Mission Beach, QLD

[moloch]

Greetings,

My family and I are back from a holiday to the wet tropics of Mission Beach, QLD. Mission Beach has long been our favourite family holiday location and it was great to have all of grown kids with us again. “Wet tropics” was an appropriate term since it rained everyday and sometimes for the entire day. Photography was difficult due to the wet conditions so I don't have as many photos as I had hoped.

I will begin with a few habitat shots and then add arachnids and other interesting animals that I have observed on this trip.

Mission Beach





… view of Mission Beach and offshore islands from Bicton Hill. We climb this hill once or twice each day for exercise.


Dunk Island and the family group of islands:



... view of South Mission Beach area:



Murray Falls – about 45 minutes inland from Mission Beach




This Boyd’s Forest Dragon (Hypsilurus boydii) was on the same tree as one that I observed in Nov 2009. They are slow moving dragons and are easy to overlook.




Black-throated Rainbow-Skink (Carlia rostralis) – common at Murray Falls.



Closed-litter Rainbow-Skink (Carlia longipes) – common around our cabin in Mission Beach.



Red-throated Rainbow-Skink (Carlia rubrigularis) – these are the most abundant skink and possibly most abundant reptile here in the wet tropics.



Northern Bar-sided Skink (Eulamprus brachysoma) – I think that this lizard is this species although E. tenuis is a possibility.



Jungle Carpet Python (Morelia spilota) -- I saw two of these one wet night while night-driving for reptiles.




One night, my son and I found this large and nicely patterned Jungle Carpet Python that had just eaten. By the size, I would imagine that it had captured one of the many bandicoots of the area.




Scrub Python (Morelia kinghorni) – This is our largest snake that grows to 8.5m in length.




Mission Beach is probably the easiest place in the world to see Southern Cassowary. We’ve sighted these lovely birds almost daily. Despite their size, they can disappear easily when they step off the trail.





Bush Stone-Curlew with young.

Snake-headed Gudgeon – These are one of the common freshwater fish of the area. These are males in breeding colours.

[Mitton]

Another great thread, love the 2nd Jungle Carpet Python.

[curtis48]

I would not mind going there! Beautiful reptiles and fish! Also love the islands.

[Spider]

Absolutely AMAZING!!! Love the jungle carpet pythons.

[Waz]

Wow, great post!

Love the spines on the Boyd's Dragon and the second Carpet Python has incredible colouration!

Are Srub Pythons the same as Amethistine Pythons?

Fantastic photos too.

[Psychogav]

I'm Gobsmacked! That Scrub Python is something else.

[Wolf777]

Moloch I love your posts! Thanks for all the effort you put into them.

[John Rees]

Thanks Moloch! This is a fantastic post. It has so much and the photo's are beautiful. I just love the Boyd’s Forest Dragon and the scrub python. What a wonderful place.

[Spider]

And did I mention the waterfall! WOW!

[moloch]

Thanks, everyone, for their kind remarks.

Waz,
Scurb and Amethystine are the same. I prefer Amethystine since these are rainforest animals. Also, you can see their refractive scales.




Here are wings from a Ulysses Swallowtail. These really are the Aussie equivalents to the neotropical Morphos.



Cairn's Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) -- our largest butterfly and one of the most spectacular. This is a female.
Males are a glistening emerald green and gold. To me, these are the "birds-of-paradise" of the butterfly world and like the BOPs, they are mostly found in New Guinea.



Fuscous Swallowtail (Papilio fuscous) and Pale Green Triangle (Graphium eurpylus), another Papilionidae



Hamadryad (Tellervo zoilus)




Yellow-eyed Plane (Neptis praslini) -- look much like Hamadryads but their flight is very different and they usually land upright on leaves.



Common Eggfly (Hypolimnus bolina)



Red Lacewing (Cethosia cydippe)



Australian Rustic (Cupha prosope)



Chocolate Argus (Junonia hedonia)




Purple Crow


Ciliate Blue (Anthene lycaenoides) and Cycad Blue (Theclinesthes onycha)


Green-banded Line Blue (Nacaduba cyanea)





Large Banded Blue (Danis danis) -- these are really beautiful. Unfortunately, I only saw two and could not get close to them. This one was perched about 3m above the trail.



Small Banded Blue(Psychonotis caelius) -- much like the Large Banded Blue but smaller. For some reason, this pattern is present in a number of genera of blues in the wet tropics of Australia.



Shining Oakblue




Black-spotted Flash (Hypolycaena phorbus)




Orange-streaked Ringlet (Hypocysta irius)



Orange Ringlet (Hypocysta adiante)



Orange Bush Brown



Evening Brown




Northern Sword-grass Brown (Tisiphone helena)




Broad-banded Awl (Hasora hurama) and skipper



Orange Grass-dart (Ocybadistes ardea) and Lyell's Swift (Pelopidas lyelli)



Banded Demon

[MrG]

Thx for showing us your world. Exciting it definately is. What is the common venomous snakes that you would fine there?

[sega]

All i can say is wow!!!!!!! .

[Microlepidotus]

Its pretty an overwhelming feeling to find an Amethistyne in my oppinion !
Great stuff !


Mrg, common venomous snakes you wil find there is the Eastern brown snake, Red bellied black snake, Northen Death adder and Coastal Taipan.

I cant think of any other snakes ?

[Microlepidotus]

Im also positive you could find a brown tree snakes there which is also a beautie in my world


Im not exactely shure where Mission beach is, the snakes I mentioned is to some degree in Queensland, but not exactely sure where your palce exactely is ?

[Graeme]

Microlepidotus, your wealth of information is staggering as well as articulate. Now, if it were at all possible, do you think that this post, as pleasant as it is, may continue without your vague and muddy input. Perhaps MrG could get an answer from moloch who probably knows where Mission Beach is, and then we'll all continue enjoying this really beautiful post.