Water Striders (Family Veliidae), amongst others. Four Inner City Wildlife tours, focussing on invertebrates, recorded more than 50 species including Caper White Butterflies (Belenois java), Painted Ladies (Vanessa kershawi), Admirals (Vanessa itea), Common Grass Blues (Zizina labradus), Painted Acacia Moths (Teia anartoides), Bogong Moths (Agrotis infusa), Harlequin Bugs (Dindymus versicolor), Shield Bugs (Poecilometis species), Emperors (Hemianax papuensis), Blue Ringtails (Austrolestes annulosus) and Plague Soldier Beetles (Chauliognathus lugubris). www.entsocvic.org.au 1 As may be Moths were the expected, a number dominant group of exotic species at the light such as Cabbage sheet, and a full White Butterflies list of species (Pieris rapae), Elm will be provided Leaf Beetles to the bioblitz (Xanthogaleruca by Peter luteola), European Marriott and Honeybees (Apis Marilyn Hewish. Several rare and unusual species mellifera) and Green were collected, something of a surprise in the Vegetable Bugs heart of Melbourne. (Nezara viridula) were also recorded. P hotographers gather around The evening finished with three light sheets, Peter attracting literally millions of small flies (probably Marriott’s light Chironomids), as well as Longicorns (Family sheet in the Cerambycidae), Click Beetles (Family Elateridae), Fitzroy Weevils (Family Curculionidae), Ground Beetles Gardens . (Family Carabidae), Plant Bugs (Family Miridae), Green Lacewings (Family Chrysopidae), mosquitoes (Family Culicidae), Craneflies (Family Tipulidae) and Assassin Bugs (Family Reduviidae). Marilyn Some of the Hewish points out moths to more common City of species were Melbourne Brown staff. Lacewings (Micromus tasmaniae), Apart from the occasional study of individual Diamondback species within Fitzroy Gardens, there has never Moths (Plutella been a comprehensive faunal survey of the area Millions of tiny Chironomids xylostella) and so the bioblitz will dramatically increase the blackening the light sheet near ichneumonids number of known species from the gardens. And the creek area of Fitzroy Gardens (Netelia once again insects will dominate these lists, species), as thanks in large part to ESV members. well as the occasional Granny Moth (or Old Lady Moth) (Dasypodia selenophora) and Tobacco The Fitzroy Gardens Bioblitz was just the start. Looper (Chrysodeixis argentifera). Other insect-related events of the bioblitz over the next two weeks include: Friday 14 November 10am-3pm – Fitzroy Gardens Bioblitz tours (leaving hourly) 7.30-11pm – Royal Park nocturnal insect Bioblitz (light trapping) Saturday 15 November 10am-3pm – Royal Park Bees, Bugs and Butterflies tours 10am-3pm – Westgate Park Freshwater and More than 30 members of the public came Terrestrial Bugs tours along for an early start to light trapping 2 Please contact Patrick Honan at Connecting the public with the [email protected] if you would like to participate in light trapping at Royal Park. Wildlife of Gippsland Lakes Royal Park This project aims to bring together community sustains a groups, the public, amateur entomologists and healthy scientists in surveying, documenting and population of showcasing the rich wildlife of the Gippsland insects and Lakes region, and the Entomological Society is the one of Victoria has been invited to participate. park within the City of The primary objectives are: Melbourne 1. To carry out wildlife snapshot surveys at sites Gumleaf Skeletoniser larvae dominated representing catchment forests, freshwater (Uraba lugens), Westgate Park by native rivers and the estuarine lakes. vegetation. Light trapping will be coordinated 2. To provide opportunities for public between ESV members and experts from RMIT. engagement about regional wildlife and avenues for further activity and learning. Although not 3. To support and profile community interest established groups in the region and recognise the until the late knowledge and contribution that these groups 1980s, make. Westgate Park 4. Produce a digital field guide app for also hosts a smartphone and tablet that showcases the range of rich wildlife of the Gippsland Lakes animal species, The main stakeholders for this project are the Common Shining Cockroach Gippsland Lakes Ministerial Advisory Committee (Drymaplaneta communis) from particularly under logs at Westgate Park invertebrates. (GLMAC), Museum Victoria (MV), Parks Victoria Pre-survey (PV), the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal reconnoitres of Westgate Park has shown a high Corporation (GLWAC) and local special interest diversity of insects inhabiting the various lakes groups (Friends of Gippsland Lakes, Greening and stands of eucalypts and casuarinas. Australia, Birdlife Australia East Gippsland). More than 60 species of insects have been The project objectives will be met through a recorded there by the Friends of Westgate Park, series of field surveys, public engagement events one of the most active Friends groups in and development of wildlife identification tools. Melbourne. The Wildlife surveys Melbourne Intensive wildlife snapshot surveys (2-3 days in Bioblitz duration) will be run in three habitat types in the 2014 is Gippsland Lakes catchment between November supported 2014 and March 2015, representing: by Museum 1) Catchment forests Victoria, 2) Freshwater rivers/inputs Parks 3) Estuarine lakes system Victoria, A preliminary scoping survey in University A leech riding the back of the water November/December 2014 will census all three bug Laccotrephes tristis from a of habitat types and generate visual content (images Westgate Park pond Melbourne, and video) for public engagement programs in Royal early 2015. This survey will involve staff from Botanic Gardens, Australian Research Centre for Museum Victoria, Parks Victoria, Gunaikurnai Urban Ecology and Zoos Victoria. rangers and invite members of local special http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/projects/b interest groups. ioblitz/ 3 1. Invitation to the general public to visit field survey sites for show-and-tell style open day events with participating scientists and ESV members, showcasing the wildlife of specific habitat types; 2. Participation in Parks Victoria summer interpretations program in the Gippsland Lakes; 3. Presentations to the general public in forums such as pubs or information centres (e.g. Forest and river surveys Science in the Pub). The forest survey will consist of camping onsite During these events and through wider media within a selected catchment forest. Survey coverage, Gippsland Lakes residents will be techniques will include direct search, pitfall traps, invited to contribute to the broader knowledge of flying insect traps, light sheets, small mammal wildlife in the region through the Citizen Science trapping, reptile and frog surveys, and bird and program Bowerbird, where individuals can load bat recording. Animals would be collected for their images and recordings of wildlife for identification and photography, with tissue identification, feedback and contribution to samples taken for key species. collective knowledge (as well as feeding to the Atlas of Living Australia website). ESV members have been invited to participate in light trapping nights and general insect surveys. Profile community interest groups A strong objective of this project is to raise the The river survey will be undertaken from a profile and membership of community groups riverbank at a site to be selected, as two daytime already active in the Gippsland Lakes region in visits with potential for camping onsite. Survey relation to wildlife and conservation.