Day 1 - Arrival

1. Orb web spider (Neoscona sp.)
   This Neoscona was perched on the plants in front of our cabins, good warm up subject! Could have taken close ups but I've recently chosen to take shots of spiders in their natural positions wherever possible in order to document their habitat.


2. Big jaw spider (Tetragnathidae)
   Several tetragnathids visible in the foliage, with their inclined orb webs. The rain caused most of the subjects to look wet and more reflective.


3. Copper-cheeked frog (Hylarana labialis)
   The pond beside our cabin had A LOT of these frogs, also known as the white-lipped frog. My ID for frogs is very weak, would appreciate any correction if mistakes are spotted!


4. Copper-cheeked frog (Hylarana labialis)
   Dorsal view for reference


5. Copper-cheeked frog (Hylarana labialis) Buy this Photo
   Under ultraviolet light, their eyes would like up like possessed amphibians!


6. Copper-cheeked frog (Hylarana labialis) Buy this Photo
   View from the top, the fluorescence is apparently on the surface of the eye and not just a retinal reflection as thought.


7. Huntsman spider (Pandercetes sp.)
   Found lots of huntsman spiders loitering on the tree trunks.


8. Huntsman spider (Pandercetes sp.)
   Close up shot of the body.


9. Leafhopper nymph (Cicadellidae)
   Numerous leafhoppers too, this nymph had a little see-through look.


10. Jumping spider (Salticidae) preying on Huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
    We spotted an awesome catch by a jumping spider, devouring a huntsman spider!


11. Jumping spider (Salticidae) preying on Huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
    Settled down on a leaf, but continued its meal. Had the prey helplessly looking into the camera...


12. Spiny orb web spider (Gasteracantha sp.)
    Probably a juvenile, but I've not seen any other adult Gasteracantha in the area, just a few Macracantha.


13. Leafhopper nymph (Cicadellidae)
    Some of the leafhoppers got a little bit more colour on them.


14. Leafhopper nymph (Cicadellidae)
    The characteristic tibial spines.


15. Leafhopper (Cicadellidae)
    Did I mention that they were becoming more and more colourful? This was tiny, about 2 to 3mm long.


16. Leafhopper (Cicadellidae)
    Probably the most beautiful leafhopper on this trip!


17. Harvestman (Opiliones) with Moth-like planthopper (Ricaniidae)
    Was trying to shoot this moth-like planthopper and a harvestman decided to walk by.


18. Harvestman (Opiliones)
    Close up of the intruder!


19. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    There were several large spiky stick insects, but due to the rain, their bodies were wet and very reflective.


20. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    Dorsal view shows how broad the abdomen can get - fat stick!


21. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    Close up on the eye would be much cuter!


22. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    More stick insects!


23. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    The small ones tend to hide under the leaves, so it is not always easy to find them.


24. Darkling beetle? (Tenebrionidae?)
    Not sure of the ID to this beetle yet, but thought I'd take a quick shot anyway.


25. Springtail (Salina sp.)
    These tiny springtails can run really fast, but this was stationary.


26. Frog (Anura)
    A juvenile frog, not sure of ID.


27. Frog (Anura)
    Patterns not really distinct yet.


28. Orb web spider (Gea sp.)
    The Gea in Singapore were typically brown and white while this had a vibrant yellow pattern!


29. Comb-footed spider (Theridiidae)
    Not particularly good at identifying this group of spiders, and they really can keep running.


30. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    One of the many beautiful tree frogs lazing by the pathways.


31. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    Really.. really.. sleepy...


32. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    Close up on another one!


33. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    A little bit more awake as it lifted its head to look at me.


34. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    I must've looked really boring...


35. File-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus)
    This was deeper into the vegetation, blocked by lots of twigs but I managed to squeeze through to get some angles of it.


36. File-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus)
    Notice the tiger-striped legs!


37. File-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus)
    And the "file-ear"!


38. File-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus)
    Just chilling. Tree frogs have some of the cutest poses on branches.


39. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Interesting looking katydid, at least 2 to 3 inches long.


40. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    It was colourful!


41. Fishing spider (Hygropoda sp.)
    We were near to the pond, these flexible-legged fishing spiders didn't come as a surprise.


42. Fishing spider (Hygropoda sp.)
    View of the eye arrangement.


43. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    Seen so many of these tree frogs that I had to put a flash behind to see if I could see their skeletal structure. Well.. barely. Just barely.


44. Dwarf toad (Pelophryne sp.)
    There were lots of toads on the grass as well. Not too sure of ID.


45. Dwarf toad (Pelophryne sp.)
    Just relaxing on some grass.


46. Frog (Anura)
    Another juvenile frog of unknown ID.


47. Frog (Anura)
    It had a nice spotty head!


48. Orb web spider (Neoscona sp.)
    Probably Neoscona melloteei but not confirmed.


49. Broad-headed bug (Alydidae)
    These bugs are actually ant-mimics. Easily mistaken for an ant when viewed from a distance.


50. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    Since there were so many of them, I tried a closer view of their eyes.


51. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
    And the face!


52. Grasshopper (Caelifera)
    The striped eyes of this grasshopper was really intriguing!


53. Daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcidae)
    Tiny little pholcid carrying her sac of eggs.


54. Daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcidae)
    Lateral view!


55. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    More giant stick insects. I wanted to take wide angle shots but those would have been better looking in the day and when they were not so wet.


56. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    Another one hanging out.


57. Feather-legged spider (Uloboridae)
    This fancy looking uloborid had a messy web under a leaf.


58. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Closer look at one of the katydids. Looked plain green until we took the close up shots.


59. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Lateral view.


60. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
    The Utivarachna that we have in Singapore were pinkish red, while this dons a hue of green and yellow. I waited VERY long before it decided to stay still for some record shots.


61. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Stunning katydid that flattens itself onto a leaf when threatened.


62. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    What do we see here? A mite sucking on the katydid!


63. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
    Amber found several trilobite beetle larvae on some fallen logs.


64. Tarantula (Theraphosidae)
    We chased this tarantula around but it eventually disappeared into the leaf litter.


65. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Found another katydid that flattens itself, and placed my flash behind to "see through" it.


66. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    How it looked like normally.


67. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Close up on the head!


68. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
    Eye arrangement of the Utivarachna.


69. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
    Lateral view, showing the invagination behind the ocular region.


70. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
    Since this one stood still for a while, I took pictures at every angle!


71. Weevil (Curculionidae)
    Scruffy looking weevil, but it had a deep red colour!


72. Weevil (Curculionidae)
    Dorsal view.


73. Black armored cockroach (Catara rugosicollis)
    The ones in Singapore gave off an odd scent when they felt threatened. Luckily this one didn't give off any scent.


74. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
    More trilobite beetles! The tiny heads are so cute~


75. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
    This was perched at the edge of a sawed log.


76. Wall crab spider (Selenopidae) or huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
    Wasn't sure if this tiny spider was a selenopid or sparassid.


77. Wall crab spider (Selenopidae) or huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
    Check out the eye arrangement! There are also 2 red "horns" on each corner of the cephalothorax which could just be the lateral eyes.


78. Ornate earless agama (Aphaniotis ornata)
    As we were getting ready to rest... we spotted an odd looking lizard.


79. Ornate earless agama (Aphaniotis ornata)
    It had a small but weird appendage at the tip, as if it just told some lies. Obviously not looking happy there.


80. Frog (Anura)
    Small little cute frog staring at us while we back-tracked to our cabins.


81. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    There were several sightings of these metallic looking lynx spiders.


82. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    Larger than the Oxyopes that we usually see in Singapore.


83. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    It's a boy!


84. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
    Amber saw yet another trilobite beetle larva. This one was much longer and thinner.


85. Whip scorpion (Thelyphonida)
    Also saw a vinegaroon, or whip scorpion. Didn't disturb it, so we didn't smell like vinegar. :)


86. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
    Another Utivarachna! This had a deeper red tone.


87. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
    Probably a sub-male?


88. Butterfly (Lepidoptera)
    Large butterfly at rest, didn't get to ID it yet.


89. Butterfly (Lepidoptera)
    Dorsal view.

Lantern Bugging

1. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)
   With a bit of luck, the 2 lantern bugs that we spotted the night before were nicely positioned at eye-level when we got to the trees!


2. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)
   The sun was coming down hard on us, and the lantern bugs were also busily moving about to keep themselves in the shade.


3. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)
   It wasn't easy to find an angle with nice faraway backgrounds for creamy bokeh, but while they kept moving, there's a chance!


4. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus) Buy this Photo
   And the chance finally came. To top if off, the yellow tip of the snout was lit by a bit of sunlight from behind.


5. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus) Buy this Photo
   Tried a little bit of wide angle photography to capture more of the environment.


6. Lizard (Agamidae)
   While we took turns to shoot the lantern bugs, some agamids were spotted, but at a less friendly height.



Botanical Gardens

After the quick shoot, we proceeded to the canteen for breakfast where the staff told us that a Pyrops sultanus was spotted at eye level just that morning in the botanical gardens. We wasted no time in finishing our food to rush to the tree, but got distracted at the toilet... of all places!


7. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
   A large katydid was spotted hiding within the little garden outside the toilet.


8. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
   Probably about 4 inches long, as I had to remove the Raynox.


9. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
   Also outside the toilet was this shield bug nymph. Absolutely stunning colours!


10. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
    Unfortunately it kept walking about and I didn't manage many nice shots of it.


11. Plant bug (Miridae?)
    Finally got ourselves into the garden and got distracted again.


12. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
    Apparently, the lantern bug had already climbed high up and "unshootable", but we were treated to a shield bug laying eggs just a few meters away!


13. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
    The patient mother lays her eggs in a very neat pattern.


14. Palm weevil (Cercidocerus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A black weevil got Dennis really excited near the gardens entrance, but it was this that got him going OMG OMG OMG OMG. I tend to imagine the antennae of this weevil to be window wipers! :)


15. Palm weevil (Cercidocerus sp.)
    Another view of the funky antennae.


16. False click beetle (Eucnemidae)
    There were several inconspicuous beetles.


17. False click beetle (Eucnemidae)
    But still cute!


18. Jumping spider (Salticidae)
    Some of the jumping spiders were more colourful.


19. Jumping spider (Salticidae)
    And gave me the innocent doe-eyed look.


20. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
    Went back to check on the shield bug, and she was still busy with her eggs.


