The Victorian naturalist . 86 Vict. Nat. Vol. 93 collected on hillsides north-east ofMelbourne. Adult Eupoecila australasiae (plateI) ranged in length from 12 to 22 mmand from late December to earlyFebruary are often seen feeding onthe flowers of Austral grass-tree{Xanthorrhoea australis), sweet bur-saria {Bursaria spinosa), prickly tea-tree (Leptospermum juniperinum),Angophora and a variety of Eucalyp-tus spp. Adult Diaphonia dorsalis (plate I)ranged from 23 to 28 mm but ap-peared to feed only on the flowers Plate II: Pupa of Eupoecila australasiae 1. Ventral view. 2. Lateral vi
The Victorian naturalist . 86 Vict. Nat. Vol. 93 collected on hillsides north-east ofMelbourne. Adult Eupoecila australasiae (plateI) ranged in length from 12 to 22 mmand from late December to earlyFebruary are often seen feeding onthe flowers of Austral grass-tree{Xanthorrhoea australis), sweet bur-saria {Bursaria spinosa), prickly tea-tree (Leptospermum juniperinum),Angophora and a variety of Eucalyp-tus spp. Adult Diaphonia dorsalis (plate I)ranged from 23 to 28 mm but ap-peared to feed only on the flowers Plate II: Pupa of Eupoecila australasiae 1. Ventral view. 2. Lateral view. 3. Dorsal view. 4. Head enlarged — dorsal. Behaviour and predators These fast-flying beetles fold theirelytra down in direct but somewhatzigzagged flight which, combinedwith their habit of feeding concealeddeep in blossom, tends to protect themagainst air-borne attack from prolonged feeding on eucalyptflowers on hot days (Jan-Feb) indi-viduals from both species have beenseen to collide with rocky outcrops orto fall out of trees. Once on theground the beetles move about in aseemingly intoxicated manner andtheir feeble unsuccessful attempts totake flight suggests that they are morevulnerable to predation at this cuckoo-shrike {Coracinanovaehollandiae) and Australian noisyminers {Manorina melanocephald)were seen to prey on beetles on theground. Examinations of fox (Vulpesvulpes) scats have also shown evi-dence of predation; this may haveoccurred when the beetles were in-toxicated, wh
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdec, booksubjectnaturalhistory, bookyear1884
