Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)

IUCN Status: Least Concern.

There's a certain obsessiveness that comes with nature photography. Some just obsess about ticking boxes for seeing a new species. For me, it's about trying to capture the beauty in the world around me that is so easy to miss. So I tend to come at it from the other direction from those around me.

I take the photos, then do the identification and study. The ecologically experienced guys around me have seen so much more and go after targeted species. This means they ignore some stuff I'm interested in.

Take this shot for example. One of my companions told me this was a common species seen not far from our homes in Brisbane. However I'd not seen it before, and regardless I would have shot it because I think they're stunning.

It turns out this isn't the same species. There's a tropical species of the same genus that isn't near home. The identifying difference is the size of some dots on they lower abdomen, and you'd really need a decent look at them to pick it in the field.

Sometimes being a bit obsessive pay off.