Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi Curnow,
Just lookiing at your lovely spider, it reminded me of a Sydney Brown Trapdoor Spider and just because you are in WA, I reckon it is a rather rare "Sheild back Trapdoor" species. If you followed it back to the bush, you may have found it darting down it's burrow!
Anyway, just a guess.
Info at the museum web site

"Idiosoma nigrum Main, the shield-back trapdoor spider, is endemic to semi-arid southwest Western Australia. A ten-year natural history and demographic study conducted at East Yorkrakine Nature Reserve WA indicates a population decline possibly associated with habitat deterioration due to rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), galahs and secondary salinity. The study indicated that the prognosis for long-term survival of I. nigrum in lowland areas is poor. Population persistence in habitats on higher topography is possible in the short to medium term. Conservation of populations over the entire geographic range is imperative to maintain the genetic and adaptive diversity of the species (A)."

Lets know how you go with ID.
Cheers IanK

Thanks Ian,

I didn't follow it back the bush, I transferred it to the bush so I hope it will find a suitable home away from our dunny
I assume it migrated out of the bush near the shed in the first place so I guess there is a population there.

Cheers
Dennis

Yep, my parents have a farm in Bindoon and growing up I found heaps of these in thier tunnels in the leaf litter.

I have just found a quite striking beetle of sorts in my AP system

Anyone recognize it? good or bad? - Thanks Aj

Looks like a christmas bettle of some sort.... never seen one with those colourations though.... nice...

it is only about 4mm across and less than 8-10mm long

Could be one of this species.
http://outernode.pir.sa.gov.au/forestry ... id_beetles
or try and pick out some features from
http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01292p040.pdf
(Pictures at the end pages!!)
Have a lot at this site, it's Brisbane based, but you may be able to find it in here
http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane ... index.html

Cheers IanK

That definetaly looks like a funnel web kill it before it kills you!!!!!!

This is obviously a good bug but have no idea what it is. It flys and found it ontop of my BSF house eating a juicey fly.
I watched it for a while and the blowflies are attractrd to it as they go right up to it and poke it. Then it grabs one.!!
I hope this works because I havnt posted photos before.

Didn't realise this was the updated thread... here goes anyway...

I found this one this morning.. I'm not happy

Yes Jen, it is the bad ladybug. You can even see the damage it has done to the leaf. Squish it.

Aahaa! Found it! Check this out. Creophilus Erythrocephalus, Devil's Coach-Horse Beetle. I wonder if this will be bad for BSF Lavae. Probably, if they feed on all fly lavae!