Thank you for your help!
Hi everyone,
Well, the 2022/2023 Christmas beetle season has come to an end. Thank you so much for your help and support! Here are some quick project highlights:
We recorded sightings of 4 ‘missing beetles’- these are insects that had not been formally sighted in several decades. They are:
Anoplognathus vietor- previously known from a single male specimen in 1986. This one is extra special as there is only 1 preserved specimen…so it is incredibly exciting to have a photo of a live one!
Anoplognathus nebulosus -last reported 1999
Anoplognathus rhinastus – last reported 1999
Anoplognathus multiseriatus – last reported in the 1970’s
We have collected 6,592 total sightings (3,000+ of which are from this year alone!). We now have observations of 35 Christmas beetle species.
What's next?
-We will spend the next few months crunching numbers and trying to get a clearer picture about the state of our Christmas beetle populations. We hope the data will help us answer some important questions about the ecology and conservation needs of Christmas beetles. We'll let you know when we have preliminary results!
- It's hard to believe, but Christmas beetle season 2023/2024 will be here before we know it. We aim to make next season even bigger and we are working hard to prepare exciting new initiatives such as better educational resources, webinars and workshops. Stay tuned!
On behalf of the Christmas beetle team, thank you so much for your support. See you in October 2023!
Cheers
Tanya
