Melanesian Insects 1

A web page by Roy Beckemeyer - Insects photographed November, 2007

Right: A male Achias sp. signal-winged fly (DIPTERA: Platystomatidae); males in this genus typically have stalked eyes. More than 80 species in the genus occur in New Guinea. Photo by Roy Beckemeyer in the cloud forest of the Southern Highlands in the Tari Valley (near Ambua Lodge), Papua, New Guinea.

ODONATA:

Right: 2 male specimens of the damselfly (ANISOPTERA: Zygoptera: Chlorocyphidae) Rhinocypha tincta collected along the bank of a woodland stream near the city of Alo Tau, Milne Bay Province, Papua, New Guinea. (10°19.1'S, 150°28.4'E)

Left: The same Rhinocypha tincta male in life, photographed in the field at the same locality (Photographed 11/11/07).

Right: 2 specimens presumed to be teneral males of the same species. Same collection data as noted for mature specimens.

The images in this section are of the only other damselfly photographed on this trip. This is a female Coenagrionidae seen on Bona Bona Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua, New Guinea. It was photographed and I had captured it with my fingers but did not take the specimen because the islander who accompanied us as our guide on the short walk away from the village asked me to release it.

All pictures on this page are linked to higher resolution jpeg images that can be accessed by clicking on the image.

At left below is a close up of the head, legs, thorax and wing bases of the damselfly. It appeared to be fairly freshly emerged with the wings still a bit delicate.

Right: A dragonfly (Anisoptera: Corduliidae) seen perched in some brush overhanging a cliff edge about 10 meters above a stream in the forest near Ambua Lodge (Tari Valley, Southern Highlands Province, Papua, NG, 5°57.7'S, 143°4'E, 2100 meters elevation). This male was seen on an overcast day and was too far away to be reached by a long-handled net - very frustrating! Enough venation can be seen to identify it to the genus, Hemicordulia. There are at least 5 species of this genus recorded for New Guinea.

Left and right below: A male stream-dwelling libellulid photographed along a forest creek near Ambua Lodge. I was unable to get a good photo of the male and did not catch a specimen of the male or female.

Right: A good photo of what I believe to be the female of this libellulid species. Photographed perched in vegetation on the bank above the stream.

Left: The stream where these Tari Valley dragonflies occurred.

Left: The most common dragonfly of the trip - it was seen near villages, along roads and perched by the side of puddles, here in New Guinea and all through the Solomons. This libelluiid is, I believe, the bramina subspecies of Neurothemis stigmatizans (Anisoptera: Libellulidae). (A similar species, Neurothemis ramburii, has only a single crossvein in the hindwing cubital space.)

photographed on 10 November, 2007, on Bona Bona Island. Milne Bay Province, Papua, NG.

LEPIDOPTERA:

Left: The Hercules Moth (Saturniidae), Coscinocera hercules (Miskin, 1875). Shortly after this the moth, which had been placed on the ground after being found on the walkway outside one of the buildings, was captured by a Great Wood Swallow that swooped down and enjoyed this moth for breakfast.