scrobipalpa obsoletella , the summer groundling , is a moth of the gelechiidae family .

it is found in most of europe , turkey , the caucasus , from iran to asian russia ( transbaikal ) and mongolia .

it has also been recorded from south africa and north america , where it is probably an introduced species .

the habitat consists of coastal salt marshes and sandy beaches .

the wingspan is 12 – 14 mm .

adults have been recorded on wing from may to august .

the larvae feed on atriplex glabriuscula , atriplex halimus , atriplex litoralis , atriplex tatarica and chenopodium species .

the larvae bore in the pith of the stem .

the frass is ejected through a hole in the stem , located at the base of the leaf or a side branch .

the larvae can be found from june to july and again in september .

they are light green when young , turning yellowish green later .

the head is light brown .

the species overwinters in the larval stage .

scrobipalpa obsoletella

scrobipalpa obsoletella ( summer groundling ) - norfolk micro moths - the micro moths of norfolk .
euscrobipalpa obsoletella ( fischer von roslerstamm 1841 ) ( euscrobipalpa povolný 1967 is a junior synonym of scrobipalpa janse 1951 . )
scrobipalpa obsoletella - those with the forewing a pale greyish colour lacking any red - brown colouration and appearing paler in the final one - third due to a pale postmedial fascia .
scrobipalpa suaedella - those with an obvious clear pale ochreous dorsal quarter to the forewing .
one pre 1900 record from hunstanton ( barrett ) may not be distinguishable from scrobipalpa nitentella .
s . nitentella was only distinguished from s . obsoletella in britain in 1935 and as a consequence there is some uncertainty as to the true identity of some of the older records .
scrobipalpa ocellatella - those with the prominent angled fascia at three quarters on the forewing and dark markings contrasting with the surrounding paler ground colour .
because of the sometimes considerable variation within most saltmarsh inhabiting scrobipalpa species , identification by wing markings alone will often not be possible . caution and care are the watchwords for this group .
those more readily identifiable when freshly emerged by the forewing markings are listed below . however all of these also have variation in their wing markings which , when the obvious features are obscured or worn , will then resemble some other scrobipalpa species .
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a new species of fish , pseudoliparis swirei , published in zootaxa ( 4358 : 161 - 177 ) by gerringer , m . e et al . was voted among top 10 new species described in 2017 .
a new species of madagascan crickets described by mustafa ünal and george beccaloni in zootaxa was featured in a national geographic story . well done mustafa and george !
a new species of wolf spider , lycosa aragogi , is named after aragog—the famous fictional spider from “harry potter” book series by j . k . rowling . the new species is similar to the animatronic puppet version of the character used in the film “harry potter and the chamber of secrets” , which is actually based on a wolf spider . the naming of the new species is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of harry potter book series .
mariah o . pfleger , r . dean grubbs , charles f . cotton , toby s . daly - engel
identification of nipaecoccus ( hemiptera : coccomorpha : pseudococcidae ) species in the united states , with descriptions of nipaecoccus bromelicola sp . n . and the male of n . floridensis beardsley
widely scattered but local over much of england with a strong preference for coastal eastern and southern regions but has been found regularly inland ; locally common on scilly isles ; rare in scotland , wales and ireland and apparently absent from the channel islands .
atriplex spp . ( orache ) including atriplex prostrata ( spear - leaved orache ) , see distribution map , atriplex glabriuscula ( babbington ' s orache ) and supposedly chenopodium spp . ( goosefoot ) .
in europe on atriplex littoralis ( grass - leaved orache ) , a . halimus ( sea orache ) , a . tatarica and also on chenopodium spp . ( goosefoot ) , both on ruderal and halophytic ( salt - loving ) species .
dry whitish frass extruding from a small hole in the stem will indicate a larva within the stem and has been found feeding within or between spun fruits of babbington ' s orache .
saltmarshes , sea banks and other coastal locations where the foodplants occur . information relating to inland sites where larvae have been found do not appear to have been documented .
larva : feeds within the stem , leaving a small hole with dry whitish frass . on babbington ' s orache it has been found feeding in a single fruit or , more usually , two spun together .
adult : flies at night and comes to light often some miles from its nearest foodplant site .
usually the palest of the saltmarsh species and greyer than most , often lacking any sign of red - brown colouration on the wings . similar species such as s . nitentella and s . atriplicella usually have darker forewings .
if a moth has been bred from a known foodplant , and therefore also time of year when the larva feeds and the nature of its feeding methods have been observed , this information , plus a freshly emerged moth , will allow the number of possibilites to be reduced considerably . if the bred or caught moth is a very fresh specimen and displays the distinctive markings of some species ( see below ) then an identification without more detailed examination should be possible in many cases .
in cases where there is any doubt , particularly where worn light - trapped specimens are concerned , dissection will be essential to obtain an accurate identification until a good familiarity is built up with the range of species and their markings at a particular site .
even genitalia differences are often small but are constant between the various species . it is advisable to seek confirmation of identifications by genitalia until familiarity is built up with this genus .
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recorded in 3 ( 4 % ) of 69 10k squares . first recorded in 1874 . last recorded in 2002 .
underlying maps using digital map data © norfolk online lepidoptera archive - nola™ 2018 . © james wheeler - n o r f o l k m o t h s 2007 - 2018 . data © nola™ 2018
upcoming events 2018 bugguide gathering in virginia july 27 - 29 : registration and discussion photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in wisconsin , july 10 - 12 photos of insects and people from the 2014 gathering in virginia , june 4 - 7 . photos of insects and people from the 2013 gathering in arizona , july 25 - 28 photos of insects and people from the 2012 gathering in alabama photos of insects and people from the 2011 gathering in iowa photos from the 2010 workshop in grinnell , iowa photos from the 2009 gathering in washington
godart & duponchel ( 1832 ) reported the wingspan as
5 lignes
or about 10 . 5 mm .
is a european species that was first reported in washington in 1932 and has spread throughout the western states .
godart , j . b . & p . a . j . duponchel , 1832 . histoire naturelle des lépidoptères ou papillons de france , 1 : 261 .
. university of california press , p . 99 , pl . 10 , fig . 10 .
checklist of gelechiidae ( lepidoptera ) in america north of mexico lee s . , hodges r . w . , brown r . l . 2009 . zootaxa 2231 : 1–39 .
check list of the lepidoptera of america north of mexico . hodges , et al . ( editors ) . 1983 . e . w . classey , london . 284 pp .
contributed by maury j . heiman on 24 june , 2011 - 2 : 07pm additional contributions by terry harrison last updated 31 may , 2014 - 9 : 52am
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huemer , p . & karsholt , o . - gelechiidae 2 ( gelechiinae : gnorimoschemini . in microlepidoptera of europe 6 . stenstrup . i n prep . 2010
ponomarenko , m . - gelechiidae in pp . 87 - 106 , 327 - 329 . in : s . yu sinev ( ed . ) , 2008 . katalog cheshuekrylykh ( lepidoptera ) rossii ( catalogue of the lepidoptera of russia ) . - kmk scientific press ltd . , st . petersburg - moscow . 424 pp . 2008
museum für naturkunde leibniz - institut für evolutions - und biodiversitätsforschung invalidenstr . 43 10115 berlin germany e - mail : fauna - eu ( at ) mfn - berlin . de website : urltoken
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to cite this page : myers , p . , r . espinosa , c . s . parr , t . jones , g . s . hammond , and t . a . dewey . 2018 . the animal diversity web ( online ) . accessed at https : / / animaldiversity . org .
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scoparia acropola is a moth in the crambidae family .

it was described by meyrick in 1885 .

it is found in australia , where it has been recorded from tasmania .

the wingspan is 25 – 28 mm .

the forewings are light ochreous-fuscous , finely irrorated with dark reddish-fuscous and with a few whitish scales .

the first line is indicated only by a suffused dark posterior margin .

the second line is pale .

the hindwings are ochreous-grey-whitish with a faintly indicated postmedian line .

adults have been recorded on wing in december .