21. Lizard beetle (Languriidae)
    Saw a highly reflective lizard beetle.


22. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    The lynx spiders here really look more interesting!


23. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    Here's a face shot of it while it was trying to balloon away.


24. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
    While staring around, we found another shield bug nymph, like the one spotted outside the toilet!


25. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
    Really flat, anterior view wasn't that interesting.


26. Crab spider (Pharta sp.)
    The rest found this male crab spider, and mistook it for a huntsman spider earlier.


27. Crab spider (Pharta sp.) Buy this Photo
    Close up on the eyes, and the exceptionally long pedipalps.


28. Jumping spider (Simaetha sp.)
    From afar, I saw a purplish little dot swinging a golden "mouth piece".


29. Jumping spider (Simaetha sp.)
    Turned out to be one of the beautiful genera of jumping spiders that I had been looking for! The pictures don't do it justice, you need to see the spider with your own eyes!


30. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) with cordyceps fungus Buy this Photo
    We also found MANY dead shield bugs infected by cordyceps fungus. Most had cordyceps fungus of different shapes growing out from the abdomen. This was unique as it had 3 sticking out.


31. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) with cordyceps fungus
    This one was much thicker.


32. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) with cordyceps fungus Buy this Photo
    The shield bug's wings appear to be gone, revealing the colourful abdomen.


33. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) with cordyceps fungus
    Closer look on the blue-red stripes.


34. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) with cordyceps fungus
    Took shots of almost every angle that I could think of.


35. Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
    There were many huntsman spiders on the tree trunks and even at the rest benches.


36. Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.)
    Spot the spider!


37. Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.)
    Closer look at the orb-weaver.


38. Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.)
    Possibly C. bifida but could be anything else.


39. Ant (Formicidae) with cordyceps fungus
    The shield bugs were not the only ones infected with cordyceps fungus.


40. Ant (Formicidae) with cordyceps fungus
    Adjusted the angle of the branch a little, and a brighter background was achieved.


41. Wasp sharing a meal with ant Buy this Photo
    Another scene that attracted our attention! Gathering of 3 different predators, but the poor orthopteran was at the bottom of this food chain.


42. DSC_3421
    There were lots of these ants around and they were ignored initially, until I noticed a slower moving one that looked... blue!


43. Golden blue ant (Polyrhachis sp.) Buy this Photo
    True enough, the abdomen was blue with a golden head and thorax.


44. Golden blue ant (Polyrhachis sp.)
    Dorsal view shows the spines.


45. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    There were some katydid nymphs.


46. Assassin bug (Reduviidae)
    We found this assassin bug devouring a winged ant on the bridge railings.


47. Assassin bug (Reduviidae)
    There were limited angles but managed to get a lateral view.


48. Jumping spider (Simaetha sp.)
    Found another Simaetha, this was slightly smaller!


49. Shield bug? (Pentatomidae?)
    Looked dead, with the discoloured eyes.


50. Orb web spider (Neoscona sp.)
    Many of the orb-weaving spiders were hiding in various dead leaves, coming out on their orb webs only at night.


51. Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon)
    Found several fish hook ants, but they were moving non-stop!


52. Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon)
    Traced one of them that paused for a while, long enough to take some record shots.


53. Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon)
    Dorsal view shows the petiole spines wider apart, compared to P. bihamata


54. Froghopper (Cercopidae)
    Don't see froghoppers much in Singapore, these were certainly more brightly coloured!


55. Froghopper (Cercopidae)
    Better view of the wing venation.


56. Huntsman spider in fungus (Heteropoda sp.)
    As we left the botanic gardens, a large huntsman spider engulfed in fungus was found dangling from a tree.


57. Huntsman spider in fungus (Heteropoda sp.)
    Quite likely to be H. boiei.


58. Huntsman spider in fungus (Heteropoda sp.)
    Wide-angle attempt with fill flash. Need to try a non-fisheye next time to avoid the distortion.

We rested in the late afternoon and went to town to restock our groceries and have our dinner. Had extra rice in order to have the energy to last the night! =D



Night walk in the botanical gardens

Made special arrangements to enter the gardens at night, and it was littered with many interesting finds! Jeff and another staff joined us for this walk.


59. Leafhopper (Cicadellidae)
    This leafhopper looked similar to the ones in Singapore, except for the white patches on the anterior region.


60. Leafhopper (Cicadellidae)
    Would always shoot the tibial spines. :)


61. Derbid planthopper (Derbidae)
    This derbid planthopper was plain looking, but broader than most that I've seen before.


62. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    One of the many spiny stick insects.


63. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    This had a cute little heart shape.


64. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    Lateral view.


65. Planthopper (Penthicodes sp.)
    Found this fulgorid planthopper off the trail, looks close to the one we see in Singapore but this was much darker, possibly faded.


66. Planthopper (Penthicodes sp.)
    Dorsal view.


67. Stick insects (Phasmatodea)
    Found a lovely pair of mating stick insects!


68. Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi)
    This lantern bug was found way above eye level, but with live view, I was able to get a record shot.


69. Beetle
    Unidentified beetle.


70. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    Probably the same species of stick insect as the mating pair earlier.


71. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
    Lateral view.


72. Long-legged sac spider (Miturgidae)
    These spiders were commonly hiding under leaves.


73. Long-legged sac spider (Miturgidae)
    Obviously a boy...


74. Long-legged sac spider (Miturgidae)
    Closer look at the eye arrangement.


75. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
    The huntsman spiders were out in action in the night.


76. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Several katydids were spotted, and this one was huge!


77. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Dorsal view. Not sure if the black spot meant anything.


78. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    Found the same lovely lynx spider that we saw in the day.


79. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
    Generally quite cooperative to get a quick shot of the eyes.


80. Cicada (Cicadidae)
    Large cicada with greenish blue eyes. Couldn't fit the frame even with Raynox 150.


81. Cicada (Cicadidae)
    Full view of the cicada.


82. Cicada (Cicadidae)
    And close up on the eyes!


83. Tree trunk spider (Nephilengys sp.)
    This spider is typically found on tree trunk depressions.


84. Moss mantis nymph (Haania sp.)
    A moss mantis nymph, the mossy patterns are not distinct yet.


85. Moss mantis nymph (Haania sp.)
    Still a fascinating outline for a mantis!


86. Big-jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae)
    Found this pair of tetragnathids mating under a leaf.


87. Big-jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae)
    Lateral view shows the palpal organ inserted into the epigyne.


88. Centipede (Scolopendra)
    Didn't see many centipedes around, this one was relatively quiet.


89. Dwarf toad (Pelophryne sp.)
    The usual sighting of frogs!


90. Dwarf toad (Pelophryne sp.)
    Not sure of ID for this one though.


91. Orb web spider (Gibbaranea sp.)
    Odd looking orb-weaver, first time seeing this genus.


92. Orb web spider (Eriovixia sp.)
    One of the most common orb-weavers around! The males tend to be more colourful.


93. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    Saw this stunning katydid nymph, dorsal view does not do it justice.


94. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
    The premature wings can be seen from the lateral view.


95. Five bar swordtail (Graphium antiphates) Buy this Photo
    Also saw a sleeping five bar swordtail!


96. Dead leaf grasshopper (Trigonopterygidae)
    Dennis was particularly excited at spotting 4 different species of leaf-mimic grasshoppers. I only took photos of some as I was getting distracted by other creatures. :P


97. Dead leaf grasshopper (Trigonopterygidae)
    Here's the brown morph.


98. Grasshopper (Caelifera)
    Interesting colour combination of yellow and black.


99. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
    Looks very much like Deroplatys but I'm not sure. The rest excitedly mistook it for a flower mantis until we had a closer look. Nevertheless, a beautiful specimen!


100. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
     View of its back with the abdomen flipped over.


101. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
     It didn't stop moving, but it also meant that there were many different poses to shoot!


102. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
     Kept walking and walking...


103. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.) Buy this Photo
     Stopped for a brief moment, and I quickly snapped a portrait.


104. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
     View from below...


105. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
     Pushing my luck as I took another portrait before letting it go back into hiding.


106. Orb web spider (Gibbaranea sp.)
     Another sighting of this spider!


107. Orange huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
     I was the last to shoot this orange huntsman spider, but missed it sharing a meal with a harvestman.


108. Orange huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
     It disappeared into the forest litter, and took me very long to get it back out!


109. Orange huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
     Really large and beautiful creature.


110. Orange huntsman spider (Sparassidae) Buy this Photo
     Close up on its eyes!


111. Cuckoo wasp (Loboscelidia sp.)
     Shot one of this in Singapore recently, and lucky enough to see it again.


112. Cuckoo wasp (Loboscelidia sp.)
     Lateral view.


113. Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
     Stick insect nymph, much cuter than the giant spiky stuff. :P


114. Green hawk moth (Daphnis sp.?)
     Amber spotted this hawk moth at rest.


115. Green hawk moth (Daphnis sp.?)
     Just happily dangling away.


116. Green hawk moth (Daphnis sp.?)
     Catching a glimpse of the eyes from above.


117. Earwig (Dermaptera)
     Long "fork" spotted on this earwig.


118. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) or wall crab spider (Selenopidae)
     Still confused over the family of this spider...


119. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
     Wrinkly looking shield bug. Wondering if the adults look very different.


120. Beetle
     Interesting looking beetle, yet to find out what this is. Reminds me of some cerambycids that I've seen before.


121. Beetle
     Lateral view.


122. Planthopper (Fulgoromorpha)
     Inconspicuous planthopper, but quite a pretty one!


123. Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
     Lovely katydid "unflattened" itself.


124. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
     Placed my flash behind to shine through the wings.


125. Planthopper nymph (Fulgoromorpha)
     Bushy tailed planthopper nymph.


126. Planthopper nymph (Fulgoromorpha)
     Challenging to get shots of the face, but always rewarding.


127. Orb web spider (Eriovixia sp.)
     Quite a few of these male orb-weavers.


128. Beetles
     Same beetle as above, but mating!


129. Beetles
     Lateral view.


130. Darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae)
     The tiny pimple-sized beetles that nobody wanted to shoot.


131. Darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae)
     The green on this tenebrionid is striking, unlike those we see in Singapore.


132. Darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae)
     Close up on the eyes.


133. Ground spider (Zodariidae)
     Saw a few ground spiders resting on low-lying leaves.


134. Winged ant (Crematogaster sp.)
     As we returned to the cabins, Amber and I stopped by the lamp posts to check out the bugs attracted to the light. This winged ant looked a little dead.


135. Winged ant (Crematogaster sp.)
     Kow tow...


136. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     There were MANY mayflies!


137. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     And quite a few variations too.


138. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     Just decided to take shots of a few of them.


139. Nursery web spider (Pisauridae)
     Once in a while, a spider crept up.


140. Nursery web spider (Pisauridae)
     Just going to shoot everything I see!


141. Longhorn orb web spider (Macracantha arcuata)
     Amber found this longhorn orb-weaver just opposite the lamp post.


142. Longhorn orb web spider (Macracantha arcuata) Buy this Photo
     Flipped the leaves over and managed some decent shots of this bizarre spider.


143. Longhorn orb web spider (Macracantha arcuata)
     Closer view of the abdomen.


144. Derbid planthopper (Derbidae) Buy this Photo
     The lamp post had all sorts of bugs, this particular derbid had blue and red markings on the wings!


145. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     One of the things we look for in mayflies are these "cupcake" eyes!


146. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     Some "cupcakes" are narrow and tall.


147. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     They just looked ridiculously cute~


148. Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
     Last mayfly shot of the night!

1. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   First up is a tortoise-shell orb-weaver with a rich tone of orange and distinct black spots - reminded me of Toad from Super Mario Brothers. It was found dangling on its web along one of the trails near Tambopata Research Center. For those who have been asking about how the blue background came about, I was shooting upwards towards the blue sky since the spider refused to stay still except when it was upside down.


2. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   In 2002, Herbert W. Levi published the very useful Keys to the Genera of Araneid Orbweavers of the Americas. It helped me to narrow down the genus of many of the orb weavers that I encountered. In this case, the dorsal habitus and presence of 6 discrete black patches on the spider's orange abdomen suggests that it could be a female Encyosaccus sexmaculatus. The species name "sexmaculatus" means 6-spots in latin.


3. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   Lateral view reveals even more black spots on the ventral side of the abdomen.


4. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   Ventral view, for those interested to see spider porn the epigyne. The spider was about 8mm in size.


5. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   She didn't stop moving, this is one of the few shots of her running around. While some are calling this the tortoise-shell orb weaver, some are also calling it a ladybug-mimic orb weaver. Ladybugs (or ladybirds) possess alkaloids which make them unpalatable, so the distinct markings could remind potential predators of their last yucky meal and decide to leave them alone.


6. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   The large, brightly coloured chelicerae sometimes makes me wonder if they can pierce through human skin. She was grooming herself momentarily, allowing me a few seconds to focus for this shot.


7. Tortoise shell orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.)
   Amazingly, she stood still when Jeff took his shots. This was the last shot I took before we left her alone on her usual orb weaving business. I have posted more shots of this spider in the Encyosaccus album on Flickr, for those who are interested.


8. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
   In Collpa Island, I found a number of orb weavers belonging to a similar but different genus - Hypognatha. They liked to build orb webs across the trails and were often overlooked due to their size (2-3mm only!) and seemingly unattractive colours.


9. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
   This specimen was busy with its meal.


10. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
    It anchored itself to the leaf via its spinnerets to prevent itself from falling off.


11. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
    Lateral view really makes it look like a turtle!


12. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
    A different specimen without the light-coloured markings on the abdomen.


13. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
    Further into the island, I found a red Hypognatha! It appeared to have complex palpal structures and could be the male.


14. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
    Abdomen was smooth without observable depressions.


15. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.)
    Lateral view shows how flat it can be! Check out my album on Flickr for more photos of Hypognatha.


16. Me with Vico and Jeff
    The guys who made this trip possible, thanks! To find out more about Tambopata Research Center, visit www.perunature.com.

1. Femora IV always longer than femora I
2. Glabrous carapace (lacking fur) with the exception of Micrathena furcula, often with 1 to 3 pairs of dimples and a high thorax

1. Micrathena clypeata (Walckenaer, 1805)
2. Micrathena cornuta (Taczanowski, 1873)
3. Micrathena excavata (C. L. Koch, 1836)
4. Micrathena kirbyi (Perty, 1833)
5. Micrathena plana (C. L. Koch, 1836)
6. Micrathena pungens (Walckenaer, 1841)
7. Micrathena schreibersi (Perty, 1833)
8. Micrathena triangularis (C. L. Koch, 1836)
9. Micrathena triangularispinosa (De Geer, 1778)

1. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   One of the most common and easily recognizable species of Micrathena, M. clypeata is shaped like a red heart. The carapace has 3 pairs of dimples and a circular thoracic depression. Dorsum of abdomen is flat with sclerotized discs, has 3 thorns posteriorly on each side, and 1 on each lateral margin.


2. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   As these orb weavers are diurnal, most were spotted in the day. Here's a shot of it rushing towards a freshly caught bee on the web.


3. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   It perches over an opening in the middle of the orb web, allowing it to move quickly to either side of the web.


4. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   Better view of the eye arrangement.


5. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   Lateral view shows just how thin the abdomen can be.


6. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   The thin abdomen allowed light to pass through from behind. Little patches of the blue sky can be seen through the foliage in the background.


7. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♀
   How it looks when it flips to the other side of the orb web.


8. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) ♂
   The corresponding male, much smaller and sexually dimorphic.


9. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena gr. cornuta) ♀
   This relatively small species may build interesting patches of stabilimenta on its web. Their purpose is not certain, perhaps to confuse potential predators?


10. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena gr. cornuta) ♀
    Closer view of Micrathena gr. cornuta.


11. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena excavata) ♀
    Micrathena excavata sports an orange carapace, light orange dorsal abdomen with 3 pairs of lateral spines, a large pair of black posterolateral spines and a lighter pair of spines in between. Carapace lacks dimples or rim, with a high thorax. This specimen does not exhibit the different tones of the spines, and could be immature.


12. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena kirbyi) ♀
    Micrathena kirbyi is one of the more boldly coloured species of Micrathena. The carapace is rimmed with a round thoracic mark and high thorax, and sides of abdomen almost parallel with 10 spines. The legs are black-brown except for the coxae and femora which are orange, graduating towards black at the end of the femora.


13. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena kirbyi) ♀
    Lateral view shows the high thorax.


14. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena kirbyi) ♀
    Pornographic Ventral view shows 2 light spots on each side of the spinnerets, and a median light spot behind.


15. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena cf. plana) ♀
    This Micrathena has dark bands on each side of the dorsal surface of the abdomen, with 2 anterior spines, 2 thorns on each side with a swelling in between (not obvious in photo) and a posterolateral spine on each side with 3 tips - middle tip the largest.


16. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena gr. plana) ♀
    Probably an immature specimen in this group.


17. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena pungens) ♀
    Micrathena pungens is probably the most common Micrathena spotted on this trip, with easily over 10 specimens spotted along the trails. The carapace has 3 pairs of dimples, a circular thoracic mark and a light coloured rim. The abdomen has an anterior pair of spines overhanging the carapace, 3 pairs of lateral spines and a pair of large posterolateral black spines with a small anterior hump at the base.


18. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena pungens) ♂
    Corresponding male of Micrathena pungens.


19. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena schreibersi) ♀
    Micrathena schreibersi has one of the longest posterolateral spines among all the Micrathena that I found. There are 4 pairs of black spines on the abdomen and a small pair of blunt spines overhanging the abdomen. The carapace has a yellow rim, an anterior pair of dimples and distinct pairs of grooves radiating from the circular thoracic depression.


20. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena schreibersi) ♀
    Lateral view shows the posterior pair of spines.


21. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena gr. triangularispinosa) ♀
    The triangularispinosa group is characterized by a shiny dome-shaped carapace with an indistinct thoracic mark. The abdomen is sub-triangular, with a large anterior pair of spines overhanging the carapace and a large pair of dorsal posterior spines. There are usually small lateral spines in between, and sometimes a small pair of posterior spines.


22. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena gr. triangularispinosa) ♀
    Lateral view shows the dome-shaped carapace.


23. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena cf. triangularis) ♀
    The carapace and abdomen of Micrathena triangularis is brownish-black. The carapace has 1 pair of dimples and thorax very high. Abdomen is trapezoidal with 14 to 16 spines.


24. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena cf. triangularis) ♀
    Posterior view shows how the rear spines are positioned.


25. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena triangularis) ♀
    Probably an immature specimen.


26. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♀
    This specimen looked close to Micrathena tziscao but it seems to have 4 pairs of small lateral spines while the description of M. tziscao has only 3 pairs of small lateral spines.


27. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♀
    Small posterior spines below the largest posterolateral spines.


28. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♀
    Micrathena tziscao has slightly larger posterior median eyes, but this trait does not look clear here.


29. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.)
    Most likely a juvenile Micrathena.


30. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♀
    Also an immature specimen of indeterminate species.


31. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♀
    Close match to Micrathena acuta but not certain on this!


32. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♀
    Possibly the same but more mature specimen of the above species.


33. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♂
    The male Micrathena specimens are difficult to identify.


34. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♂
    Most males are morphologically similar, and require examination of the palps.


35. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) ♂
    As no specimens were collected, all we have are photos of the males without ID!

Many have been asking me how the journey to Tambopata Research Center was like, so here's a quick summary.


36. Puerto Maldonado Airport
    From Lima Airport, it would be a 3-hour flight to Puerto Maldonado including a stopover at Cusco, which is where most tourists end up if they wish to visit the famous Macchu Picchu.


37. Rainforest Expeditions Office
    Just 10 minutes away from the airport, we could repack and leave part of our luggage at the Rainforest Expeditions office.


38. Bus to the Port
    One hour on the bus to the river port! Our big bags would be strapped on top of the bus.


39. River Port
    Doesn't look much like a bustling port, but that's our entrance to the Amazon!


40. River Boats
    That'll be where we spend the rest of the day in. 2.5 hours upstream towards Refugio Amazonas.


41. Food Porn
    We had our meals on the boat, surprised to get Chinese food - Chow Fan (fried rice). Delicious! Feeling hungry just thinking about it...


