Kwinana Rockingham Mandurah Branch, 17 February 2025

A good turnout of members attended the February general meeting with a Members’ night theme.

There were three presenters and new member Wayne Rigoll was the first up. He shared macro images of a fly, an Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly, a Mantis, a Feather-horned Beetle, a Jumping Spider with prey, a Great Hawk Moth caterpillar and a Southern Old Lady Moth.

Daniel Heald was the next to present. He shared the results of the recently completed WA Insect Study Society’s Photographic Competition. The competition attracted many entries and featured three categories:

Junior Category

The winner: Zara Jewell, who had a nice photo of a Green Leaf Mantis (Orthodera ministralis).

Runner-up: Zara Jewell with a Spotted Gum Moth (Entomata guttularis).

Third place: Nate Arcaro for a photo of mating Schellenbergs Soldier Bugs (Oechalia schellenbergii).

Artistic Category

The winner: Michael Sergeant with a photo of a Clerid Beetle.

Runner-up: Michael Sergeant for an image showing a Female Flower Wasp.

Third Place: Andrew Wallace for a picture showing Two Bees sleeping on a grass stem.

Scientific Category

The winner: Andrew Wallace for an image of an undescribed species of Jewel Beetle (Temognatha ‘minima’).

Runner-up: Amber Balfour-Cunningham for a picture of a Lynx Spider (Oxyopes sp.) feeding on a Podalonia sp. Wasp.

Third Place: Marg Owen for an image showing an aggregation of Technomyrmex jocosus ants on a Hakea victoria leaf.

The last presenter was Colin Prickett, who showed a series of photos of insects and spiders from his garden, plus a Snake-necked Turtle and Tiger Snake seen at a Secret Harbour Wetland Reserve.

The audience thanked all three presenters for their contributions.

Colin Prickett