scoparia acropola

vad betyder scoparia ? här finner du 2 definitioner av scoparia . du kan även lägga till betydelsen av scoparia själv
scoparia antarcticalis staudinger , 1899 ; naturhist . mus . hamburg 2 ( 6 ) : 106
scoparia är ett släkte av fjärilar som beskrevs av adrian hardy haworth 1811 . enligt catalogue of life ingår scoparia i familjen crambidae , men enligt dyntaxa är tillhörigheten istället fam [ . . ]
scoparia pusilla dyar , 1914 ; proc . u . s . nat . mus . 47 ( 2050 ) : 320 ( ? preocc . scoparia pusilla rosenstock , 1885 ) ; tl : cabima
scoparia dubitalis var . ivanalis krulikovsky , 1909 ; rev . russ . ent . 9 ( 1 - 2 ) : 113
scoparia glauculalis hampson , 1897 ; trans . ent . soc . lond . 1897 : 233 ; tl : falkland is .
scoparia atropicta hampson , 1897 ; trans . ent . soc . lond . 1897 : 233 ; tl : u . s . a
scoparia stereostigma dyar , 1918 ; proc . u . s . nat . mus . 54 ( 2239 ) : 369 ; tl : jalapa , mexico
scoparia anagantis dyar , 1918 ; proc . u . s . nat . mus . 54 ( 2239 ) : 370 ; tl : zacualpan , mexico
scoparia cyclophora dyar , 1918 ; proc . u . s . nat . mus . 54 ( 2239 ) : 370 ; tl : zacualpan , mexico
scoparia anadonta dyar , 1918 ; proc . u . s . nat . mus . 54 ( 2239 ) : 369 ; tl : real del monte , hidalgo , mexico
scoparia ichinosawana matsumura , 1925 ; j . coll . agric . hokkaido imp . univ . 15 : 186 , pl . 11 , f . 9 ♂ ; tl : sakhalin , ichinosawa
scoparia sachalinensis matsumura , 1925 ; j . coll . agric . hokkaido imp . univ . 15 : 185 , pl . 11 , f . 25 ♀ ; tl : sakhalin , ( ichinosawa , kiminai , kawakami )
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urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 322c1faa - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 322c25e1 - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 322c277b - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 322dd07d - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 32504564 - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 32504772 - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 33596f78 - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
beccaloni g . , scoble m . , kitching i . , simonsen t . , robinson g . , pitkin b . , hine a . & lyal c . ( 2018 ) . lepindex : the global lepidoptera names index ( version 12 . 3 , jan 2012 ) . in : roskov y . , abucay l . , orrell t . , nicolson d . , bailly n . , kirk p . m . , bourgoin t . , dewalt r . e . , decock w . , de wever a . , nieukerken e . van , zarucchi j . , penev l . , eds . ( 2018 ) . species 2000 & itis catalogue of life , 30th june 2018 . digital resource at urltoken species 2000 : naturalis , leiden , the netherlands . issn 2405 - 8858 .
urn : lsid : catalogueoflife . org : taxon : 50f47b9f - 4e2c - 11e8 - 9ed0 - fa163e792e6e : col20180626
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the exact identification of this species is still unknown , but tentatively assumed to belong into this group .
469x662 ( ~ 93kb ) russia : moscow area ( 36°25 ' e , 56°00 ' n ) , 12 . 07 . 2007 , photo ©
400x640 ( ~ 104kb ) female russia , moscow area , 5 . 7 . 2006 © d . smirnov
platytes oxycampyla turner , 1937 ; proc . r . soc . qd 48 ( 10 ) : 66 ; tl : queensland
gonodiscus australiensis hampson , 1898 ; proc . zool . soc . lond . 1898 : 606 , pl . 49 , f . 1 ; tl : w . australia , sherlock r . ; queensland , coomoo
platytes contempta turner , 1927 ; pap . proc . r . soc . tasm . 1926 : 120 ; tl : tasmania
platytes erythroneura turner , 1937 ; proc . r . soc . qd 48 ( 10 ) : 66 ; tl : victoria
tetraprosopus meyrickii butler , 1882 ; ann . mag . nat . hist . ( 5 ) 9 ( 50 ) : 97 ; tl : australia
platytes pediopola turner , 1937 ; proc . r . soc . qd 48 ( 10 ) : 66 ; tl : queensland
crambus biradiellus mabille , 1885 ; bull . soc . philom . paris . ( 7 ) 9 : 70
crambus biradiellus ; staudinger , 1899 , naturhist . mus . hamburg 2 ( 6 ) : 107
crambus ignicola staudinger , 1899 ; naturhist . mus . hamburg 2 ( 6 ) : 108 , f . 9 ; tl : uschuaia
eudorea granitalis moore , 1878 ; ann . mag . nat . hist . ( 5 ) 1 ( 3 ) : 235 ; tl : s . e . of chiklik , yarkund
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new genera and species of tropical crambinae ( studies on the crambinae , lepidoptera , pyralidae . part 48 )
a revision of the moths of the subfamily pyraustinae and family pyralidae . part 1
lepidoptera britannica , sistens digestimen novam lepidopterorum quae in magna britannica reperiunter . . . adjunguntur dissertationes variae ad historiam naturalam spectantes
descriptions of lepidopterous insects collected the late dr . f . stoliczka during the indian - government mission to yarkund in 1873
turner , 1937 new australian pyraloidea ( lepidoptera ) proc . r . soc . qd 48 ( 10 ) : 61 - 88
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[ 10 ] de jong , y . s . d . m . ( ed . ) ( 2011 ) fauna europaea version 2 . 4 ( faunaeur . org )
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the black-fronted dotterel ( elseyornis melanops ) is a small , slender plover that is widespread throughout most of australia , to which it is native , and new zealand , where it self-introduced in the 1950s .

it is common in freshwater wetlands , around the edges of lakes and billabongs , and in shallow , temporary claypan pools .

it is also found occupying saline mudflats and estuaries , but rarely .

they are generally sedentary , with a single bird , a pair , or a family group occupying a stretch of habitat on a more or less permanent basis .

however , some individuals appear to travel considerable distances , and flocks will sometimes congregate in food-rich areas .

unlike many other wading birds , black-fronted dotterels retain the same plumage all year round , which makes identification easier .

they forage in a series of short running motions , holding the body horizontal , stopping to peck from time to time with a rapid bobbing motion .

their diet consists of mostly insects and other small creatures , supplemented by a few seeds .

eggs gestation period : 4-5 weeks .

up to 3 eggs have been observe on nest .

24 hours after they hatch chicks leave the nest to hide in less exposed areas , at the same time both parents look after them .

