Thursday, May 19, 2011

May - Myall Reserve and Lake Broadwater

  This was the little creature that caught my eye at Lake Broadwater. It is crouching on Glenda’s finger.

A small group gathered around Glenda as we tried to photograph the spider. As you can see the profile doesn’t show the lumps and bumps as does the front view. 
 
When it is hiding it folds some of its legs over its head and looks very cryptic, almost like a damaged Casuarina cone. In the background you can see what we believe is its (her) egg sac. This was long and thin and what first attracted Glenda. It is still unidentified. Any ideas?


Bird List for Myall Reserve and Lake Broadwater:
Brown Quail, Australian Wood Duck, Crested Pigeon(MR), Australian White Ibis, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Galah (B), Little Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cockatiel (MR), Little Lorikeet, Red-rumped Parrot, Laughing Kookaburra, Variegated Fairy-wren, Weebill, White-throated Gerygone, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote, Noisy Miner(B), Striped Honeyeater, Little Friarbird, Grey-crowned Babbler, Rufous Whistler, Grey Butcherbird (MR), Australian Magpie, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Torresian Crow(B), Restless Flycatcher, Magpie-lark(B), Apostlebird, Jacky Winter, Eastern Yellow Robin, , Silvereye, Double-barred Finch.
Legend: MR = only seen at Myall Reserve, B = seen at both places

Butterfly list for Lake Broadwater:
Orchard Swallowtail Papilio aegeus, Caper or Australian gull Cepora perimale, Black Jezebel Delias nigrina, Caper White Belenois java, Striated Pearl White Elodina parthia, Grey Ringlet Hypocysta pseudirius, Varied or Common Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina, Meadow Argus Junonia villida, Common Crow Euploea core, Lesser or Native Wanderer Danaus chrysippus.

1 comment:

Ozibird said...

This spider caused a minor flurry from arachnid experts who were consulted. Here's what one of them had to say.
"The Lake Broadwater Spider... looks like one of the genus Celaenia but I can't be positive, as to the species. It quite resembles Celaenia calotoides, which I do know exists locally.
Another quite common spider of this genus around Toowoomba is the Bird-dropping Spider Celaenia excavata.
I’ve had one of these, or its descendant/s resident in my lemon tree for several years now."