42. Sunset
    We were on the boat navigating through the meandering rivers til dusk.


43. Caiman
    There was the occasional caiman lazing on the mud banks. It was easy to spot them from a distance by detecting their eye shine.


44. Refugio Amazonas
    After the 2.5 hour boat ride, we spent the night in Refugio Amazonas where I did a short night macro shoot. This is the view of my room, has a nice hammock but I didn't have time to laze in it!


45. Boat to TRC
    The next morning had us on another boat for 5 hours. This chart shows the distance covered.


46. Amazonian River
    5 hours along the winding rivers, and this was how it looked like on both sides most of the time.


47. Arrival at Tambopata
    Had to fast forward. We spotted a number of avians, and troops of peccary (wild boars) but I just sat around sucking my thumb as I didn't have any long lens with me.


48. Tambopata Research Center
    I finally saw my bed sheets for the week ahead! But only for a brief moment before we trooped out to bench 3 to check out Jeff's camera trap.


49. Panoramic View of the Amazon from Terra Firma
    To close off, this is the view from one of the benches towards the camera trap. Shot with Canon G11. Click on the photo for a higher resolution view.

1. Acacesia Simon, 1895
2. Alpaida O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889
3. Argiope Audouin, 1826
4. Aspidolasius Simon, 1887
5. Cyclosa Menge, 1866
6. Encyosaccus Simon, 1895
7. Eriophora Simon, 1864
8. Hypognatha Guérin, 1839
9. Kapogea Levi, 1997
10. Mangora O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889
11. Metazygia F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904
12. Micrathena Sundevall, 1833
13. Ocrepeira Marx, 1883
14. Parawixia F. O. P. Cambridge, 1904
15. Xylethrus Simon, 1895
16. Verrucosa McCook, 1888
17. Wagneriana F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904

1. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   The first specimen we found was just a tiny blob at about 6mm wide.


2. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   It dropped to the forest floor very quickly as we approached. The dorsal view reveals the anterior median flat disc.


3. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   Playing dead while rolled up. This specimen looks like it has not eaten in a while.


4. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   Lateral view - all legs are tucked in neatly.


5. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   Posterior view - can hardly tell that it is a spider!


6. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   Finally wakes up! The spider rolled around the forest floor again and woke up with bits of dirt on its face.


7. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   Striking a very handsome pose.


8. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   On the last night, I found a much larger Xylethrus!


9. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
   It looked like it had just fed, with an obviously swollen abdomen.


10. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    As usual, it dropped to the forest litter when I approached, while leaving an escape line from its spinnerets to its web so that it can return when the coast is clear. The sclerotized ring around the spinnerets is very clear in this photo, as well as the posteriorly truncated sternum between coxae IV.


11. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    Due to the swollen abdomen, the tucked in legs are less conspicuous - could hardly tell that it is a spider at all.


12. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    Rolled over for a shot of the face.


13. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    More documentative lateral shots.


14. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    Posterior view - surprisingly, some tubercles do not seem symmetrical.


15. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    The spider rested at any position after rolling around.


16. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    Closer dorsal view, showing the anterior median flat disc and hemispherical tubercles.


17. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    Happily rolling around again!


18. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    It remained motionless after rolling, regardless of how unnatural the resulting position was.


19. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    At this position, it would be more likely to "wake up" and walk away soon.


20. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    True enough, she stood up slowly and started to get a feel of her surroundings.


21. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus)
    She started hobbling around clumsily, and we returned her to her orb web.


22. Dung beetle (Scarabidae)
    Interestingly, we found several dung beetles rolling balls of poop around, could Xylethrus be mimicking a ball of dung? Seems unlikely since it is an orb-weaver and should only capture prey on its orb web.


23. Dung beetle (Scarabidae)
    Shot of the dung beetle on top of the poop ball.

Several other genera of orb weavers (Araneidae) were documented on this trip. There were too many to do detailed posts for each genus, so I'll list a summary of the genera here.


24. Acacesia Simon, 1895
    A stunning species in this photo, especially when perched on its orb web. View the Acacesia album.


25. Alpaida O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889
    Found Alpaida alpaida and Alpaida truncata on this trip. View the Alpaida album.


26. Argiope Audouin, 1826
    Several specimens of Argiope argentata were found just beside the lodge. View the Argiope album.


27. Aspidolasius Simon, 1887
    Both male and female specimens of Aspidolasius branick were photographed. View the Aspidolasius album.


28. Cyclosa Menge, 1866
    Cyclosa in the Peruvian Amazon is commonly known as the decoy spider for building stabilimentum to a spider-ish shape. Usually called the trashline orb weaver in Asia! View the Cyclosa album.


29. Encyosaccus Simon, 1895
    A beautiful Encyosaccus sexmaculatus was spotted in the day, allowing the bright sky colour in the background. Read more about this spider in an earlier post on Tortoise Orb Weavers. View the Encyosaccus album.


30. Eriophora Simon, 1864
    This Eriophora is large and very commonly seen in the trails. More colourful ones were also spotted in my Belize trip. View the Eriophora album.


31. Hypognatha Guérin, 1839
    Several morphs of Hypognatha scutata were spotted at Collpa Island. Really adorable but tiny turtle back orb weavers! Read more about this spider in an earlier post on Tortoise Orb Weavers. View the Hypognatha album.


32. Kapogea Levi, 1997
    This tent web spider was initially mistaken to be a Cyrtophora, but later identified as Kapogea sellata. View the Kapogea album.


33. Mangora O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889
    An inconspicuous orb weaver, also found on Collpa Island. View the Mangora album.


34. Metazygia F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904
    Vaguely resembles Zygiella that we have in Singapore. View the Metazygia album.


35. Micrathena Sundevall, 1833
    At least 9 different species were identified in this flamboyant genus of thorn orb weavers. More photos of Micrathena are posted in Thorned Heart and Other Thorn Orb Weavers. View the Micrathena album.


36. Ocrepeira Marx, 1883
    Only one shot of Ocrepeira covillei as it disappeared into the leaf litter. View the Ocrepeira album.


37. Parawixia F. O. P. Cambridge, 1904
    Very different from the common Parawixia dehaani in Singapore! View the Parawixia album.


38. Xylethrus Simon, 1895
    And of course, the star of this post, Xylethrus scrupeus the roly poly orb weaver. View the Xylethrus album.


39. Verrucosa McCook, 1888
    Verrucosa has incredibly distinct posterior abdominal tubercles. A black-yellow species was also recorded in my Belize trip. View the Verrucosa album.


40. Wagneriana F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904
    Wagneriana is very common in the trails of Tambopata, with several abdominal dorso spines. View the Wagneriana album.

For those interested to see how the accommodation was like at Tambopata Research Centre or TRC in short, here are some photos of the lodge!
41. Room 13
    Yes that was my room number. 2 beds with a safe box.


42. Charging station
    Power generators are on at certain hours of the day. This is where I rush to charge my arsenal of batteries, phone and laptop.


43. Showers
    The showers and toilets are shared but very nicely done up.


44. Dining area
    Communal dining where everyone gather and share stories on their day's discoveries.


45. Scarlet macaws
    Some resident scarlet macaws roam around the welcome centre. Very naughty and they love to steal food from the dining area.


46. Bar
    Alcohol and other cold beverages available here!

1. BugShot Belize 2015 Group Shot©2015 John Abbott
   Customary photo at every BugShot! This was taken just behind the welcome center and classroom.
   Standing from left: Chris, Kirk, Ryan, Frank, William, Jerome, Bill, Jeff, Gary, Lee
   Squatting from left: Nicky, Keith, Thomas, Sharon, Don, Kendra, John


2. BugShot Belize 2015 Group Shot©2015 John Abbott
   We were supposed to look like our favorite bugs and given 6 seconds to come up with something!


3. Arrival at Caves Branch
   It was a smooth ride from the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport.


4. My Room at Caves Branch
   Very cozy and comfortable room - just a bit humid in the day but we were almost always out in the field so no problem there!


5. Mess of macro equipment
   During every meal, we'd find tables littered with a mess of macro equipment. Probably one of the highest concentration of Canon MT24-EX flashes in a small area!


6. Fresh oranges!
   One of my highlights in every morning. We get to squeeze our own oranges for some of the best and freshest glasses of orange juice around!


7. Sanitize your hands!
   Anyone who stayed at Caves Branch would be familiar with this. After the daily spiel before dinner, we'd be asked to sanitize our hands without fail.


8. Our Bus
   The quaint bus that's going to take us to the caves.


9. Ready for the cave!
   All set for the cave trip!


10. Unfortunate incident
    Not our bus, but all the Caves Branch guides stopped to help this couple with their vehicle while we watched on and tried to look useful.


11. Hot trail to the caves
    I left my hat behind, thinking that we wouldn't need it in the caves. Turned out that we had to walk past this open area under the unforgiving sun!


12. Crossing the river to Foot Print Cave©2015 Thomas Shahan
    The cooling water in this river offered some respite from the heat as we crossed it to reach foot print cave. The water level would only reach our knees if we were careful enough!


13. Hunting for jumping spiders
    Shortly after the river, many of us were busy with the bugging business.


14. Jumping spider (Hypaeus beningus?) ©2015 Thomas Shahan
    I didn't get to shoot it, but they were hunting this "muppet" jumping spider with a ridiculously heightened clypeus! Wicked shot by Thomas Shahan.


15. Footprint cave entranceBuy this Photo
    After over an hour of distractions, we finally reached the cave! There was stream with a current of decent strength.


16. Gathering around for shots of the cave
    While everyone was distracted with the scenery in the cave, I stood on the other end to take some shots of everyone else.


17. Tailless whip scorpion (Paraphrynus raptator) Buy this Photo
    The highlight in the cave would be the ambyplygids on the cave walls. Someone told me that they were slow... NOT!! Many scuttled away before I could take any shots.


18. Tailless whip scorpion (Paraphrynus raptator) Buy this Photo
    This was the only one that allowed me to go close to see the awesome face.


19. Fungus gnat larva?) Buy this Photo
    They called this the cave diamonds as they glittered when lights were directed at them.