black - fronted dotterel

i saw my first black - fronted dotterel recently near boggy pond , lake wairarapa .
scarlett , r . j . 1957 . black - fronted dotterel in canterbury . notornis 7 : 112 .
black - fronted dotterel . adult . napier , hawke ' s bay , december 2009 . image © neil fitzgerald by neil fitzgerald urltoken
andrew , i . g . 1956 . black - fronted dotterel ( c . melanops ) near palmerston north . notornis 6 : 185 .
mackenzie , n . b . 1963 . the black - fronted dotterel in hawke ' s bay . notornis 10 : 202 - 206 .
the adult and immature black - fronted dotterel are unmistakable , though the juvenile could be confused with the juvenile and immature red - capped plover .
armitage , i . 2013 [ updated 2017 ] . black - fronted dotterel . in miskelly , c . m . ( ed . ) new zealand birds online . urltoken
pierce , r . j . 1971 . black - fronted dotterels nesting near timaru . notornis 18 : 133 .
the black - fronted dotterel is found in the shallow margins of wetlands , lakes , rivers , sewage farms , storm drains and marshes . it is normally always near freshwater and is not often seen on the coast .
the black - fronted dotterel lays its eggs in a shallow scrape , often on pebbly ground and quite close to water . it may have more then one brood per year . both parents incubate the eggs and look after the young .
the black - fronted dotterel eats small molluscs as well as aquatic and terrestrial insects . when it forages , it keeps its body horizontal while bobbing its head to look for food , often running then stopping suddenly to peck at food items .
the black - fronted dotterel is a small wader with a distinctive black face - mask and breast - band and prominent chestnut scapulars ( shoulder feathers ) . in juveniles , the breast - band is initially absent but a brown band slowly appears as the bird develops . legs are pink orange , and the bill is red with a black tip . the dark eye is ringed with red . in flight the wings look broad and the tail short , while the black and white contrast is striking . flight is slow with almost hesitant wing beats . this species is also called the black - fronted plover .
sibson , r . b . ; medway , d . g . ; smuts - kennedy , c . ; drew , j . ; grant , g . j . 1972 . the spread of the black - fronted dotterel . notornis 19 : 83 - 85 .
mackenzie , n . b . 1962 . a new breeding bird for new zealand : black - fronted dotterels in hawkes bay . notornis 9 : 269 - 270 .
similar species : black - fronted dotterels are smaller and slimmer with quite different facial , breast and wing markings . rare vagrant red - kneed dotterel ( recorded once in new zealand ) is larger with longer legs , has a solid black cap extending well below the eye , and has a broad white trailing edge to the wing ( both upper and lower ) .
a small plover with black - tipped red bill , orange legs , and prominent black bands on the breast and face contrasting the rest of the white and light brown plumage . young birds have mostly white on the breast with black bands developing with adulthood .
lovely bird , the bright red orbital ring its most distinguishing feature . unlike many other wading birds , black - fronted dotterels retain the same plumage all year round , which makes identification easier .
the black - fronted dotterel is a small dainty plover with striking plumage markings . in adults , prominent black bands on the breast and head contrast sharply with the otherwise white plumage . young birds have a mostly white breast , the black bands developing with adulthood . it occurs mostly in small numbers in east coast north and south island localities , also in the manawatu . they are found on or beside inland or coastal waterways ( but not the coast itself ) , estuaries , farm ponds , lagoons , on stony river beds and at sewerage sedimentation ponds , but not on coastlines . the plumage colouration provides good camouflage when on shingle sites and stony riverbeds . black - fronted dotterels are smaller and more slightly built than banded dotterels .
close up of a sub - adult , yet to aquire the black frontal ' bib ' .
17cm , 33g ; forehead black , crown brown , white band in front of and above the eye , a black line from nape to eye and a black band extending backwards from eye , around the neck and across breast ; bill orange tipped with black ; iris brown with bright red orbital ring ; feet flesh coloured ; bill 15 , wing 106 , tail 56 , tarsus 25mm .
black - fronted dotterels are mainly found at fresh water or brackish estuaries , on gravel riverbeds , and the muddy edges of inland and coastal lakes and ponds , including sewerage ponds . they are rarely seen on coasts .
the new zealand range of the black - fronted dotterel has expanded considerably since the 1960s and is probably still expanding , including in western localities . the main threat to adults and young is during breeding . nests and chicks are vulnerable especially where nests are placed close to roads , tracks or livestock , or are at risk from predators , including cats and stoats . some losses on riverbeds are caused by flooding where nests are close to watercourses .
wiersma , p . , kirwan , g . m . & boesman , p . ( 2018 ) . black - fronted dotterel ( elseyornis melanops ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .
black - fronted dotterels are uncommon in new zealand but may be increasing slowly . the current population is probably fewer than 3 , 000 birds . they occur mostly in small numbers ( 1 to 4 birds together is typical ) , but favoured wintering sites can have up to 50 birds .
b . d . heather describes the black - fronted dotterel ' s feeding habits as observed around the greytown sewerage ponds at the juncture of the waiohine and ruamahanga rivers : “ ( it ) is a freshwater feeder which prefers the fine silty mud freshly exposed by falling river and pond levels . normally it feeds in the typical plover manner by picking from the surface , with its legs straight , pivoting from the hips . in some mud conditions it probes to a depth about half the length of its bill , which corresponds roughly to the extent of the black tip of its bill . while feeding , it walks carefully and quietly , picking as it goes , without the conspicuous run - and - stop , pick , run - and - stop , pick , of the commonest new zealand plover , the banded dotterel . ”
black - fronted dotterels are smaller and more dainty than banded dotterels and are recognisable by the striking y - shaped black plumage on the chest contrasting with white plumage above and below , and a conspicuous black stripe through the eye that extends back to the hind neck . the crown is streaked light brown . the plumage below the eye stripe and bill and on the lower foreneck and remaining undersides is white . the back and lower wings are streaked buff to light - brown . there is a wide whitish bar on the inner upperwing ; the rest of the inner wing is dark - brown mottled with white and grey . the outer upperwing is dark brown to black . the underwing is mainly white , with blackish flight feathers forming a broad dark trailing edge . the bill is red with a black tip , the eye - ring is red , and the legs are pinkish to light red . the sexes are similar with no seasonal variation in plumage . juveniles have a mostly white chest . black - fronted dotterels are usually solitary or in pairs or in small groups . they tend to run in short bursts but walk slowly when feeding . in flight they have a jerky , lapwing - like wing action and reveal their bold wing markings .
the black - fronted dotterel is widespread in many parts of australia , where it usually inhabits the muddy margins of a variety of shallow terrestrial freshwater wetlands , walking over the soft mud , all the while pecking at its surface to take small invertebrate prey . as well as natural habitats , they also regularly occur at man - made wetlands , and are often seen at the muddy margins of farm dams . they are also often recorded in less salubrious artificial habitats , such as beside sewage treatment ponds and at sludge ponds in abattoirs .
the black - fronted dotterel - elseyornis melanops - is a small ( 16 to 18 centimetres long ) , plover with white chin , breast and underside with black y - shaped breast band . face is white ; bill is red with a black end ; there is a red eye - ring in a broad black band from the base of the bill to behind the head . feet are pink . a small black patch above the bill and between the eyes merges with the streaky brown crown . white line over eye extends back to nape . back is grey - brown with dark horizontal shoulder bar of purplish brown . male and female similar . immatures are paler than adults and lack the breast band . inhabits the firm wet edges of fresh water streams , dams , swamps and lakes . short legs and short bill suit it for running and pecking food from damp shoreline surfaces without wading . rarely found in coastal saline waters or tidal mudflats . much of the water it relies on is temporary and the bird is necessarily nomadic . when foraging the body is horizontal and the head bobs ; it runs quickly , stops briefly to peck at food then runs again .
black - fronted dotterels consume small invertebrates including insects , small earthworms , snails , crustaceans , spiders and mites . seeds form a small part of diet , including clover and small grasses . food is mostly found on damp ground by walking , running , stopping and bobbing and pecking at the water’s edge , often retracing the area that has been worked over .
