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I have decided on pursuing an ongiong project of documenting insects and bugs found only in/on our 1/4 acre suburban(ish) block. So far I have captured images of just over 60 types, I have seen others but have not maged to get a frame of them yet. One wonders just how many different types there would be in such a small pocket of land?

Here are a couple of images of a bug which I found today and which I have not yet been able to identify, can any one help? I am not sure if the 'stuff' on its back is supposed to be there or if it is some sort of fungal growth or parasite slowly killing the bug. Overall length of this specimen is around 15mm.



 PS. if there are any entomologists amongst us I would appreciate some help in the ID of a few other bugs that you can see here http://gmarshall.zenfolio.com/p593182137, all help greatly appreciated. If you can ID any please PM me, thanks .

This things got me beaten. It looks like a scale insect but is way to larger (at 15mm).

OK it is a beetle of some kind I would guess it is in the section Chrysomelidae but that is as close as I can get as I have not seen this particular one before.
I would think the fluffy gear is camoflage as he probably eats mealy bugs or something similar. This is just like the beetle Cryptolaemus does when it is in larval stages. A good guy to have about.

Nice photo, but the subject looks horrid!
I would possiblyhad stepped on it denying
any possible evolution.

Well I have struggled to get an ID for this being so sent off the images to Queensland Museum who kindly provided the following in an email.

"Yours is an interesting insect. It is a beetle of the genus Emcephalus in the family Tenebrionidae. The waxy secretions are described as 'floccose' meaning hairlike filaments. They probably help conceal it as it feeds on fungus growing on tree trunks in moist forests of eastern Australia.

We have a section on our website called 'Question of the month'. This would be a good one, if we may use the image with your permission."

I have advised the museum that they can use my images for their 'Question of the Month'