20. Fungus gnat larva's prey) Buy this Photo
    The gooey lines were actually used to capture prey!


21. Brown recluse spider (Loxosceles sp.) Buy this Photo
    On the rocky walls of the cave entrance, I noticed messy sheets of silk within the crevices. After poking around, they turned out to be the infamous brown recluse spiders!


22. Brown recluse spider (Loxosceles sp.) Buy this Photo
    Their necrotic venom may just cause one to lose his/her finger if one decides to stick fingers in to harass them. Not to be confused with spitting spiders (Scytodidae) that have a humped carapace.


23. Cave lunch
    Picnic at the cave entrance. Seems like nobody knew about the numerous brown recluse spiders behind them. Luckily, they are not aggressive and pretty harmless if left undisturbed.


24. Alcohol spray on Keith
    When we returned to the bus, everyone had to be sprayed with alcohol as there was some microscopic mite infestation in the area that was affecting their fruit crops.


25. Jumping Spiders Presentation by Thomas Shahan
    Thomas presenting his knowledge on jumping spiders. There were several instances when he crouched like a jumping spider but we couldn't get a good shot of the pose!


26. Camouflage and Mimicry presentation
    Me showing spider asses in the presentation on camouflage and mimicry... and fumbling with the remote.


27. View of Milky Way from Belize©2015 Thomas Shahan
    We spent several nights camping by the river to shoot the milky way. I didn't get good shots but here's what Thomas took!


28. Room bugs
    Thomas rounded up the bugs that he found on the room floor towards the end of the trip. Can you recognize them?


29. Hello Froggie
    This frog landed on my luggage (from where?!?) in the room, and jumped onto Thomas' laptop.


30. Bug Group
    Every day, we were given different names. One night was BugShot, sometimes it was Bug Group.


31. Save as...
    William's nightmare with Thomas hounding him on photo asset management while everyone else watched on. ;)


32. Bug Desserts
    On the last night, Chef J prepared special bug-themed desserts for the instructors. Poorly taken photo, but this was supposed to be a jumping spider for Thomas and a praying mantis for me. John had a dragonfly dessert!

From here on, this post would feature some of the interesting subjects that I saw during this workshop. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed shooting them!



The Hemipterans - BUGS!

BugShot wouldn't be complete without bugs. This group has some of the most beautiful subjects!


33. Peanut lantern bug (Fulgora sp.) Buy this Photo
    Chris found this peanut lantern bug before we even got to our rooms. I found out from Thomas that the snout was hollow, and tried to direct some light through it.


34. Dragon-head lantern bug (Phrictus quinqueparitus) Buy this Photo
    This was on my wish list before the trip, and Kendra kindly showed me the host tree of this gorgeous dragon-head lantern bug. I returned every night with different groups of participants to get shots of it as it appeared only at night and would start walking up when approached.


35. Dragon-head lantern bug (Phrictus quinqueparitus) Buy this Photo
    Close up of the snout with such flamboyant colours!


36. Dragon-head lantern bug (Phrictus quinqueparitus) Buy this Photo
    An uncommon angle, as it flew down really low on one night. Looks really angry!


37. Assassin bugs (Reduviidae) Buy this Photo
    A messy scene of mating assassin bugs with a prey. Perhaps the male was just taking advantage while the female was distracted.


38. Thread-legged assassin bug (Emesinae) Buy this Photo
    Oddly bulbous abdomen on this thread-legged assassin bug made it less thread-like.


39. Assassin bug (Salyavata mcmahanae) - ID by Eric Gordon Buy this Photo
    Looks like any ordinary assassin bug but you can see the line of thorns if you look up close.


40. Firefly larva (Lampyridae) Buy this Photo
    Spotted this tiny firefly larva lighting up in the darkness.


41. Leafhopper (Cicadellidae) Buy this Photo
    One of the many leafhoppers, but this had an interesting brain-like pattern.


42. Leafhopper (Cicadellidae) Buy this Photo
    This family has some of the most brightly coloured species.


43. Leafhopper (Ladoffa dependens) Buy this Photo
    This leafhopper could be found in the botanic gardens, usually under a leaf with wings spread open until disturbed.


44. Treehopper (Membracidae) Buy this Photo
    Jeff found this scene and asked how I would compose it. Required a bit of back-arching to get this angle but I'm glad it turned out well.


45. Stink bugs (Pentatomidae) Buy this Photo
    Amorous pair getting at it with a nymph standing by nonchalantly.


46. Flat bug (Dysodius sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of the most ideal subjects for back-lighting!



The Phasmids

Unfortunately, hardly any nice photos of insects were captured during this trip. Just one, but one beautiful specimen!


47. Stick insect (Prisopus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found at the welcome center on the first night and as luck would have it, this stick insect fluoresces under ultraviolet!



The Arachnids

This group includes spiders and harvestmen. Of course, it includes amblypygids and scorpions but some were already displayed above. :)


48. Harvestman (Opiliones) Buy this Photo
    It was difficult to find a fluorescing harvestman that was at a good angle and at rest. Was lucky to find this on one of the night walks!


49. Jumping spider (Lyssomanes sp.) Buy this Photo
    I wanted to find a mature male Lyssomanes, but had to contend with this female guarding her eggs.


50. Wide jaw jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    This salticid has exceptionally wide chelicerae with a green iridescent body!


51. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Very cute salticid that kept looking up at the camera.


52. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    I almost always shoot at night in Singapore, but shooting in the day allowed me to easily get a nice blue background.


53. Jumping spider (Beata sp.) Buy this Photo
    Don found this tiny but stunning Beata and got Thomas and I distracted for almost an hour.


54. Wandering spider (Cupiennius sp.) Buy this Photo
    This relatively small wandering spider tends to scrunch up as if playing dead.


55. Wandering spider (Cupiennius sp.) Buy this Photo
    A much smaller ctenid munching on a colourful leafhopper.


56. Two-tailed spider (Hersiliidae) Buy this Photo
    Very cute male hersiliid found on a trail near to the Blue Hole.


57. Thorn orb weaver (Micrathena sp.) Buy this Photo
    Micrathena was one of the spiders that I wanted to shoot on this trip, but I saw only this which is likely to be a juvenile. Interestingly, I found over 10 species of Micrathena a week later in the Peruvian Amazon.


58. Orb weaver spider (Verrucosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    The caves branch staff pointed out this stunning orb weaver at the welcome center, really bizarre tubercles at the abdomen!


59. Orb weaver spider (Acacesia sp.) Buy this Photo
    A magnificent orb weaver with highly distinct patterns and gradients on the abdomen.


60. Orb weaver spider (Eriophora nephiloides) Buy this Photo
    Found this lovely orb weaver along the main pathway at Caves Branch.


61. Orb weaver spider (Eriophora sp.) Buy this Photo
    Just too many orb weavers, but not many are documenting them.


62. Orb weaver spider (Eriophora sp.) Buy this Photo
    Eriophora with different abdominal colours.


63. Orb weaver (Wagneriana sp.) Buy this Photo
    Wagneriana with prey. Found that they are quite adept at attracting and catching prey, as can be seen in the following photos.


64. Orb weaver (Wagneriana sp.) preying on jumping spider Buy this Photo
    Initially, we thought that the salticid had captured the orb weaver, as was typically the case.


65. Orb weaver (Wagneriana sp.) preying on jumping spider Buy this Photo
    On closer look, the orb weaver was happily stabbing the poor salticid's eyes. We had to call Thomas over to look. ;)


66. Pirate spider (Mimetidae) Buy this Photo
    First time seeing a pirate spider standing over what looked like eggs. But.. are these her eggs?


67. Pirate spider (Gelanor sp.) Buy this Photo
    A different genus of Mimetidae, with distinctly curved legs I and II.


68. Pirate spider (Gelanor sp.) Buy this Photo
    The corresponding male was spotted also. Note the incredibly long pedipalps!


69. Long-legged fishing spider (Trechalea sp.) Buy this Photo
    Close up of the fishing spider spotted along the river outside foot print cave.


70. Long-legged fishing spider (Trechalea sp.) Buy this Photo
    It was huge, so we spent extra time trying to get some wide-angle shots.


71. Shooting the Fishing Spider©2015 Thomas Shahan
    That's me shooting the fishing spider above with the Venus 15mm Wide Angle Macro lens to get a good idea of the working distance that we'd be dealing with.


72. Nursery web spider (Thaumasia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Also found along the main path, this pisaurid spent a very long time on the same leaf with its prey.



The Orthopterans

Unfortunately, Piotr couldn't attend this BugShot. Otherwise, we should see a lot more orthopterans!


73. Grasshopper (Tropidacris cristata) Buy this Photo
    Immature zebra-like grasshopper that wouldn't stay still.


74. Dead leaf katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Nothing here. Nothing at all. :)


75. Dead leaf katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Exact same scene from above.



The Lepidopterans

There were lots of moths at the light traps, but I didn't focus on photographing them. Nevertheless, there were several significantly interesting lepidopterans photographed!


76. Slug moth caterpillar (Prolimacodes sp.) Buy this Photo
    Really cute little caterpillar. It didn't move and led me to wonder if it was a pupa initially.


77. Walker's moth (Sosxetra grata) Buy this Photo
    Another subject high up on my wish list! Thanks to Thomas for keeping a look out for this peacockish moth for me.


78. Walker's moth (Sosxetra grata) Buy this Photo
    The white and pink complements really well for a spectacular portrait.


79. Walker's moth (Sosxetra grata) Buy this Photo
    Close up reveals little "horns" on the antennae.


80. Moth (Norape ovina) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
    Another moth with a brightly coloured combed antennae.


81. Moth (Megalopyge dyari?) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
    FLUFFY! Really FLUFFY!


82. Moth (Belemnia inaurata) Buy this Photo
    This moth had us scrambling around near the light trap. It has some of the most sought-after colours that a macro photographer would wish for on a single subject!


83. Moth (Belemnia inaurata) Buy this Photo
    Lateral view reveals a red abdomen.


84. Hawk moth (Eupyrrhoglossum sagra) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
    Not as bright, but still a lovely purple hawk moth.


85. Hawk moth (Oryba achemenides) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
    A green hawk moth at appeared on the light trap.


86. Jumping spider mimic moth (Petrophila sp.) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
    Some of the subjects on the light trap seemed to mimic jumping spiders. This tiny little moth appears to have patterns on the wings that resemble the anterior row of eyes of a jumping spider. Maybe? Maybe not?