16–18 cm ; 27–42 g ; wingspan 33–35 cm . strikingly coloured , slim plover ; black eyestripe and lores continuing onto forecrown ; white supercilia join on nape ; . . .
black - fronted dotterel are generally not gregarious , with birds usually seen singly , in pairs or groups of up to 4 - 5 birds . after breeding most birds stay on rivers , but some form flocks at lagoons , lakes , estuaries and sewage ponds in winter . they have cryptic colouration when on shingle or stony substrate . birds feed throughout the day at the water’s edge of slow moving streams , rivers , estuaries or at still ponds . when a bird walks the body is often held in a nearly horizontal posture . flights are mostly short . birds tend to run for short periods , then stop and walk when feeding .
left ; white underside and grey - brown back makes the bird difficult to see from behind . right ; the black v - front is more visible in front view . lake bindegolly , sw qld .
the black - fronted dotterel is a solitary nesting species , between august and march , peaking between september and december . nests are in open ground , fields , gravel pits , river beds , stony or shingle land , not far from fresh water . the nest is usually a depression in the ground and is mostly unlined or is surrounded by a few twigs , stones or grass . both sexes share in incubation of the 2 - 3 eggs , which are pale white or yellowish with dark spots or lines . incubation takes 22 - 26 days . young are speckled dark grey - and - white and are well camouflaged . adults shade the young on hot days , and perform distraction displays when alarmed . second and third clutches are common after the first brood has fledged , and may commence even before fledging of an earlier brood has occurred .
black - fronted dotterels are mainly found in lowland eastern regions from auckland to southland , especially in hawke’s bay , wairarapa , canterbury and otago ; also in the manawatu and at tokaanu ( lake taupo ) . they colonised new zealand from australia from the 1950s , with early records from hawke’s bay ( 1954 ) , manawatu ( 1955 ) and north canterbury ( 1956 ) . the first nest was found in hawke’s bay in 1962 , and at least 109 birds were present there in 1962 . breeding was first reported in the south island in 1970 , on the opihi river , south canterbury . by 2016 they were known to be breeding on the wairau , awatere , hurunui , ashburton , orari and opihi rivers , as well as at numerous sites in the lower north island .
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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .
turbott , e . g . 1990 . checklist of the birds of new zealand . ornithological society of new zealand , wellington .
justification : this species has an extremely large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . the population trend appears to be increasing , and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size may be moderately small to large , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
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brathwaite , d . h . 1955 . waders on ahuriri lagoon , napier . notornis 6 : 145 - 150 .
heather , b . d . ; robertson , h . a . 2005 . the field guide to the birds of new zealand . 2nd edition . penguin : rosedale , auckland .
marchant , s . ; higgins , p . j . ( eds ) 1993 . handbook of australian , new zealand and antarctic birds . vol . 2 , raptors to lapwings . oxford university press , melbourne .
medway , d . g . 2010 . charadriiformes ( waders ) . pp . 191 - 223 . in : checklist committee ( osnz ) 2010 . checklist of the birds of new zealand , norfolk and macquarie islands , and the ross dependency , antarctica ( 4th edn ) . ornithological society of new zealand & te papa press , wellington .
robertson , c . j . r . ; hyvonen , p . ; fraser , m . j . ; pickard , c . r . 2007 . atlas of bird distribution in new zealand . ornithological society of new zealand , inc . , wellington .
robertson , h . a ; baird , k . ; dowding , j . e . ; elliott , g . p . ; hitchmough , r . a . ; miskelly , c . m . ; mcarthur , n . ; o’donnell , c . f . j . ; sagar , p . m . ; scofield , r . p . ; taylor , g . a . 2017 . conservation status of new zealand birds , 2016 . new zealand threat classification series 19 . wellington , department of conservation . 27 p .
sagar , p . m . ; shankar , u . ; brown , s . 1999 . numbers and distribution of waders in new zealand , 1983 - 1994 . notornis 46 : 1 - 49 .
shallow depression in shingle , mostly unlined or lightly lined but maybe surrounded by sticks , grass or pebbles .
most - frequently heard call a repeated short , emphatic “pit” . on breeding grounds , several reedy . . .
bare or sparsely vegetated margins of wetlands , freshwater or sometimes brackish , on areas with mud . . .
water snails , crustaceans , earthworms and insects , such as crickets , grasshoppers , flies , ants , water beetles and larvae , occasionally . . .
season sept–feb in australia , aug–mar in new zealand , but can occur earlier or later owing to variable conditions , e . g . of rain . . .
poorly known in australia , but apparently mainly sedentary , although there is evidence of . . .
not globally threatened ( least concern ) . has recently expanded range due to development of new suitable habitat resulting from construction of artificial wetlands , such as . . .
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mkennewell , nick talbot , stephen wallace , josep del hoyo , keith and lynn youngs , aviceda , philip griffin , pieter de groot boersma , colintrainor , birdinggreynomads , rigdon currie , peter nash , eldert groenewoud , bukoba steve .
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unmodified recording . bird heard pipping at secs 0 : 1 . 5 , 0 : 5 . 5 , 0 : 14 , 0 : 21 , 0 : 24 , 0 : 29 , 0 : 38 to distinguish from other background noises / birds .
sonogram images © xeno - canto foundation . sonogram images share the same license terms as the recording they depict .
this species has an extremely large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . the population trend appears to be increasing , and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size may be moderately small to large , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
recommended citation birdlife international ( 2018 ) species factsheet : elseyornis melanops . downloaded from urltoken on 09 / 07 / 2018 . recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species : birdlife international ( 2018 ) iucn red list for birds . downloaded from urltoken on 09 / 07 / 2018 .
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howard and moore 4th edition ( incl . corrigenda vol . 1 - 2 ) :
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birds do keep on coming here from australia , this one , apparently a bird of inland australia , where they are quite widespread , arriving here in the 1950s . they first colonised the hawkes bay , the first sighting being in 1954 , then spread to the manawatu , the wairarapa and across cook strait to marlborough and south canterbury in the late 1960s . it is a welcome addition to our native fauna .
they have come to breed here on the shingle river beds of the eastern and southern north island , south of wairoa and wanganui , and are found in increasing numbers on the shingle beds of the rivers of the south island . some birds remain on their territory all year round while others form large groups over the winter . eggs are laid from august to february , the nest being a shallow depression often lined with pebbles and other detritus . the eggs are stone coloured closely marked all over with fine spots and lines of umber and grey .
heather & robertson field guide , 2000 . oliver , w . r . b . , new zealand birds , 1955 . heather , b . d . , notornis , volume 24 , part 1 , 1977
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temminck , c . j . in temminck , c . j . & laugier de chartrouse , m . 1821 , vol . 1 , pp . livr . 7e , g . levrault , paris
mathews , g . m . 1912 ,
a reference - list to the birds of australia
, novitates zoologicae , vol . 18 , pp . 171 - 455
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : 216624ad - b51a - 4250 - 8f6b - 55b739677237
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . name : 359968
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : afb3f913 - 5924 - 4a98 - b3ae - 5b2541029af5
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although many dotterels may live in a swamp or around a lake , they are not communal , feeding alone or in pairs . they nest in solitary territories . found over most of australia , including tasmania , except for parts of inland western australia . nesting takes place from september to december in the south and may to september in the north ; any time inland after rain . the nest is a small depression on bare caked mud or on a small bank , often among stones in a riverbed ; nest is lined with mud pellets , stones , shells or broken twigs . two or three eggs are laid ; dull green - grey or stone - coloured , speckled dusky , oval , about 29 mm by 20 mm . incubation ( by both parents ) takes about 26 days .


