Eastern Double Drummer Thopha saccata (Fabricius, 1803)
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Set male dorsal
Male
Female
Species number (TNS): 003. Fore wing length: 50–66 mm. Distribution and seasonality: Eastern Australia in four disjunct populations: (1) north Queensland, from near Cooktown south to the Herbert River district, including the Atherton Tableland; (2) the Sarina district in central Queensland; (3) Kroombit Tops via Gladstone; and (4) from near Bundaberg in South-east Queensland south to Moruya on the south coast of New South Wales, with populations extending inland to the Great Dividing Range. Adults can occur from October to March and are most prevalent from December to February. Notable localities: Beerwah State Forest, Brisbane’s coastal sand islands (Bribie Island, Moreton Island, North and South Stradbroke Island), Girraween National Park (via Stanthorpe), Royal National Park (Sydney). Habitat: Tall open forests, dry sclerophyll forests, heathlands with emergent eucalypts and woodland. Populations tend to persist in the more extensive patches of remnant vegetation, including in areas of acreage, but generally not in suburban gardens. Calling song and behaviour: Males produce a loud, even piercing, electric whine, which fluctuates smoothly in pitch. Singing occurs at intervals throughout the day when the weather is warm and sunny, and also at dusk. Adults, including calling males, tend to sit (usually high) on the trunks of eucalypts. Population sizes vary within each locality from season to season and sometimes populations (and the piercing calls that they produce) are conspicuously absent with many years passing between appearances. Colour variation: Specimens may vary from reddish-brown to dark reddish- brown. Similar species: Northern Double Drummer.
Habitat
dr-pop.net database record
Currently known extent