#865: Yellow-tailed Moth

The furry Yellow-tail Moth is spread throughout Europe and across Russia. Her wingspan can measure up to 45 mm, and she is pure white, except for her yellow abdomen. When at rest, she keeps her wings steepled and, if disturbed, will lie on her side, wings closed, feigning death.

#852: Xerces Blue

The Xerces Blue was a member of the gossamer-winged butterfly Family and endemic to the coastal sand dunes of San Francisco. Here she suffered due to urban development, her habitat disappearing and taking her with it. It is thought that introduced ant species may have contributed. Gossamer-winged butterfly rely on ants in the early stages of larval development. The larvae release a sweet-tasting honeydew which the ants find attractive. They then tend for the caterpillar and are rewarded with the honeydew. Introduced ants may have displaced the naturally occurring ants but not replaced them in the juvenile-care stage.

You can colour the butterfly if you like - the colour is in the name :)

#829: Weta

Weta are various species of flightless crickets, endemic to New Zealand. This giant weta, weighing in at around 35g (but with some individuals weighing 70g or more), is one of the heaviest insects in the world. Diet varies between species, with some preying on invertebrates, whereas the giant weta favours lichens, leaves and flowers. With her powerful jaws, she is capable of inflicting a painful bite, although she prefers to threaten her prey and retreat, rather than attack. Her ovipositor, which resembles a stinger, is used to deposit her eggs deep into rotting wood or soil.

#828: Weevil

Weevil is the name given to various species of small beetle, some of which may be more closely related than others. They are generally regarded to be pest species, causing damage to crops due to their herbivorous diet. This fellow is a blue weevil from New Guinea. He is one of the so-called "colourful weevils". His colouration acts as a warning, advertising that they are distasteful.

Biscuit weevils are not actually weevils at all, they are indeed members of the wood borer insect family.

#826: Weaver Ant

The Weaver Ants are large, arboreal ants. They are named for their complicated nests, which are constructed from leaves, which the colony stitches together. Currently there are only two extant species: one of which is this green tree ant. She is found in Northern Australia and Asia.  These ants are eusocial, with only a few females breeding and the rest are infertile workers. Workers are divided into minor or major, with the major being the larger (up to 1cm in length) and more adventurous. Minor workers remain within the nest, caring for the broods. She follows an insectivorous diet, supplementing the small invertebrates with honeydew, "milked" from scale insects.

We have a few photos of the green tree ants, which were fairly common around the Northern Territory. The nests are so neatly stiched together, that it is fascinating to think that they were created by an insect.

#822: Water Boatman

The Water Boatman are a Family of aquatic insects, found in ponds and slow-moving streams. Their bodies are flattened, with the hind legs being modified into "oars". Water Boatman are vegetarian, feeding on algae and aquatic plants. These are dissolved externally, with a digestive enzyme being injected via the insect's mouth parts. The liquefied food is then sucked up through the mouth parts. Eggs are laid annually, deposited on submerged sticks, weed and stones. In some situations, every available surface will be covered in eggs.

#821: Wasp Moth

There are over 1000 species of Wasp Moth. They are called such due to their resemblance to wasps. this is a form of protective mimicry, designed to deter predators.  This fellow, Euchromia Polymena, is native to India and South-east Asia. She is a diurnal moth. Her eggs are laid on the underside of leaves, and the hatching caterpillars remain together until they are almost fully grown.

#820: Wasp

This Wasp is also a Yellowjacket.
I guess that's one less critter for Y.... Oh well...

Wasps are any of a large number of hymenoptera insects, related to ants and bees. There are numerous species, but the most commonly considered "wasps" are the vespidae Family. Soem species are solitary, whereas others are eusocial, like bees, living in large colonies with one very fertile female and less fertile workers. Many are yellow and black, like this yellowajcket, and can be distinguished from bees by their slender waist, or petiole. The larvae of most species are carnivorous, often parasitising other insects. The adults, however, follow a diet of nectar and play a role in pollination.

#804: Violin Beetle

The Violin Beetles are five species of terrestrial beetle occuring in Southeast Asia. His leaf-shaped body and cryptic colouration allows him to camouflage against the forest floor and his flattened shape means he is able to squeeze into narrow crevices. Larvae are commonly found in the layers of bracket fungus. Both larvae and adult beetles are predators, hunting insect larvae. If threatened, he excretes butyric acid.

#777. Ulyssus Butterfly

The Ulysses Butterfly is a large blue swallowtail butterfly, found throughout northeastern Australia and surrounding islands. She measures an average of 15cm in width, and can be found in rainforets and suburban gardens. Her vivid blue colouration comes through the microscopic structure of the scales on her wings, which interferes with light and causes the irridescence. The underside of her wings are a rather more subdued brown, allowing her to camouflage when she sits at rest. As she flies, the blue flashes and attracts attention, hopefully from males - not predators!