lygropia tripunctata , the sweetpotato leafroller , is a moth in the crambidae family .

it was described by fabricius in 1794 .

it is found in the united states , where it has been recorded from texas to south carolina and florida .

outside of the states , it is found from the west indies and central america to brazil .

the wingspan is about 26 mm .

the wings are light yellowish with a dark greyish-brown band along the costa and then along the outer margin of both the fore - and hindwings .

there are two black dots along the costa .

there is a dark discal spot on the hindwings .

adults have been recorded on wing from march to october in the united states .

the larvae feed on turbina corymbosa , merremia umbellata and ipomoea species .

lygropia tripunctata

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upcoming events 2018 bugguide gathering in virginia july 27 - 29 : registration and discussion photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in wisconsin , july 10 - 12 photos of insects and people from the 2014 gathering in virginia , june 4 - 7 . photos of insects and people from the 2013 gathering in arizona , july 25 - 28 photos of insects and people from the 2012 gathering in alabama photos of insects and people from the 2011 gathering in iowa photos from the 2010 workshop in grinnell , iowa photos from the 2009 gathering in washington
meaning marked with three . this refers to the three dark marks along the forewing costa .
dark grayish - brown band along the costa that continues along the outer margin of both forewing and hindwing , being widest at the apex .
two black spots along the costa with the larger one at the middle of the costa . the smaller spot is half way between the larger and the wing base .
compare to others on the archived photos of living moths and pinned plates of moth photographers group .
fabricius , j . c . 1794 : entomologica systematica emendata et aucta . secundum classes , ordines , genera , species adiectis synonymis , locis , observationibus , descriptionibus . – c . g . proft et c . f . mohr , hafniae et kiliae . 217 .
guenée , m . a . 1854 : deltoïdes et pyralites . pp . 344 - 45 . – in : boisduval , j . b . a . d . de & m . a . guenée , histoire naturelle des insectes . species général des lépidoptères 8 8 . – roret , paris .
jones , t . h . 1917 . the sweet - potato leaf - roller . united states dept . of agriculture bulletin no . 609 .
the sweet - potato leaf - roller , united states dept . of agriculture bulletin no . 609 . thomas h . jones . 1917 . united states dept . of agriculture .
arthropods of florida and neighboring land areas : lepidoptera of florida j . b . heppner . 2003 . florida department of agriculture 17 ( 1 ) : 1 - 670 .
dictionary of word roots and combining forms donald j . borror . 1960 . mayfield publishing company .
contributed by maury j . heiman on 11 june , 2009 - 9 : 08am additional contributions by kyhl austin last updated 12 march , 2018 - 8 : 36pm
disclaimer : dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service . we strive to provide accurate information , but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world . if you need expert professional advice , contact your local extension office .
contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content . click the contributor ' s name for licensing and usage information . everything else copyright © 2003 - 2018 iowa state university , unless otherwise noted .
photographs are the copyrighted property of each photographer listed . contact individual photographers for permission to use for any purpose .
contributed by maury j . heiman on 11 june , 2009 - 9 : 59am last updated 7 december , 2012 - 1 : 22am
the sweet - potato leaf - roller , united states dept . of agriculture bulletin no . 609 .
contributed by maury j . heiman on 13 february , 2013 - 3 : 38pm
diaphania costata ( f . ) ( lepidoptera : crambidae : spilomelinae ) , a commonly misidentified pest of ornamental apocynaceae . . .
by hayden , j . e . , e . r . hoebeke , m . a . bertone & v . a . brou jr .
proceedings of the entomological society of washington , 119 ( 2 ) : 173 - 190 . , 2017
hayden , j . e . , e . r . hoebeke , m . a . bertone & v . a . brou jr , 2017 . diaphania costata ( f . ) ( lepidoptera : crambidae : spilomelinae ) , a commonly misidentified pest of ornamental apocynaceae in the southern united states . proceedings of the entomological society of washington , 119 ( 2 ) : 173 - 190 . view and download at bioone here cite : 1415021
taxonomic revision of the spilomelinae ( lepidoptera , pyralidae s . l . ) of the galápagos islands , ecuador
kearfott , w . d . 1909 . descriptions of new species of north american crambid moths . proceedings of the united states national museum 35 : 367 - 393 .
a generic revision of the aquatic moths of north america : ( lepidoptera : pyralidae , nymphulinae ) .
solis m . a . , 2009 . transfer of all western hemisphere cybalomiinae to other subfamilies ( crambidae pyraloidea : lepidoptera ) : elusia schaus , dichochroma forbes , schacontia dyar , cybalomia extorris warren , and c . lojanalis ( dognin ) . proceedings of the entomological society of washington . 111 : 493–504 download at researchgate here
studies on the crambidae ( lepidoptera ) . part 41 . on some tropical crambidae with descriptions of new genera and species .
80x5 - 240x3 - 240x4 - 320x1 - 320x2 - 320x3 - 640x1 - 640x2 set display option above . click on images to enlarge .
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* access to the collection is gratefully acknowledged . for information about the collection , contact dr . john morse in clemson ' s department of entomology , soils , and plant sciences .
web page and photo prepared by john snyder of the department of biology at furman university . for links to thousands of north american moth photos , go to web images of north american moth species .
for information about lepidoptera ( butterflies and moths ) , go to the website of the lepidopterists ' society .


myrmecia midas is an australian ant which belongs to the myrmecia genus .

this species is native to australia .

myrmecia midas is distributed mainly across the coastline of several eastern australian states .

it was first described by clark in 1951 .

workers are typically 13-15 millimetres long , with the queens bigger at 18-19 millimetres and males are smaller .

the head and thorax are a red colour , gaster black , and the mandibles , antennae , and the legs are brownish red .

