Diphlebia coerulescens (Sapphire Rockmaster)

Rockmasters were high on my wish list for our 2019 trip around southeast Queensland. I was lucky enough to see two species, though I didn’t realize that I’d seen two at first. This, Diphlebia coerulescens (Sapphire Rockmaster), inhabits the coastal band from northeast New South Wales to northeast Queensland. As the name implies, they like sitting on rocks in the middle of streams and rapid rivers.

My encounters with this species were at Mapleton Falls NP, Finch Hatton Gorge and Northbrook Creek and I was delighted to be able to hop from rock to rock, avoiding the need for Wellies, snapping them as often as I could.

male

female

in cop