#766: Trilobite Beetle

Trilobite Beetles are named such for their superficial resemblance to the prehistoric, extinct arthropod.They can be found in the rainforests of India and South-east Asia. Females remain in this form - the larval form - for their entire life, whereas males become actual beetles. Preferred habitat is leaf litter, and very little is actually known about them - including the diet, which may be other arthropods or decaying plant matter. Mating is a one-time affair for the male, who dies shortly afterwards, whilst the female goes on to lay around two hundred eggs, then dies a few weeks later.

#734: Sunset Moth

#726: Stick Insect

The Stick Insects are an Order of insects named for their resemblance to the foliage they inhabit. This camouflage offers them protection from predators such as birds and small mammals. In case this technique fails, many species have secondary defenses such as toxins, dramatic threat displays or thorny protrusions. With a cosmopolitan spread, Stick Insects are most common in the tropics and subtropics. They follow a vegetarian diet and are capable of breeding via pathenogenesis. Eggs laid in such a manner hatch into offspring genetically identical to the mother.

Whilst many species resemble sticks with legs (and are difficult and a little dull to draw), this fellow is known as the Giant Prickly Stick Insect. She is naturally found in Australia and New Guinea and grows to around 15cm in length. Males are slimmer and shorter. Aside from being well camouflaged against the leaves, she also curls her tail in a pose indicative of a scorpion, in an attempt to deter predation. She is fairly popula rin the pet trade.

#721: Stag Beetle

The Stag Beetles are a group of over 1000 species of beetle, characterised by the large jaws of the male. Most commonly, however, the term refers to one species, the English Stag Beetle, Lucanus cervus. These large beetles require decaying wood, a habitat that is now threatened due to forest management (which removes older trees). The female lays her eggs in rotting wood, buried in soil, and the blind white larvae feed upon it. It takes 4-6 years, and several instars (developmental stages) before the larvae pupates. After three months, the Beetle hatches and flies unsteadily out into the world. His diet now consists of tree sap and nectar. He only lives a few weeks in this form, long enough to reproduce.

#696: Shield Bug

The Shield Bugs belong to a Superfamily of "True bugs" characterised by their sucking mouthparts and well-developed scutellum (the hard casing above the abdomen). Species are also equipped with scent glands in the thorax. These release an unpleasant liquid, which is used to deter predators and also gives them their alternative name of "stink bug". They are not Beetles - their shell is continuously, not divided for wings.

There are around 200 species of Shield Bug. This Australian species is known as the Metallic Shield Bug. They can be found on leaf litter or other bark and feed on vegetation.

#678: Potato Beetle

The Potato Beetle loves potatoes, and is a major pest on the crops. He originated in Colorado, but has now spread across the US, Europe and Asia. Both adults and larvae defoliate the plants. Females may lay up to 800 eggs. He is quite resistant to pesticides.

#674: Planthopper

Another critter suggested by Robert Silberbauer.

The Planthoppers are an infraorder of insect, containing more than 12,500 species. They rely on cryptic camouflage to hide, masquerading as a leaf, bark or fungi. This particular species is one of the Lanternfly Family, named in part for his long snout, although he does not emit light. Instead, he uses it to pierce tree bark and obtain sap. Due to the nature of his diet, he can unwittingly spread diseases between plants and all Planthoppers act as a vector for plant disease.

#673: Paper Wasp

Yes, it looks a little like we've jumped back in time - but there is a reason for this return to "P". Basically, as I was working through and colouring some of the illustrations from June and assembling the books, I realised that I had overlooked two very important critters for this letter - the Pronghorn and the Portugese Man 'o War. And, it looked like I could easily add another 8 animals into the PQ book. Hence, the addition of 8 new P critters to my animal-a-day project.

This fellow was suggested by Robert Silberbauer, an entomologist.

The Paper Wasps are so-named because they gather wood and plant stems, combining them with saliva to create a water-resistant nest. These nests are built in sheltered areas, and contain an open comb area for the raising of broods. To protect their offspring from ants, a chemical secretion is spread around the base of the nest's anchor. There are over 1000 species worldwide.Her diet consists of nectar, as well as insects and their larvae. She plays an important role in biological control as well as being a pollinator.

#662: Robber Fly

The Robber Fly Family contains over 7000 species, spread throughout the world. They are large and aggressive flies, who lurk in wait for their prey. Large eyes, set high on the head, allow them to see potential victims - other insects, small invertebrates, even spiders. These are, generally, captured in flight, gripping between the powerful forelimbs and paralyzed via the short, sharp proboscis. The paralyzing neurotoxin also liquifies the victim's internal structure, allowing it to be sucked out through the proboscis.

#639: Rainbow Cuckoo Wasp

The Cuckoo Wasps are a colourful Family of wasp, noted for their parasitic behaviours. Their irridescent patterning is achieved by their microscopely structured surface, which interferes with the visibile light to give them a rainbow patterning. There are four sub-families, of which the Chrysidinae are the largest and best known. The female lays her eggs in the nest of a host species. The hatching larvae then devour the host's eggs or larvae, as well as their food source. These wasps cannot sting, with their ovipositor being designed for the placement of the eggs. When threatened, she will curl up into a tight ball, protecting her limbs and vulnerable regions with her sturdy exoskeleton.