myrmecia midas

the above specimen data are provided by antweb . please see myrmecia midas for further details
polarized light use in the nocturnal bull ant , myrmecia midas . - pubmed - ncbi
the study site for the nocturnal ant myrmecia midas . the field site was located on the macquarie university campus . the four nests were located within 100 m of each other .
freas ca , narendra a , lemesle c & cheng k . 2017 polarised light use in the nocturnal bull ant myrmecia midas . royal society open science 4 : 170598 [ pdf ]
freas ca . wystrach a , narendra a & cheng k . 2018 . the view from the trees : nocturnal bull ants , myrmecia midas , use the surrounding panorama while descending from trees . frontiers in psychology 9 : 16 . [ pdf ]
jayatilaka p , raderschall ca , narendra a & zeil j . 2014 . individual foraging patterns of the jack jumper ant , myrmecia croslandi . myrmecological news 19 : 75 - 83 .
ramirez - esquivel f , zeil j & narendra a . 2014 . the antennal sensory array of the nocturnal bull ant , myrmecia pyriformis . arthropod structure and development 43 : 543 - 558
raderschall ca , narendra a & zeil j . 2016 . head roll stabilisation in the nocturnal bull ant myrmecia pyriformis : implications for visual navigation . journal of experimental biology 219 : 1449 - 1457
narendra a & ribi wa . 2017 . ocellar structure is driven by the mode of locomotion and activity time in myrmecia ants . journal of experimental biology 220 : 4383 - 4390 . [ pdf ] featured inside jeb
narendra a , greiner b , ribi wa & zeil j . 2016 . light and dark adaptation mechanisms in the compound eyes of myrmecia ants that occupy discrete temporal niches . journal of experimental biology 219 : 2435 - 2442 . featured inside jeb
experiments were conducted from april 2015 to october 2016 on four m . midas nests located at the northern end of the macquarie university campus in sydney , australia ( 33°46′11″s , 151°06′40″e ) . all testing was conducted on nests that were located within a 100 m area ( fig . 1 ) . the area ' s vegetation consisted of stands of eucalyptus trees with largely barren understories interspersed with grassy areas . myrmecia midas nests were located at or close to the base of a tree ( 25 . 6±4 . 36 cm mean±s . d . , n = 20 ) , and a portion of the nest ' s nightly foragers ( ∼30 % ) travelled straight up the nest tree while the remaining foragers travelled to one of the surrounding trees ( observations : c . a . f . , three m . midas nests ) . we used headlamps with red filters to observe the ants at night , and forager behaviour suggests they were not affected by this light . working with this ant species requires no animal ethical approval within australia . all collection and testing procedures were non - invasive and we witnessed no adverse effects either in the tested individuals or in their nests during or after testing . all displacement collection and testing procedures occurred during the evening or morning twilight .
here , we investigated the compass cues used by a nocturnal bull ant , myrmecia midas clark 1951 . first , we determined their daily activity schedule . next , we tested whether foragers use a home vector to orient in the absence of familiar landmark information , by displacing foragers to unfamiliar locations . we then asked how ants weight their home vector and terrestrial cues by creating a conflict between the two cue sets . to explore the possibility that foragers navigate using cues beyond the surrounding landmarks , we displaced foragers locally near the nest with the surrounding landmark panorama obscured . finally , we compared the navigational knowledge of ants when they had to travel different distances ( 0 . 3–14 . 0 m ) from the nest to reach their foraging tree .
nightly foraging activity pattern of m . midas foragers . the observation period began on 2 april 2016 with sunset at 18 : 49 h . bars indicate outgoing foragers ( blue , n = 171 ) and incoming foragers ( red , n = 169 ) . the black line indicates the number of individuals actively foraging away from the nest site during this period . data are shown in 10 min bins .
myrmecia midas appear to detect and use both path integration and the surrounding terrestrial landmarks to navigate at low light levels during twilight . our results suggest that vector cue strength is weighted by vector length , as only at the longest observed vector lengths did foragers orient successfully in unfamiliar surroundings . the lack of orientation to smaller ( 2–5 m ) home vectors in the presence of unfamiliar terrestrial cues and the very weak orientation at the maximum observed natural vector ( 12 . 8–14 . 0 m ) coupled with the lack of orientation to all vector lengths ( 2–14 m ) when in the presence of conflicting familiar terrestrial cues indicates that vector cues may be weakly integrated during orientation and can be overridden by stronger terrestrial cues or that these foragers do not path integrate over short distances . additionally , terrestrial visual cues appear critical to successful homeward orientation , as blocking these cues in local environments results in foragers no longer being oriented to the nest direction . finally , our results show that a portion of m . midas ' foraging force lacks the ability to navigate back to the nest site using landmark cues over short distances , and that these ants may be unable to extrapolate beyond the nest site panorama even over short distances if they have only experienced the terrestrial panorama immediately surrounding the nest site .
circular distributions of individual m . midas foragers ' headings during the long - vector 1–2 m inbound condition . histograms show raw data of exit orientation under the filter with the individual ' s initial orientation and reorientation with the forager ' s exit orientation under the filter . the triangle denotes 45° in each distribution . the arrow denotes the length of the mean vector direction . n , number of individuals ; ø , mean vector ; r , length of the mean vector .
the overnight and morning inbound testing conditions were chosen so as to mirror the typical inbound activity patterns of this species , with foragers being released during the pre - dawn twilight when motivation to return to the nest should be high . our 15 min delay conditions were chosen as this holding period allows time for the forager to feed in the collection tube while still being tested during twilight , as the navigational abilities of nocturnal myrmecia have been shown to suffer after twilight ends ( narendra et al . , 2013a , b ) .
we carried out a 24 h observation at one m . midas nest on 2 april 2016 to establish the species ' activity pattern . we set up a 60 cm diameter reference marker around the nest entrance and filmed ants departing and entering the nest with an hd c920 webcam ( logitech international ) . a lamp covered with a red filter was placed 50 cm away from the nest entrance . filming was carried out for a 24 h period from 1 h before sunset . astronomical data were obtained from calculations in the astronomical almanac ( urltoken ) .
circular distributions of individual m . midas foragers ' headings during the inbound conditions . histograms show raw data of exit orientation under the filter with the individual ' s initial orientation and reorientation with the forager ' s exit orientation under the filter . the triangle denotes 45° in each distribution . the arrow denotes the length of the mean vector and mean direction . ( a ) orientations for nest 1 during the 4–6 m inbound condition . ( b ) orientations for the 1–2 m inbound condition . n , number of individuals ; ø , mean vector ; r , length of the mean vector .
solitary foraging ants have a navigational toolkit , which includes the use of both terrestrial and celestial visual cues , allowing individuals to successfully pilot between food sources and their nest . one such celestial cue is the polarization pattern in the overhead sky . here , we explore the use of polarized light during outbound and inbound journeys and with different home vectors in the nocturnal bull ant , myrmecia midas . we tested foragers on both portions of the foraging trip by rotating the overhead polarization pattern by ±45° . both outbound and inbound foragers responded to the polarized light change , but the extent to which they responded to the rotation varied . outbound ants , both close to and further from the nest , compensated for the change in the overhead e - vector by about half of the manipulation , suggesting that outbound ants choose a compromise heading between the celestial and terrestrial compass cues . however , ants returning home compensated for the change in the e - vector by about half of the manipulation when the remaining home vector was short ( 1 - 2 m ) and by more than half of the manipulation when the remaining vector was long ( more than 4 m ) . we report these findings and discuss why weighting on polarization cues change in different contexts .
observations of forager activity at the nest indicate that a portion ( ∼30 % ) of m . midas foragers do not travel farther than 30 cm to reach their foraging tree . to determine the navigational knowledge of these foragers , we displaced outbound full - vector ants 5 m away from the nest , either directed toward the nest entrance ( nest - side condition ) or directed toward the tree ( tree - side condition ; see fig . 2 b ) . foragers were collected on their outbound trip as they reached the base of the foraging tree . these individuals were fed , held for 15 min , and then released on the goniometer at one of the displacement sites . foragers ' orientations at 20 cm were determined at nests 1 , 2 and 3 . after testing , individuals were marked and returned to the nest .
circular distributions of individual m . midas foragers ' headings during outbound conditions . histograms show raw data of exit orientation under the filter and the reorientation after exiting the filter . the triangle denotes 45° in each distribution . the arrow denotes the length of the mean vector and the mean direction . ( a ) orientations for nest 1 during the 4–6 m outbound condition . ( b ) orientations for nest 2 during the 4–6 m outbound condition . ( c ) orientations for nest 1 during the 1–2 m outbound condition . closed circles indicate individuals that continued on to the forging tree after testing . open circles represent foragers that retreated once the filter was placed overhead and these individuals returned to within 30 cm of the nest entrance after testing . n , number of individuals ; ø , mean vector ; r , length of the mean vector .
circular histograms of initial headings of individual m . midas foragers at 20 cm in nest - tree experiments . nest location for both conditions was set at 0 deg . histograms show orientation data in 15 deg bins . the arrow denotes the length of the mean vector direction and the filled triangle designates the true nest direction . outbound foragers travelling up the nest - tree were collected at the tree base and displaced 5 m from the nest site either ( a ) on the nest side of the tree ( nest - side condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = −0 . 04 , p = 0 . 101 ) or ( b ) with the tree in between the nest site and the displacement site ( tree - side condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 143 , p = 0 . 639 ) .