The Dipterans, Neuropterans, Odonates, Megalopterans and Trichopterans

No particular reason for grouping these together. :P


87. Caddisfly (Nectopsyche sp.) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
    Another jumping spider mimic? Similar pattern on the wings that looked like the eyes of a jumping spider.


88. Light Trap©2015 Thomas Shahan
    On the later nights, the light trap was swarmed with tiny little bugs with the occasional big one, such as this Dobsonfly.


89. Owlfly (Ululodes sp.) Buy this Photo
    Been wanting to see an adult owlfly for the longest time and this appeared just next to the light trap!


90. Owlfly (Ululodes sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of the most interesting bits of the owlfly are the overlapping eyes.


91. Mosquito (Culicomorpha) Buy this Photo
    One of the talking points to any jungle trip to Belize would be the human botflies. The eggs would typically be laid on mosquitoes, and subsequently dropped, hatched and burrowed into human skin when the mosquitoes are doing their rounds. I looked up close at the biting little buzzers but couldn't see any traces of botflies.


92. Horse fly (Tabanidae) Buy this Photo
    Lots of tabanids around, as many of the participants wore bermudas and attracted these nasty biting flies.


93. Damselflies (Zygoptera) Buy this Photo
    William found a nice pair of mating damselflies in one of the morning walks.


94. Hood mantis (Choeradodis strumaria) Buy this Photo
    The majestic hooded mantis had many of us occupied throughout the night next to the light trap as we had fun practising alternative lighting techniques.


95. Bark mantis (Liturgusa sp.) Buy this Photo
    There were many bark mantids on the trees next to the river.



The Coleopterans

I'm no good with beetles, but we did find some interesting ones on this trip!


96. Leaf beetle (Lamprosomatinae) Buy this Photo
    Tiny but really cute! Too tiny and many didn't want to shoot this.


97. Leaf beetle (Megascelis sp.) Buy this Photo
    Brilliant metallic-looking elytra made this leaf beetle look unique.


98. Mating beetlesBuy this Photo
    Not sure what beetles these are, anyone? =D


99. Mating beetlesBuy this Photo
    Unsure of this amorous pair as well.


100. Tortoise beetle (Cassidinae) Buy this Photo
     Saw this tortoise beetle more than once, I presume that it is relatively common here?


101. Tortoise beetle (Cassidinae) Buy this Photo
     Eye-level view of the cutie.


102. Tortoise beetle (Cassidinae) Buy this Photo
     Chris found this unique looking tortoise beetle late in the night!


103. Bess beetle (Passalidae) Buy this Photo
     Almost stepped onto this bess beetle while we were walking towards the light trap.


104. Bearded palm weevil (Rhinostomus barbirostris) Buy this Photo
     Cropped wide angle view of the bearded palm weevil next to the river.


105. Bearded palm weevil (Rhinostomus barbirostris) Buy this Photo
     Close up on the "beard". He needs a shave!


106. Longhorn beetle (Eutrypanus mucoreus) Buy this Photo
     Just beside the light trap, this tiny cerambycid was ignored. Going close up reveals a pretty distinct pattern on its elytra.


107. Longhorn beetle (Callipogon barbatus) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
     This large cerambycid with hairy mouthparts had many of us occupied in the night.


108. Longhorn beetle (Callipogon barbatus) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
     The size made it a good example for ultraviolet photography!


109. Darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) Buy this Photo
     I don't usually do white backgrounds, but this is a test shot of a large tenebrionid in a light box at the trail entrance.



The Reptiles and Amphibians

Most of the interesting herping was done at the botanical garden. There was rain on the first night that allowed us to spot several frogs, but the subsequent nights were drier.


110. Basilisk (Basiliscus sp.) Buy this Photo
     This basilisk was camping out at the botanic gardens every day.


111. Common Mexican tree frog (Smilisca baudinii) Buy this Photo
     Close up of a Mexican tree frog at the botanical garden. There was also a red-eyed tree frog there but it had been elusive despite me revisiting the pond every night, perhaps due to the lack of rain.


112. Cat-eyed snake (Leptodeira septentrionolis) - ID by Gil Wizen Buy this Photo
     Chris spotted this cat-eyed snake twirled up on a pot, but it swam into the pond as we approached.



The Hymenopterans

Bees, wasps and ants! Didn't shoot any interesting wasps this time though.


113. Orchid bee (Euglossinae) Buy this Photo
     Several of these making their rounds in the botanical garden in the mornings. Whenever someone tells you "When Pigs Fly", please show them this photo. =D


114. Turtle ant (Cephalotes sp.) Buy this Photo
     These tiny little ants were spotted on a tree by the river, but hardly ever stood still for a proper close up!


115. Leaf-cutter ant (Atta sp.) Buy this Photo
     The leaf-cutter ants were a teeny bit more cooperative, with a chance to pause for a moment every now and then. Check out the spines!


116. Leaf-cutter ant (Atta sp.) Buy this Photo
     We returned to the leaf-cutter ant trails at night and did some back-lighting with an optical triggered flash.


117. Leaf cutter ants (Atta sp.) Buy this Photo
     A wider view to show the trail of ants bringing the cut-up leaves to their new nest site.

1. Jewel caterpillar (Dalceridae) Buy this Photo
   The glassy, gooey surface makes the jewel caterpillar a sight to behold.


2. Jewel caterpillar (Dalceridae) Buy this Photo
   Lateral view. Does it look like jelly as well? The adult fuzzy moth is not as spectacular, so I could not find it in my photo archive to show here.


3. Jewel caterpillar (Dalceridae) Buy this Photo
   Close up on the goo-spines. Such squeee.


4. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
   After the gooey, here's the hairy! Though the hair is not as thick as the Donald Trump Caterpillar, it was quite a tuft and made me want to avoid touching it.


5. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
   Tried looking for the face, but everything was covered. Not even sure if I got the front or rear!


6. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
   A majestically decorated head of this caterpillar reminded me of the Plain Nawab shot in Singapore.


7. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
   Dorsal view looks very plain. If anything, it might be camouflaging itself as a stick.


8. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
   Lateral view, showing the ear-like endings on the head.


9. Bird dung caterpillarBuy this Photo
   This poop pile is a caterpillar as well! Remaining coiled up and motionless, coupled with the wet and knobbly appearance, it certainly looked like bird dung from afar.


10. Bird dung caterpillarBuy this Photo
    Dorsal view reveals a swollen posterior.


11. Bird dung caterpillarBuy this Photo
    Not too enthusiastic about walking, as it got disturbed and trudged away.


12. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Another super spiny candidate with feathery tips to the spines.


13. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Do not touch. :)


14. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Interesting looking one with a posterior dorsal horn, as well as one in the anterior half of its body.


15. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Spotted on one of our night walks was this giant green fuzzy cat!


16. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    It was around 3 inches long.


17. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Dropped to the ground, so we picked it up with a stick to shoot the ventral view.


18. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    With a close up to the head, sticking out like a sore thumb.


19. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    The close up on the feet was quite fascinating as well!


20. Snake mimic chrysalis (Catonephele orites) Buy this Photo
    A mind-boggling chrysalis that appears to look like the head of a snake.


21. Snake mimic chrysalis (Catonephele orites) Buy this Photo
    Let's just pretend that we're looking into the face of the snake.


22. Snake mimic chrysalis (Catonephele orites) Buy this Photo
    Lateral view. Actually, it reminded me of some cartoon shark.


23. Snake mimic chrysalis (Catonephele orites) Buy this Photo
    Found at least 2 of these in our night walks.


24. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Looks like a common looking caterpillar from afar, but on closer observation, there were numerous white vein-like patterns "growing" out from the sides!


25. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Lateral view. Perhaps it was preparing for the next instar.


26. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Close up of the head!


27. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Also highly reflective, but nothing of the likes of the dalcerid.


28. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
    Yet another do-not-touch caterpillar!

Pros and Cons of Photographing the Spider Faces

1. Anyphaenidae Bertkau, 1878 (Ghost Sac Spiders)
2. Araneidae Clerck, 1757 (Orb Weaver Spiders)
3. Clubionidae Wagner, 1887 (Sac Spiders)
4. Corinnidae Karsch, 1880 (Ant-like Sac Spiders)
5. Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877 (Wandering Spiders)
6. Hersiliidae Thorell, 1870 (Two-tailed Spiders)
7. Nephilidae Simon, 1894 (Golden Orb Weaver Spiders)
8. Oxyopidae Thorell, 1870 (Lynx Spiders)
9. Pholcidae C. L. Koch, 1850 (Daddy-long-legs Spiders)
10. Pisauridae Simon, 1890 (Nursery Web Spiders)
11. Salticidae Blackwall, 1841 (Jumping Spiders)
12. Senoculidae Simon, 1890 (Bark Hunter Spiders)
13. Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 (Huntsman Spiders)
14. Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866 (Big-jawed Spiders)
15. Theraphosidae Thorell, 1869 (Tarantulas)
16. Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833 (Comb-footed Spiders)
17. Theridiosomatidae Simon, 1881 (Cone Web spiders)
18. Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833 (Crab Spiders)
19. Trechaleidae Simon, 1890 (Long-legged Water Spiders)
20. Uloboridae Thorell, 1869 (Feather-legged Spiders)

Anyphaenidae - Ghost Sac Spiders

Looks similar to clubionids, but differentiated by spiracles near the center of the abdomen's ventral surface. Unfortunately not visible in these photos.


1. Ghost sac spider (Anyphaenidae) Buy this Photo
   Typically found hiding under a sheet of silk, similar to clubionids. This is an adult male with part of the palpal structures visible. View of the ocular region shows 6 eyes in the bottom row, and 2 on top. Check out the dorsal view.


2. Ghost sac spider (Anyphaenidae) Buy this Photo
   Chelicerae and carapace partially black, unlike the earlier specimens. Check out the dorsal view.



Araneidae - Orb Weaver Spiders




3. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus) Buy this Photo
   The ridiculously cute roly poly orb weaver that rolls itself up into a ball when threatened. It lets itself roll around when picked up on a leaf. More shots and detailed observations have been posted here: Peruvian Amazon's Roly Poly Spider and Other Exotic Orb Weavers


4. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.) Buy this Photo
   Hypognatha is also a tiny, but super adorable genus with an abdomen shaped like a turtle-shell. Check out the dorsal view.


5. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) Buy this Photo
   This spider is shaped like a heart and exceptionally thin with numerous lateral spines on the abdomen. More shots and detailed observations have been posted here: Peruvian Amazon's Thorned Heart and Other Thorn Orb Weavers.


6. Crab orb weaver (Aspidolasius branick) Buy this Photo
   A chunky orb weaver with huge chelicerae. At certain angles, it resembled a teeny bit like bird poop. Check out the dorsal view.


7. Orb weaver spider (Parawixia sp.) Buy this Photo
   Notably different from the ones in Singapore. Check out the dorsal view.


8. Tortoise orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.) Buy this Photo
   One of the most stunning spiders from this trip! Is it mimicking a ladybird? More shots and detailed observations have been posted here: Adorable Tortoise Orb Weavers from the Amazon.


9. Orb weaver spider (Alpaida truncata) Buy this Photo
   Alpaida exhibits notable sexual dimorphism. Check out the dorsal view. The corresponding female is much more colourful!


10. Orb weaver spider (Verrucosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Verrucosa is an exceptionally intriguing genus with numerous bumps on the abdominal posterior. Check out the dorsal view.


11. Orb weaver spider (Verrucosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    The male Verrucosa looks like a smaller version of the female, with the posterior bumps prominently displayed as well. Check out the dorsal view.


12. Orb weaver spider (Wagneriana sp.) Buy this Photo
    Wagneriana is very commonly seen, but not often photographed as it looks very dull at first sight. The numerous abdominal spines are not obvious until looked up close, and almost non-existant on males. Check out the dorsal view and the female, as well as a more colourful variant.


13. Orb weaver spider (Acacesia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Acacesia is seemingly rare, but I was lucky to see one weaving her egg sac. Check out the dorsal view.



Clubionidae - Sac Spiders

The clubionids that I saw in the Amazon look very similar to the ones in Singapore.


14. Sac spider (Clubionidae) Buy this Photo
    A specimen with red chelicerae and longer legs. Note the 6 eyes in the bottom row, and 2 eyes above. Check out the dorsal view.



Corinnidae - Ant-like Sac Spiders

The specimens that I saw were not exactly ant-like, and were all found on tree trunks.


15. Sac spider (Corinnidae) Buy this Photo
    Typical corinnid eye arrangement. Check out the dorsal view.


16. Sac spider (Corinnidae) Buy this Photo
    This has a slightly higher clypeus. Check out the dorsal view.



Ctenidae - Wandering Spiders

The famed Brazilian Wandering Spider belongs to this family, and I did see several Phoneutria in this week!


17. Wandering spider (Ctenidae) Buy this Photo
    Some were spotted on branches. Check out the dorsal view.


18. Wandering spider (Ctenidae) Buy this Photo
    This ctenid was very cooperative and allowed me to go very close. Check out the dorsal view which reveals several regenerated legs.


19. Wandering spider (Enoploctenus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Despite standing up with legs outstretched, this Enoploctenus stood still enough for me to take several closeups. Check out the dorsal view.


20. Wandering spider (Phoneutria sp.) Buy this Photo
    The is the infamous Brazilian Wandering Spider which packs a dangerous bite. However, they are relatively tame and will choose not to bite humans unless provoked. I also managed to shoot a mother guarding her spiderlings, with probably the most number of wandering spiders you'd ever see in a single photo.


21. Wandering spider (Ctenus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A beautiful and large Ctenus resting on a little piece of rock allowed me to go on the ground to get a nice angle of its face. Check out the dorsal view.


22. Wandering spider (Ctenidae) Buy this Photo
    A tiny but handsome ctenid scampering around on a tree trunk. Check out the dorsal view.



Hersiliidae - Two-tailed Spiders

A commonly seen family in Singapore, so it would be interesting to see how differen these were in South America!


23. Two-tailed spider (Hersiliidae) Buy this Photo
    The ocular quad appears to be much bigger than their Singapore counterparts. Check out the dorsal view.



Nephilidae - Golden Orb Weaver Spiders

One of the most visible orb weavers due to its immense body and web size.


24. Golden orb weaver (Nephila sp.) Buy this Photo
    It is rare to get a shot of a Nephila's face in its natural pose, so this looks a little awkward. Perhaps it might be preparing to moult?



Oxyopidae - Lynx Spiders

There were familiar oxyopids around, but Schaenicoscelis was very new to me!


25. Lynx spider (Hamataliwa sp.) Buy this Photo
    A small but lovely genus. Check out the dorsal view.


26. Lynx spider (Schaenicoscelis sp.) Buy this Photo
    This relatively large Schaenicoscelis was carrying her egg sac - a behavior unlike other oxyopids which would typically weave egg sacs on a leaf. Check out the dorsal view.



Pholcidae - Daddy-long-legs Spiders

I saw many pholcids on this trip, but did not take as many shots. Quite a neglected family by photographers, due to the size and difficulty in getting a good composition.


27. Daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcidae) Buy this Photo
    The problem with male pholcids, is that the enlarged palps would almost always be blocking the eyes from a frontal view. Hence a view of the eyes from this angle. Did you know that some males have their eyes on eye-stalks?



Pisauridae - Nursery Web Spiders

Despite the name, not all members of this family may weave nursery webs.


28. Nursery web spider (Thaumasia sp.) Buy this Photo
    This green pisaurid is commonly seen perching on top of leaves. Check out the dorsal view.


29. Nursery web spider (Pisauridae) Buy this Photo
    This pisaurid tends to position itself at the edge of holes within leaves. When threatened, it could quickly move to the other side of the leaf. Check out the dorsal view.


30. Nursery web spider (Architis sp.) Buy this Photo
    This Architis has very distinctly banded legs, and the photos do not do it justice. Check out the dorsal view.



Salticidae - Jumping Spiders

This is THE family where shots of the eyes are almost mandatory for any macro photographer. Probably the cutest spiders with the overly large anterior median eyes.


31. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    A sub-adult male, really tiny specimen. Check out the dorsal view.


32. Ant-mimic jumping spider (Myrmarachne sp.) Buy this Photo
    A typical ant-mimic jumping spider with enlarge chelicerae blocking its face. Check out the dorsal view.


33. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Possibly gravid or just taken a heavy meal, as the abdomen was really swollen. Check out the dorsal view.


34. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    This large jumper was found on a tree trunk. Check out the dorsal view.


35. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Another large jumper found in the mangroves. Check out the dorsal view.


36. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    A really "angry" looking salticid that was found together with a female. Check out the dorsal view of both male and female together.


37. Jumping spider (Lyssomanes sp.) Buy this Photo
    Lyssomanes has large anterior lateral eyes positioned just above the anterior median eyes. Looks really funky! Check out the dorsal view.


38. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    This stunning jumper was so heavy that I could feel a thud when it landed on a leaf. Check out the dorsal view.


39. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    A shy adult male, hiding its exceptionally long chelicerae. Check out the dorsal view.


40. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    This is an example where the anterior view does not do the spider justice. You really must see the dorsal view to see the metallic green body.


41. Jumping spider (Lyssomanes sp.) Buy this Photo
    A male Lyssomanes! Not as colourful as what I expected though. Check out the dorsal view.


42. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Really really tiny salticid, also possibly a sub-adult male. Check out the dorsal view.


43. Jumping spider (Lyssomanes sp.) Buy this Photo
    Lyssomanes was found to be in abundance, but I just took a record shot of every one that I saw. Check out the dorsal view.


44. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Interesting looking sub-adult male with a lanky abdomen. Check out the dorsal view.


45. Jumping spider (Amycus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found another shy salticid, but this time revealing part of its long chelicerae. Check out the dorsal view.


46. Jumping spider (Asaracus sp.) Buy this Photo
    You must see the dorsal view of this Asaracus, the abdomen is streaked with vibrant red!



Senoculidae - Bark Hunter Spiders

Quite a rare family. The spider suspends a dead leaf in its web and hides on the leaf.


47. Bark hunter spider (Senoculus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Weird looking eye-arrangement, unlike any that I've seen before. Check out the dorsal view.



Sparassidae - Huntsman Spiders

These are active nocturnal hunters, usually larger than other typical spiders. However, I've only seen the smaller ones in this trip.


48. Huntsman spider (Thelcticopis sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found on top of a leaf, but quick to retreat under the leaf when I approached. Check out the dorsal view.


49. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) Buy this Photo
    The eyes on this are much smaller than a typical sparassid. Check out the dorsal view.


50. Huntsman spider (Olios sp.) Buy this Photo
    A relatively common genus, Olios is usually found in the foliage. Check out the dorsal view.



Tetragnathidae - Big-jawed Spiders




51. Big-jawed spider (Leucauge sp.) Buy this Photo
    Several different specimens of tetragnathids were spotted in my walks. In fact, it was the most abundant family during my walks. Somehow because of that, I took it for granted and did not take close ups of the eyes.



Theraphosidae - Tarantulas

Probably the most famous spiders across the world. Usually very hairy and can grow up to significant sizes, the tarantulas in the Amazon appear to be more bold than those in Singapore. They were very willing to come out from their burrows in search for food.


52. Tarantula (Theraphosidae) Buy this Photo
    Some tarantulas were very docile and allowed me to go really close. Check out the dorsal view.


53. Tarantula (Theraphosidae) Buy this Photo
    This handsome red-rump had its burrow at the base of a tree, and was found chilling just at the entrance. Check out the full dorsal view.


54. Pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia sp.) Buy this Photo
    This pink toe tarantula had its burrow within rolled up leaves just in front of the lodge. It is said that they preyed on hummingbirds.


55. Chicken tarantula (Pamphobeteus sp.) Buy this Photo
    WHY chicken tarantula? Natives said that these spiders ate their chickens. Nobody has witnessed such a scene before though. Check out this scene of the mother with her babies!



Theridiidae - Comb-footed Spiders

Lots of theridiids were spotted during my walks, but most were poorly identified. Most of my shots were of the dorsal view as the anterior view of theridiids was inherently less interesting than in other families. Not all of the theridiids that I found are shown here, so view the complete set of theridiid photos from this trip where you can see the diversity of this family.


56. Comb-footed spider (Helvibis sp.) Buy this Photo
    A very small but distinctly coloured genus, this Helvibis had her ice-cream-like egg sac with her.


