Sawfly guarding eggs on Rubus nebulosus

Bob McInnes, of REPS, brought me an interesting insect this morning. It is a female Sawfly Philomastix macleaii (apparently renamed Philomastix glabra) which was guarding a set of eggs she had laid on the underneath side of the leaf of the Green-leaved Bramble, Rubus nebulosus, a very sharply thorned Bramble with pinnate (5-foliolate) leaves. The specimen of leaves (and associated insect and eggs) came from Tony and Anna Williams's (not "Windsor" - apology for previous typo) property in Robertson. 

They have a very fine patch of "Cool Temperate Rainforest" on their hill. It differs somewhat from the rainforest in the Robertson Nature Reserve, as it is largely dominated by Lilly Pilly Syzygium smithii and Blackwood Wattle Acacia melanoxylon but their patch of Rainforest has some other uncommon trees, such as the Acronychia oblongifolia and the Black Olive berry (Elaeocarpus holopetalus) and their forest also has many large Birds Nest Ferns. (No doubt there are other differences which I have overlooked.)

The Sawfly is well reported to "guard" its eggs and larvae.
In the case of a closely related species, the guarding behaviour is described as follows.
"Females place their eggs in groups of 30-40 on the leaf underside on both sides of the midvein and later position themselves at the base of the leaf where the larvae feed on, with the head directed towards the stem."
Source: Pergidae of the World : An online catalogue of the sawfly family Pergidae (Symphyta)

That description matches exactly what this insect was doing - guarding her eggs.

Green-leaved Bramble, Rubus nebulosus

Philomastix macleaii female guarding eggs
Note how she is positioned at the 'base" (stem end) of the leaf.
This is to protect the eggs (and subsequently the larvae)
from crawling insects, such as ants.

Note similarities of this image with another image

Philomastix macleaii 

guarding her eggs laid underside of
a Rubus moluccanus.
Similar posture, similar food plant.
Similar appearance, including long yellow antennae.

Philomastix macleaii 
female Bramble Sawfly

Eggs of the sawfly. Philomastix macleaii
Unlike eggs in earlier linked image, these are dark.
presumably well advanced towards hatching,
Check this image of similar purple eggs
of a Raspberry Sawfly.

Females of Philomastix spp. pierce the leaf from above and place the egg on the underside of the leaf (Macdonald & Ohmart 1993). All species of this genus exhibit maternal care. Females stand near their egg mass and young larvae or near the leaf petiole with the head directed to the stem and when disturbed they shake and create a buzzing sound with their wings (Macdonald & Ohmart 1993, Naumann & Groth 1998). This behaviour lasts until they die.
Source: http://www.pergidae.net/philomastix.htm

Click on image to enlarge.
There are tiny cuts in the upper surface of the leaf
presumably each cut relates to where the egg is underneath.
Does she protrude her "ovipositor" through the leaf?
That's the only thing which makes ergonomic sense
otherwise it would require the female to go to both sides of the leaf
and match up the cut with the egg.
Ockhams Razor would rule that out.

#climateaction rally in Bowral 17 November 2013

Michael - from Robertson
was one of the GetUp people behind the rally in Bowral

See the full set of photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/113268294402913437731/albums/5947116489734626673?authkey=CNW-3L2eqv352gE

The Bowral participation in the national series of rallies in support of #climateaction
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/climateaction

Me with my friend Angela

Tony and Anna - also from Robertson

GetUp rally #climateaction in Bowral streets

In Corbett Gardens, Bowral

Michael with his Buddhist-themed umbrella

Anthony Ackroyd speaking at the rally

Gordon rode all the way from Robertson
to spread these two messages for #climatection rally

Just in case you missed Gordon's point.

"A place called Robertson" film has been released on Video

The video of Tony and Anna Williams movie "A place called Robertson" has been released.
You can watch the trailer on the following link.
http://vimeo.com/52603151

Tony and Anna Williams filming
at the Robbo Show

This is a Blog post I made about the Movie being made.
And here is a brief post about the launch of the Movie, on 25 March 2013.

And now you can purchase the Video on line.

Knight's Hill morning cloud formation
a shot taken from Steve and Celeste's place
"Cloud Farm"
This image was incorporated in Tony and Anna's film.
My full set of these images are on my Blog.

I thoroughly recommend it (even though I do feature in the movie, a bit).

New-comers to Robertson, and anyone who has family here will enjoy the movie, and remember, folks, Christmas is coming.
(End of my blatant plug for Tony and Anna's excellent film).