circular histograms of initial headings of individual m . midas foragers at 20 cm in unfamiliar location experiments . nest direction indicated by path integration was at 0 deg and the actual nest site direction was at 180 deg . histograms show orientation data in 15 deg bins . the arrow in each histogram denotes the length of the mean vector and the direction of the average orientation . the filled triangle in each histogram indicates the true nest direction and the open triangle indicates the vector direction . ( a ) foragers were collected during their morning inbound trip and displaced to a site 100 m away ( inbound 100 m condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 085 , p = 0 . 225 ) . ( b ) foragers were collected during the outbound trip , at the base of the foraging tree , 2–5 m from the nest entrance , held for 15 min and then released 100 m from the nest site ( outbound 15 min delay 100 m condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = −0 . 139 , p = 0 . 906 ) . ( c ) foragers were collected during their outbound trip , held for 12 h , and displaced to a site 100 m away ( outbound overnight delay 100 m condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 083 ; p = 0 . 240 ) . ( d ) foragers were collected during the outbound trip with the longest observed vectors ( 12 . 8–14 . 0 m ) , held for 15 min and displaced to a site 100 m away ( outbound long vector 15 min delay condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 2 . 361 , p = 0 . 009 ) . n , number of individuals in each condition ; ø , mean vector ; r , length of mean vector .
circular histograms of initial headings of individual m . midas foragers at 20 cm in local displacement experiments . nest direction indicated by the home vector was at 270 deg and the actual nest site direction was at 0 deg . histograms show orientation data in 15 deg bins . the arrow denotes the length of the mean vector direction . in all off - route conditions , the filled triangle indicates the true nest direction and the open triangle indicates the vector direction . ( a ) outbound foragers were collected at the base of the foraging tree , held for 15 min and then released at the base of the tree on their foraging route ( outbound 15 min delay on - route condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 351 , p < 0 . 001 ) . ( b ) inbound foragers were collected during their morning inbound trip and displaced to a site 5 m away ( inbound off - route condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 703 , p < 0 . 001 ) . ( c ) outbound foragers were collected at the base of the foraging tree 2–5 m from the nest entrance , held for 15 min and then released at the 5 m displacement site ( outbound 15 min delay off - route condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 580 , p < 0 . 001 ) . ( d ) foragers were collected during their outbound trip , held for 12 h and then displaced to a site 5 m away ( outbound overnight delay off - route condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 554 , p < 0 . 001 ) . ( e ) outbound foragers were collected at the base of their foraging tree 14 m from the nest entrance , held for 15 min and then released at the 5 m displacement site ( outbound long vector 15 min delay off - route condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = 0 . 618 , p < 0 . 001 ) . nest direction indicated by path integration was at 270 deg and is marked with an open triangle . ( f ) outbound foragers were collected at the base of their foraging tree 2–5 m from the nest entrance , held for 15 min and then released at the 5 m displacement site with the surrounding landmarks blocked from the forager ' s view ( landmark blocking 15 min delay condition ; v - test at 0 deg ; v = −0 . 04 , p = 0 . 631 ) .
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holotype , worker , dorrigo , new south wales , australia , froggatt , w . w . , anic32 - 006507 , australian national insect collection .
paratype , 1 worker , tambourine mtn , queensland , australia , hacker , h . , anic32 - 006513 , australian national insect collection .
paratype , 4 workers , dorrigo , new south wales , australia , heron , w . , anic32 - 012805 , australian national insect collection .
clark , j . 1951 . the formicidae of australia . 1 . subfamily myrmeciinae : 230 pp . csiro , melbourne . [ ( 31 . xii ) . 1951 . ] pdf
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clark , 1951 pdf : 55 , figs . 34 , 35 ( w . q . )
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these vision - based navigational abilities have been widely studied in diurnal ants , which are active when visual cues are easy to distinguish ( wehner et al . , 1996 ; fukushi , 2001 ; beugnon et al . , 2005 ; cheng et al . , 2009 ; bühlmann et al . , 2011 ) . nocturnal foragers have the challenge of navigating during twilight or at night when ambient light levels drop significantly and visual cues become increasingly difficult to detect ( warrant , 2008 ; warrant and dacke , 2011 ) . yet , little is known about navigation in ant species that forage at low light intensities .
we displaced full - vector foragers in three conditions . in the first , we collected inbound homing ants at the base of the tree during the morning twilight as they travelled down the foraging tree ( inbound 100 m condition ) . in the second condition , we collected individuals during their nightly outbound trip at the base of the foraging tree , held them for 15 min with a small amount of honey and released them at the distant displacement site ( outbound 15 min delay 100 m condition ) . in the third condition , we collected outbound foragers during the evening twilight , offered them a small amount of honey and stored them overnight ( 11–12 h ) . these foragers were tested in the morning twilight ( outbound overnight delay 100 m condition ) . after testing and marking , foragers were returned to the nest site . foragers ' orientations did not differ between nests and results were pooled across all four nests .
additionally , we determined whether the length of the home vector itself affected the ability to orient using path integration . for this test , we studied a subset of ants from nest 1 and nest 3 that foraged on a tree 14 . 0 and 12 . 8 m from the nest entrance , respectively , which were the maximum observed foraging distances at any nest at this site , distances we term long vector . we again collected outbound foragers at the base of the foraging tree , but only during the evening twilight . foragers were held for 15 min , and given a small amount of honey , then released at the 100 m displacement site ( outbound long vector 15 min delay 100 m condition ) , where we recorded their initial orientations . tested foragers were marked and returned to the nest site . foragers ' orientations from the two nests were pooled .
next , we asked how ants weight path integration and landmark cues while returning home to the same four nests . we addressed this by capturing ants at the base of their foraging tree under identical collection conditions to the unfamiliar displacements and then displacing them locally . we first tested foragers in a control condition without creating a conflict between the home vector direction and the local landmarks . for this , we released outbound ants during the evening twilight after a 15 min holding period on the goniometer at the base of their foraging tree ( outbound 15 min delay on - route condition ) . we then tested a separate group of foragers with conflicting terrestrial landmarks and the home vector by displacing foragers away from the nest site and perpendicular to the foraging route . the displacement site was 90 deg clockwise from the individual ' s foraging tree with respect to the nest location and 5 m from the nest entrance ( fig . 2 a ) .
schematic diagram of the experimental setup . ( a ) diagram of collection and displacement conditions for the experiments on cue conflict . ( b ) diagram of collection and displacement conditions for the nest - tree foragers .
foragers were tested in three separate conditions , similar to the procedures for testing the use of path integration . in the first condition , incoming foragers were collected during the morning twilight at the base of their foraging tree ( inbound off - route condition ) and then tested . in the second and third conditions , foragers were collected on their outbound trip as they reached one of the foraging trees 2–5 m from the nest ; foragers were either held for 15 min ( outbound 15 min delay off - route condition ) and then tested or held until morning twilight ( outbound overnight delay off - route condition ) and then tested . at the testing site , under all conditions the forager ' s initial orientation was recorded using the goniometer at 20 cm . after testing , individuals were marked and returned to the nest entrance . we analysed foragers ' initial orientations toward both the true nest direction and the vector from path integration . orientations were pooled across all four nests .
again , we determined whether the length of the home vector itself affected the weighting of the home vector . for this test , we studied a subset of ants ( n = 30 ) from nest 1 that foraged on a tree 14 . 0 m from the nest ( outbound long vector 15 min delay off - route condition ) . we collected outbound foragers at the base of the foraging tree , but only during the evening twilight . foragers were held for 15 min , given a small amount of honey , and then released at a displacement site 90 deg clockwise from the foraging tree with respect to the nest and 5 m from the nest entrance ( fig . 2 a ) . at the release site , we recorded initial orientations , and then tested foragers were marked and returned to the nest site .
next , we asked whether foragers successfully orient to the nest direction after local displacement in the absence of familiar terrestrial landmark cues . for this test , we collected outbound foragers at the base of their foraging tree 2–5 m from nest 1 , nest 3 or nest 4 during the evening twilight ( landmark blocking 15 min delay ) . foragers were held for 15 min , offered a small amount of honey , and then released at a displacement site 90 deg clockwise from the foraging tree with respect to the nest and 5 m from the nest entrance ( fig . 2 a ) . at the release location , a 38 cm high plastic sheet was used to block the landmark cues below 50 deg . the plastic sheet was erected into a 55 cm diameter circle around the goniometer . this sheet was raised 5 cm off the ground to allow any potential scent cues to reach foragers at the centre of the goniometer . after releasing the forager onto the goniometer , we recorded the orientation of animals at 20 cm . after testing , individuals were marked and returned to the nest .
for statistical analysis , a minimum of 30 foragers were collected for each condition . in each testing condition , foragers were collected as they were discovered and assigned a condition within that experiment group randomly . data were analysed with circular statistics ( batschelet , 1981 ; zar , 1998 ) using the statistics package oriana version 4 ( urltoken ) . watson and wheeler f - tests were used to compare mean vectors between testing conditions . a rayleigh ' s test was conducted on each displacement condition , to test whether the data met the conditions of a uniform distribution ( p > 0 . 05 ) . we used a v - test , with α set at p = 0 . 05 , to determine whether the initial orientation of ants at the release site was significantly towards the nest direction or to the home vector . during displacement tests where foragers did not orient to the nest direction , v - tests were conducted across all 15 deg sections of the goniometer to test whether foragers were oriented to directions other than the nest . all data are available upon request .
