Vote for the bird dropping beetle! Discovered and described by an AES student, yes, it does look like that. If you looked like a fusion of bird poop and death via fungal infection, you might be a little less desirable of a snack and a bit harder for those autistic entomologists to find 😂

Interested in Australian scorpions? Apply to come to @flindersuniversity.bsky.social for a PhD with Dr Russell Bicknell, Professor Mike Lee and I:

www.flinders.edu.au/scholarships...

Project and scholarship fully funded by the ARC. [Amazing photo of Urodacus manicatus by Panduka Amarasekara]

Fully funded PhD scholarship on Scorpion Evolution at Flinders University, working with Russell Bicknell, Bruno Buzzato
@brunobuzatto.bsky.social and myself

Details at this link:
www.flinders.edu.au/scholarships...

Please spread the word!

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I'm sure you've all bee-n buzzing with ant-icipation all year, and the @austentsoc.bsky.social Student Conference Grants are now open!
Applications close on the 8th August and can be used for registration to the conference or the cost of travel to Canberra (subject to receipts).
🦋🪳🪲🪰🐝🐜🦗🦟🐞

One week later, and the DOI is working! Check out our paper using network analyses to assess vulnerability for Fijian bees along an elevational gradient.
doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
You wouldn't bee-lieve how good I'm getting at completing side-projects and ignoring my thesis.