The slightly pensive look of Castiarina flavopicta, a Tasmanian Jewel Beetle. #invertefest

Some of the male flower wasps have mesmerising checkered eyes. #thynnidae #insect

"True Bugs by Colour" is now up and running after a year of preparation. We have around 250 named species of Hemiptera and they are now sorted into a rainbow of shades. We hope it helps you track down the name of one of your locals! tasmanianinsectfieldguide.com/hexapoda/ins...

Taslopa montana is a fairly ungainly looking leafhopper. Adults can either have wings, or not, so I'm not sure how to decide when a nymph has reached the adult form.. #Tasmania #Hemiptera #InverteFest

A little more unusual for us is a freshwater fly larva (maggot). Found in a creek at Montrose #Tasmania. Hopefully someonewill recognise where it belongs in #Diptera #InverteFest

Another amazing Tasmanian fly, Deineches nudiventris. This is a hoverfly that seems to be a bit prone to getting trapped indoors in early March. It's about 2cm long. #Diptera #Tasmania

It's so exciting to add our own images of the endemic #Tasmanian leaf #beetle Ewanius nothofagi to our website. It's the only leaf beetle in Tasmania that feeds on Myrtle. Identification thanks to Martin Lagerway. Mount Field National Park, January.

A snipe #fly Atherimorpha sp. on the Lake Dobson Circuit in mid-January. #Tasmania

Beetles are strong fliers. Mites, however can only crawl. So that mites can travel further afield, they often hitchhike on beetles (phoresy). When the beetle lands somewhere favourable, the mites crawl off. These are sejine mites on a Ptinid beetle. January, Bruny Island #Tasmania

The #lacewings are the sign of summer. This is not-your-usual green lacewing (Family Chrysopidae), it is one of the split-footed lacewings (Family Nymphidae). These catch me out every time! Osmylops sejunctus.

Not so pretty is one of our #Tasmanian endemic scarab #beetles. Phyllochlaenia villosus

We don't often add fresh images of Odonatans. Our lenses need to be too close to the insects, and the fast fliers don't tolerate us. This #damselfly was chilled in the early morning air and was happy to pose for a few different angles. A female Metallic Ringtail (Austrolestes cingulatus). #Tasmania

Pison sp. These are not the most glamorous of #wasps but they work through crevices and holes and collect up live spiders to use as food for their own larvae. Fascinating lives and really important bio-control agents. Lucky people may find similar species building mud nests on brick walls.

Gynoplistia cf. bella. A very pretty short-palped crane #fly. You can see this is a female as she has a long ovipositor to lay eggs. She also has quite subdued antennae when compared to a male which has longer "reindeer-like" flanges. You find these near damp places. This was at Penstock Lagoon.

How can anyone dislike a native wasp? This Ichneumon #wasp (Theronia steindachneri) parasitises other invertebrates - a natural biocontrol agent. Buckland, Tasmania.

These #Tipulidae craneflies must surely be some of the longest of our #Tasmanian endemic #fly species. The legs were way too long to fit into the frame.

These Stomorhina sp. #flies are unusual finds in #Tasmania. The Tasmanian Bushland garden at Buckland had plenty just after Christmas. These are two different males. Females have their crazy eyes slightly wider apart. #Diptera

The Bright Copper is a bit too big for the lens, but worth noting here because we rarely photograph butterflies. The lenses we tend to use need to be very close to the subject and butterflies don't tolerate invasion of their personal space. They have to be unusually placid for us to have any luck!

The honey brown beetle (Ecnolagria rufescens) is usually a fairly easy summer find around the state. It's also distributed from South Australia, right around the coast of the eastern states up to northern Queensland.

How can an ugly beetle larvae make themselves look even more unpalatable? Gonipterus weevil larvae carry flamboyant flags of poo as an effective turnoff.

The very hungry stage of a leaf #beetle Paropsisterna cloelia. These larvae cluster together for safety initially but can also defend themselves by oozing hydrogen cyanide, benzaldehyde and glucose from lumpy terminal glands. The larvae on the outer position takes the defensive lead for the team.

Hello Bluesky! You may or may not have come across our website documenting the vast insect fauna of the very special, island state of Tasmania, Australia. Join us to hear about the new resources we gradually add to our whopping 4200+ page website: tasmanianinsectfieldguide.com