the onset of foraging activity occurred just before sunset , with most foragers heading out from the nest in the evening twilight ( fig . 3 ) . a small number of foragers left the nest after twilight ended . foragers began returning during the evening twilight , with some individuals carrying insect prey . foragers returned throughout the night , and a burst of incoming foragers arrived at the nest during the morning twilight and just after sunrise . activity was greatly reduced after this burst , and activity ceased completely after 1–2 h from sunrise .
ants released on the goniometer would initially remain motionless while within the tube . after emerging from the tube and onto the wooden goniometer board , ants typically scanned the environment along the horizontal axis and then headed off in a chosen direction . the nest - tree distance varied between nests ( fig . 1 ; nest 1 , 2 m ; nest 2 , 2 . 5 m ; nest 3 , 4 m ; nest 4 , 5 m ) , and we found no difference between nests in forager orientation to a home vector .
ants with home vectors ranging from 2 to 5 m when displaced to distant locations did not successfully orient in the direction indicated by their path integrator under any collection condition . foragers ' initial orientations met conditions of a uniform distribution and they were not significantly oriented in the direction of their home vector at 0 deg ( fig . 4 a–c , table 1 ) . foragers from all three conditions were not oriented in any direction on the goniometer , even when using v - tests ( p > 0 . 05 , orientation data binned at 15 deg ) . further observations of individuals with 5 m vectors after distant displacement indicate that they do not continue in this initial direction but loop back to the release point , a behaviour indicative of systematic search .
in contrast , ants that travelled long distances to their nest - specific tree ( nest 1 and 3 ) and were then displaced to the distant site within 15 min of capture were significantly orientated toward their home vector and away from the true nest location when analysed using a v - test . yet , forager orientations also met the conditions of a uniform distribution when analysed using a rayleigh ' s test , indicating random initial headings and no orientation . as results from nest 1 and nest 3 did not differ ( v - test , p < 0 . 05 ; rayleigh ' s test , p > 0 . 05 ) and had similar mean vectors ( watson and wheeler f - test , p > 0 . 05 ) , they were pooled ( table 1 , fig . 4 d ) . at the end of each experiment , foragers were returned to the nest vicinity , and all foragers immediately searched for and entered the nest .
for local on - and off - route displacement tests , full - vector ants were displaced either back at their foraging tree or off - route ( fig . 2 a ) . outbound forager orientations when displaced back on - route after 15 min were non - uniform and were directed towards the nest ( outbound 15 min delay on - route condition ; fig . 5 a , table 1 ) . the orientation of full - vector ants , displaced ( 5 m off - route ) to create a conflict between the vector and local landmark cues , was non - uniform . these ants were significantly oriented toward the nest ( fig . 5 b–d ) and not toward the home vector at 270 deg ( inbound off - route condition , v - test , v = 0 . 776 , p = 0 . 22 ; outbound 15 min delay off - route condition , v - test , v = 0 . 844 , p = 0 . 34 ; outbound overnight delay off - route condition , v - test , v = −0 . 771 , p = 0 . 779 ) . in all local displacement conditions , mean vector did not significantly differ between conditions ( watson and wheeler f - test , p > 0 . 05 ) .
the orientation of long - vector foragers , accumulating 14 m vectors to their nest - specific tree ( nest 1 ) , then displaced locally with a 90 deg cue conflict within 15 min of collection ( outbound long vector 15 min delay off - route condition ) was also significantly non - uniform and oriented toward the true nest direction and not the vector at 270 deg ( table 1 , fig . 5 e ) . different holding durations did not have an effect on the heading directions in all off - route conditions ( watson and wheeler f - test ; p > 0 . 05 ) .
the initial orientation of foragers displaced locally without access to familiar landmark cues within 15 min of collection met the conditions of a uniform distribution , and ants were not significantly oriented in the direction of their nest at 0 deg ( table 1 , fig . 5 f ) .
full - vector ants , when displaced 5 m either side of the nest ( fig . 2 b ) , did not orient significantly toward the nest direction . their initial orientation had a uniform distribution at both displacement sites ( nest - side condition , fig . 6 a ; tree - side condition , fig . 6 b ; table 1 ) . foragers from both conditions were not oriented in any direction or toward any other tree ( v - tests , p > 0 . 05 ) . at the end of the experiment , foragers were returned to the nest vicinity , and all foragers immediately searched for and entered the nest .
in the current study , we show that nocturnal ants with short home vectors of ≤5 m when displaced to distant unfamiliar locations did not orient toward the fictive nest . but ants with longer home vectors of 12 . 8–14 . 0 m weakly oriented toward the fictive nest , suggesting vector length influences cue strength . additionally , when foragers were displaced locally with conflicting vector and landmark cues , they oriented exclusively using landmark cues and ignored any potential home vector regardless of vector length . when the landmark panorama ( up to 50 deg elevation ) around the displacement site was obscured , foragers could no longer orient to the nest direction , suggesting terrestrial cues are critical to homeward orientation . finally , we found that the nest - tree forager subset did not orient to local landmark cues when displaced , and these animals appear to have reduced navigational knowledge compared with their nest mates that travel away from the nest to forage .
conceived and designed experiments : c . a . f . , a . n . , k . c . collected data : c . a . f . drafted and revised paper : c . a . f . , a . n . , k . c .
this research was supported by the australian research council through a discovery grant to k . c . and a . n . ( dp150101172 ) and a future fellowship to a . n . ( ft140100221 ) .
homing strategies of the australian desert ant melophorus bagoti i . proportional path integration takes the ant half - way home
homing strategies of the australian desert ant melophorus bagoti ii . interaction of the path integrator with visual cue information
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r soc open sci . 2017 aug 30 ; 4 ( 8 ) : 170598 . doi : 10 . 1098 / rsos . 170598 . ecollection 2017 aug .
freas ca 1 , narendra a 1 , lemesle c 1 , cheng k 1 .
department of biological sciences , macquarie university , sydney , new south wales 2109 , australia .
pmid : 28879002 pmcid : pmc5579118 doi : 10 . 1098 / rsos . 170598
schematics of the polarization filter and experimental set - up . ( a ) diagram of the polarization filter . during the forager ' s outbound trip to the foraging tree , a polarization filter was placed over the forager with the polarization e - vector rotated ±45° of the ambient e - vector . this filter apparatus was used in a previous study [ ] . ( b ) diagram of measurements collected during polarization filter test . measurements were made using a compass application on a smartphone . initial orientation routes were measured from the nest entrance ( a ) to when the polarization filter was centred over the forager ( b ) . initial route directions ( a ° ) were calculated with the tree direction from the nest as 0° . the magnitude of angle a has been artificially enlarged in this diagram for clarity , with angle a averaging 4 . 42° across all conditions during testing . exit orientations were measured from the centre of the polarization filter ( b ) to the exit location of the ant on the filter ' s edge ( c ) . route directions under the filter ( b ° ) were calculated from the forager ' s initial route direction . reorientations were measured from the forager ' s exit location from the polarization filter ( c ) to the forager ' s path 50 cm after exiting the filter ( d ) . reorientation route directions ( c ° ) were calculated from the under - filter route direction .
r soc open sci . 2017 aug ; 4 ( 8 ) : 170598 .
i am interested in how animals navigate in their natural habitats , the information content in the environment they use , the sensory structures they have and the central processing units that allow them to memorise , integrate and recall information .
my research has largely focused on ants to take advantage of the inter - and intra - specific variation in size , in locomotion , in tasks and also in the different ecological and temporal niches they occupy .
i have a keen interest in photography and love to experiment with macro - photography when time permits . some of my pictures are here .
phd in biological sciences ; 1 book ; 47 publications ; 3 australian research council fellowships ; 10 research grants .
2016 . macquarie research and development grant ( with lead ci frances kamhi ) , macquarie university , australia . ( $ 50k )
palavalli - nettimi r and narendra a . 2018 . does size affect orientation usage celestial cues . insects sociaux . [ in press ]
palavalli - nettimi r and narendra a . 2018 . miniaturisation decreases visual navigational competence in ants . journal of experimental biology . doi : 10 . 1242 / jeb . 177238
ramirez - esquivel f , ribi wa and narendra a . 2017 . techniques to investigate the anatomy of the ant visual system . journal of visualized experiments 129 : e56339 . [ pdf ]
narendra a , kamhi jf & ogawa y . 2017 . moving in dim light : behavioural and visual adaptations in nocturnal ants . integrative and comparative biology 57 : 1104–1116 [ pdf ]
ramirez - esquivel f , leitner ne , zeil j & narendra a . 2017 . the sensory arrays of the ant , temnothorax rugatulus . arthropod structure and development 46 : 552 - 563 [ pdf ]
narendra a & ramirez - esquivel f . 2017 . subtle changes in the landmark panorama disrupts visual navigation in a nocturnal bull ant . philosophical transactions of the royal society b 372 : 20160068 . [ pdf ]
freas ca , narendra a & cheng k . 2017 . compass cues used by a nocturnal bull ant ,
card a , mcdermott c & narendra a . 2016 . multiple orientation cues in the trunk trail forming ant , iridomyrmex purpureus . australian journal of zoology 64 : 227 - 232 .
narendra a , ramirez - esquivel f & ribi wa . 2016 . compound eye and ocellar structure for walking and flying modes of locomotion in the australian ant , camponotus consobrinus . scientific reports 6 : 22331
schultheiss p , raderschall ca , narendra a . 2015 follower ants in a tandem pair are not always naïve . scientific reports 5 : 10747
ogawa y , falkowski m , narendra a , zeil j , hemmi jm . 2015 . three spectrally distinct photoreceptors in diurnal and nocturnal australian ants . proceedings of the royal society b 282 : 20150673
stürzl w , grixa i , mair e , narendra a & zeil j . 2015 . three - dimensional models of natural environments and the mapping of navigational information .
zeil j , ribi wa & narendra a . 2014 . polarization vision in ants , bees and wasps . in polarized light and polarization vision in animal sciences ( ed . horváth g ) . springer series in vision research ( eds . collin s & marshall j ) . details here .
cheung a , collett m , collett ts , dewar a , dyer f , graham p , mangan m , narendra a , philippides a , stürzl w , webb b , wystrach a & zeil j . 2014 . still no convincing evidence for cognitive map use by honeybees . proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa 111 : 4396–4397
zeil j , narendra a & stürzl w . 2014 . looking and homing : how displaced ants decide where to go . philosophical transactions of the royal society b 369 : 20130034