Hemigomphus gouldii

Southern Vicetail at Cotter River, ACT

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Identification history

Hemigomphus gouldii	11 Jan 2017	HarveyPerkins
Hemigomphus gouldii	11 Jan 2017	HarveyPerkins
Hemigomphus heteroclytus	11 Jan 2017	KenT

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2 comments

HarveyPerkins wrote:

12 Jan 2017

Ken, the two Hemigomphus species we get in the ACT, H. gouldii and h. heteroclytus, can be very difficult to tell apart, especially from photos. The key features to note are the degree of attachment or detachment of the antehumeral stripe from the collar, and the shape of the male's superior anal appendages. The latter can appear quite different depending on the angle of the photo which makes it even more difficult; and the first characteristic can vary somewhat. I hadn't yet got around to creating the species listing for H. gouldii at the time of your submission. Cheers, Harvey.

KenT wrote:

12 Jan 2017

Thanks Harvey, I have the books of Watson, Theischinger & Abbey (1991) and Theischinger & Hawking (2012) but without a specimen sitting under the stereo microscope I have trouble distinguishing the species in many genera from the photos I take. One can manipulate things under a microscope but with an image one is stuck with what you have. So many thanks for your confirmations and comments.

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