Jewel beetles 
Castiorino wilsoni 
Melobasis purpurascens 
Chrysomelid beetles 
Chaetocnemo wilsoni erichsoni 
Monolepto sp. 
Spider holes 
Lycoso tasmanico — with the silk cover 
Migas nitens — with the cap 
Moths 
Epicoma melonosticta 
Oecophorid moth (it feeds on decaying animals and 
fungi! See p. 186 of 'Wings'). 
Dehydrated fungi 
Phellinus robust a 
Perenniporia ochroleuco 
Fomitopsis lilacinogilva 
Utricularia australis 
Mick and Deirdre Brown 
his interesting plant does not produce roots and is 
insectivorous, having bladders at the base of its 
leaflets to trap insects. A recent sighting was made 
of the species flowering in a stagnant pond filled with 
algae and Myriphyllum at the First Basin in Launceston. 
The sighting was published in the Examiner newspaper 
and reported to us at the last meeting by Mark Wapstra. 
It is listed as rare on the Tasmanian Threatened species 
list, but the authorities consider that its status probably 
needs re-evaluation. It is known from several places and 
may be locally abundant, but overlooked because of its 
resemblance to Myriophyllum species when not 
flowering. 
Utricularia australis Photo Mick Brown 
We went in search of the Utricularia at the First Basin 
and were able easily to locate it thanks to Mark's 
excellent location description! 
U. australis was first described by Robert Brown in 1810. 
At the first Basin Utricularia was growing with purple 
loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, which is a tri-stylous 
species. Each of the different forms are self incompatible 
with, for example, only the long-stamen plants being 
able to pollinate the long-style plants. This mechanism 
was first described by Darwin in the 1892. 
Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria , the long style form. 
Photo: Mick Brown 
Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club 
Page 8 
BULLETIN 354 April 2014 
