Bruno and Otto are identical twins. They’re also among Australia’s top weevil experts

About 17, we came back together. I’d become invested in snails, beetles and orchids; Otto became obsessed with beetles, too. But, really, weevils are our shared interest. We went into the bush every day at Mount Nelson, looking under rocks and logs. I’d photograph everything. We’d take our finds to the head entomologist of Tasmania, but he wasn’t able to tell us half the things we wanted to know. Now we collect specimens for Harvard University and do -research programs for the Australian Museum. Together, we’ve identified about 100 new species of weevils. Otto is meticulous but also very understanding. I can get impatient if we don’t have enough vials or lose a specimen, and I can get angry with my camera. One day, we spent five hours in the Tasmanian Midlands. I was trying to photograph a rare orchid, but the exposure wasn’t working and it was windy and the shot was blurry, and it was getting late. I got frustrated and started swearing, but Otto stayed calm. He said, “It’s fine! I’m sure you got a good photo.” We went back, and I did have a good photo. He underplays himself a lot. I think he’s one of the best weevil researchers in Tasmania, but he says that’s not true. We also console each other. Recently, we found two important weevil specimens on Kunanyi [Mount Wellington], but Otto lost them in his bedroom. He was on his bed, fuming about it. When he left his room, I went in and spent two hours searching – and I found them. I was impressed that I’d found them -because they were only two millimetres long. I knew how much they meant to Otto. Otto: Having Bruno was good as a kid. We didn’t fit in too much, but we always had each other. He encouraged me to look into the natural world. There was an oak tree at our school and we’d come home with our pockets bulging with acorns and pants falling down. We loved them so much we called our dog Acorn.