Local Lilly Pilly tree, flowers, fruit

The local Lilly Pilly was known as Acmena smithii when I moved to Robertson. Unfortunately, it is now back with the difficult-to-spell Syzygium tribe, so it is now Syzygium smithii (though PlantNET does not seem to realise it).

The local plants normally have creamy white fruit, but some (few) have pale pinkish/purple fruit. None of the local plants have the strongly coloured Lilly Pilly fruit typical of most of the other members of that genus.

Here is a shot of a single tree, at my friends' property Cloud Farm. There is a large Eucalypt behind the Lilly Pilly. The dense, dark green leaves and white buds and flowers are the give-away.

Syzygium smithiitree at Cloud Farm

 Here are the flowers (taken in December 2011).

Syzygium smithii Buds and open flowers.
These small flowers show some structural similarity
to Eucalypt flowers.
But they lack the distinctive "cap" of Eucalypts.

Typical creamy-white fruit of the local Lilly Pilly plants
Fresh fruit (taken two days ago)
Syzygium smithiiThese fruit are on the same tree as the buds and flowers
But the photos are two years apart.
But the months are characteristic
December for flowering
Late April/May for fruiting.
There is just a bit of pinkish spotting on these fruit.

This tree, being overlooking the escarpment, and hence warmer than Robertson proper, fruits just a little earlier than the best stands of local Lilly Pilly trees on Fountaindale Road, and at Tony and Anna's place.

Leaves of Syzygium smithii

Cordyceps in Rain Forest at Robertson.

Today I was included in a Land for Wildlife seminar organised by Dr Karen Guymer of the Wingecarribee Shire Council. It was very informative, and well organised. It was hosted at the Robertson CTC.

However, for me the highlight was a guided tour of the Robertson Rainforest patch on Tony and Anna Williams "White Birch Farm". This rainforest is significantly different from the Robertson Nature Reserve, in the dominant plants being dense stands of Lilly Pilly trees Syzygium smithii (formerly Acmena smithii). In the Robertson Nature Reserve, the dominant trees are more varied, being Sassafras, Blackwood, Coachwood. It was a lovely forest walk, with fantastic ferns and, of course, beautiful patches of moss on the rocks and tree trunks.

While on the walk I noticed two small black fungi points sticking out of the ground. I called to Tony and pointed them out and explained what I thought they were, and sought permission to dig it up.

As I had expected, it revealed the mummified body of a large caterpillar, with a fruiting body of the Cordyceps gunnii growing out of the top of the caterpillar's original body.

Fruiting body of Cordyceps gunnii
The red line indicates the original ground level

The Caterpillars of the large Swift Moth which have been buzzing around my windows and perching on my front Verandah, are the main local insect which become infected by the Fungal Spores of Cordyceps gunnii.

This shows the entire body of the Caterpillar
and the Fungal Fruiting body
A dual 'head" is unusual, but not unknown,

This is a clearer image (taken on a previous occasion)
you can clearly still see the lumpy "prolegs" of the Caterpillar.
The fruiting body (in this case grey in colour)
grows out of the head of the caterpillar.

I often say to people that when you see an entire organism taken over by a Fungus and then to have a fruiting body grow out of the head of the organism which has been "taken over" by the fungus, it makes one not worry about a small case of tinea between one's toes.

"A Place Called Robertson" was launched tonight

The film "A Place Called Robertson" was launched tonight in the Empire Cinema, Bowral.

Tony Williams

Tony Williams introducing the film which he directed, and which he and his wife, Anna Hewgill made over the last 3 years.

Two cinemas filled with people, and at our showing, the audience was thrilled and delighted with the beauty, the wit and charming humour of this film.
The star of the film was "Robertson" itself, as presented by its people.
You can see a trailer of the film here:
http://fourdonkeyfilms.com/documentary-film-a-place-called-robertson/
Congratulations Tony and Anna.
(Click to see them both "in action" during the making of this film).

A place called Robertson - Tony and Anna's Documentary

The documentary "A place called Robertson" which Tony Williams and Anna Hewgill have been making for several years is now being previewed via a "trailer".

Tony and Anna filming at the Robbo Show
March 2011

The full video is not yet available, it seems, but it is intended to be screened early next year, apparently.
But there is a very nice introduction available on their Website.
Scroll down to the second image and click on the white arrow.
You need sound "on" to appreciate it.

I am really looking forward to it, even though my own brief interview made its way to the "cutting room floor". As Tony would say "Bugger".