Nine-spotted Potterwasp
Size about 11mm. A solitary individual buzzing around our nicely smelling gardenia and collecting nectar. It sat down several times and it was quite predictable where that would happen. It quickly touched the spot, moved away and came back. My identification might - as always be wrong. I checked with photos of the type specimens on ALA and this seemed an exceptionally good match. The description is not very old (1977) and the only specimens documented are thousands of kilometres away in temperate climate Australia. Surely, this is another amazing case of 'climate osmosis'. Actually, I'd prefer to think my identification is either wrong, or even more likely biodiversity data for Queensland are not available, blocked or hidden away somewhere. We need more free citizen scientists employed by high earning, jet-setting Museum directors, we need more sponsors from private companies who are after a good 'corporate social responsibility' track record. Or we might just not care about biodiversity and enjoy our own little garden.
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