57. Mirror comb-footed spider (Thwaitesia sp.) Buy this Photo
    This is the mirror spider of the Amazon. Read more about the one documented in Singapore: Transformation of the Mirror Spider. Check out the dorsal view of a male Thwaitesia as well as the lateral view of a female.


58. Comb-footed spider (Theridiidae) Buy this Photo
    An interestingly large theridiid. No idea which genus! Check out the dorsal view.


59. Green twig comb-footed spider (Ariamnes sp.) Buy this Photo
    An adult male Ariamnes that mimics a green twig - check out a closer view of the palps and another from the ventral view.



Theridiosomatidae - Cone Web spiders

Not seem often, but the web is of particular interest!


60. Slingshot spider (Theridiosomatidae) Buy this Photo
    Not exactly a face shot, but this scene shows how the spider stretches its orb web like a slingshot, and propels itself towards the prey when it is detected. The light I shone on the web attracted some flies and allowed me to witness the slingshot in action!



Thomisidae - Crab Spiders

Supposedly a very widespread family. I was very keen to find a Tobias but it has eluded me in this trip. Most thomisids photographed were very small, most sized at less than 1cm.


61. Turtle ant mimic crab spider (Bucranium sp.) Buy this Photo
    Undoubtedly my favorite thomisid from this trip! Imagining this to mimic a turtle ant? This is sometimes called the dog-eared crab spider and incredibly cute! Check out the dorsal view.


62. Crab spider (Tmarus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Typical pose of a Tmarus. Check out the dorsal view.


63. Crab spider (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    A male thomisid, also very very small. Check out the dorsal view.


64. Crab spider (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    The heightened clypeus gives this thomisid a unique look. Check out the dorsal view.


65. Crab spider (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    Many were giving me a thread pose, like this sub-adult male thomisid. Check out the dorsal view.


66. Crab spider (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    An adult male, not easy to get it to stay still! Check out the dorsal view.


67. Crab spider (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    This female was shifting between both sides of a leaf, until a male approached. Check out the dorsal view of her while a horny male approaches from behind.


68. Crab spider (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    Looks similar to some instances of Synema in Singapore. Check out the dorsal view.



Trechaleidae - Long-legged Water Spiders

These large spiders are very easy to spot by checking for eye-shine on tree trunks at night. From far, they resemble some species of Pandercetes in Singapore.


69. Long-legged water spider (Syntrechalea sp.) Buy this Photo
    Despite looking similar to Pandercetes from far, the eye arrangement is very different. Check out the dorsal view and a closeup, and even a shot of both male and female together.


70. Long-legged water spider (Syntrechalea sp.) Buy this Photo
    Face of the male! Check out the dorsal view.


71. Long-legged water spider (Dossenus marginatus) Buy this Photo
    This also looks like Nilus from afar. Check out the dorsal view.


72. Long-legged water spider (Syntrechalea sp.) Buy this Photo
    I skipped many of these spiders eventually, as there were really too many of them!



Uloboridae - Feather-legged Spiders

Many uloborids were spotted during the trip, but due to the awkward position of the eyes and potential blockage by the front legs, anterior views are rarely photographed.


73. Feather-legged spider (Uloborus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A beautiful maroon coloured Uloborus.



The Final Spider

For the last spider that I found on my trip... you'd never guess what it was. ;)


74. Spider Motor Taxi
    Not sure if it was a coincidence, but I found this on the back of my motor taxi at Puerto Maldonado while heading out for lunch before my return flight. What spider? No idea!

1. Alien Katydid (Vestria sp.) Buy this Photo
   Some of the katydids here look like aliens. This was no exception.


2. Rainbow Grasshopper (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
   Many of the grasshoppers donned colours that might make a rainbow jealous.


3. Hoverfly larva (Microdon sp.) Buy this Photo
   Weird little patch of alien grub, suspected to be a hoverfly larva?


4. Ichneumon wasps (Banchinae) Buy this Photo
   These stunning group of wasps were some of the prettiest that I've ever seen.


5. Glasswing butterfly (Greta sp.) Buy this Photo
   Glasswing butterflies were aplenty. Unfortunately this photo doesn't do the see-through wings any justice.


6. Bird dung caterpillarBuy this Photo
   The pile of poop that moves!!


7. Snake mimic chrysalis (Catonephele orites) Buy this Photo
   Bizarre chrysalis that appears to mimic a snake's head. Reminds me of some cartoon shark.


8. Jewel caterpillar (Dalceridae) Buy this Photo
   The forest nudibranch. More photos and details about it in my earlier post: Peruvian Amazon's Jewel Caterpillar: The Forest Nudibranch


9. Stick insect (Phasmatodea) Buy this Photo
   Loads of stick insects hanging around. Some, like this one, bore bright orange mini-spines.


10. Stink bug nymphs (Pentatomidae) Buy this Photo
    Freshly hatched stink bug nymphs gathering around their egg shells displayed an enchanting fluorescence under ultraviolet.


11. BugBuy this Photo
    Not sure which family this bug nymph belonged to, but the blue metallic body with red eyes and legs are a potent photographic combination!


12. Assassin bug (Reduviidae) Buy this Photo
    For some reason, this assassin bug looked like a toy...


13. Squash bug (Coreidae) Buy this Photo
    Colourful looking squash bug with "muscular" hind legs. (and a bit of pee)


14. Treehopper (Membracidae) Buy this Photo
    One of these membracids visited us at the light trap when we first set it up. I managed to find the host plant where more were spotted. Really amazing combo of lumps and spines!


15. Fulgorid planthopper (Fulgoridae) Buy this Photo
    Almost skipped this fulgorid when we were returning to the cabins past midnight. Luckily I had a closer look to see the purplish legs and arched snout!


16. Humped leafhopper (Proconia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found a tree with troops of these impressive looking humped leafhoppers!


17. Leafhopper nymph (Cicadellidae) Buy this Photo
    Felt like a kid with a box of crayons did this... There were just too many different cicadellids to show here, view the others in my Flickr albums.


18. Pleasing fungus beetle (Erotylidae) Buy this Photo
    The pleasing fungus beetles sported interesting pastel colours. That ridiculous hump....!


19. Weevil (Curculionidae) Buy this Photo
    Golden-yellow weevil with blue legs. Can't get any brighter!


20. Click beetle (Elateridae) Buy this Photo
    One of the many small click beetles taking off.


21. Click beetle (Pyrophorus sp.) Buy this Photo
    This large click beetle has bioluminescent blinking spots on the posterior edge of the thorax, and the eyes fluoresce under ultraviolet too!


22. Bioluminescent click beetle larva (Pyrearinus sp.) Buy this Photo
    At Refugio Amazonas, there was an area of mud banks with lots of these glow worms believed to be click beetle larvae. More information reported in the article Mysterious 'Glow Worm' Discovered in the Peruvian Rainforest.


23. Dung beetle (Scarabidae) Buy this Photo
    Little balls of poop get moved around because of these beetles.


24. Blunthead tree snake (Imantodes cenchoa) Buy this Photo
    I wasn't searching for snakes, but saw a couple.


25. Catesbyi's snail eater (Dipsas catesbyi) Buy this Photo
    Only managed to see some of the smaller snakes.


26. Tree frog (Rhacophorida) Buy this Photo
    Several tree frogs chilling out as well!


27. Scorpion (Scorpiones) Buy this Photo
    Some of these scorpions were hanging out on tree trunks at night. Fluoresced brightly under ultraviolet.


28. Scorpion (Scorpiones) Buy this Photo
    The most handsome one was found on a leaf!


29. Tailless whip scorpion (Heterophrynus elaphus) Buy this Photo
    Also saw several amblypygids on the mud banks.


30. Web tower structureBuy this Photo
    This web tower structure stirred the internet a few years back. The entire structure was only about 5mm wide and difficult to spot. Unfortunately I only managed to photograph two that were already abandoned.


31. Social spiders (Anelosimus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Scattered along the trails were these gigantic messy webs with entire communities of spiders within, with a layer of dead leaves at the bottom. The guides called them the social spiders.


32. Turtle ant mimic crab spider (Bucranium sp.) Buy this Photo
    Dog-eared spider, couldn't have a cuter name!


33. Crab spiders (Thomisidae) Buy this Photo
    Was trying to shoot the female, when the male approached from behind. Not the correct way yah?


34. Tortoise orb weaver (Encyosaccus sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of the best finds of the trip! Possibly mimicking a ladybird? More on this spider in my earlier blog post on Tortoise Orb Weavers.


35. Turtle back orb weaver (Hypognatha sp.) Buy this Photo
    A much smaller genus, but found quite a few of them on Collpa Island. The abdomen is round and flat, resembling a turtle shell.


36. Orb weaver spider (Parawixia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Many people like to retrieve spiders from their webs to take close ups, but I prefer to shoot them in situ. They simply look more majestic on their web!


37. Silver cross spider (Argiope argentata) Buy this Photo
    A number of these cross spiders made their home in front of the cabins, which explains the messy urban-ish background.


38. Trashline orb weaver (Cyclosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Cyclosa was touted as the decoy spider for building stabilimentum that appears to look like a larger spider.


39. Roly poly orb weaver (Xylethrus scrupeus) Buy this Photo
    The super cute roly poly orb weaver was spotted twice in this trip. Read more about it: Peruvian Amazon's Roly Poly Spider and Other Exotic Orb Weavers.


40. Thorned heart orb weaver (Micrathena clypeata) Buy this Photo
    I called this the Heart spider. Such a beauty! Check out my earlier series of thorned orb weavers.


41. Orb weaver spider (Verrucosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Verrucosa had such a bizarre shape and a creepy posterior.


42. Wandering spider (Ctenus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A large Ctenus resting on a rock, allowing me to take a close up.


43. Wandering spider (Phoneutria sp.) Buy this Photo
    Probably the most number of Brazilian wandering spiders in a single photo. A proud new mother!


44. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) Buy this Photo
    I didn't get to shoot many sparassids but managed to spot one with a fluorescent orange body. Unfortunately it ran away before I could take more close ups.


45. Pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia sp.) Buy this Photo
    This cute pink-toe tarantula made its home in front of our cabins. Such adorable toes!


46. Tarantula (Theraphosidae) Buy this Photo
    A weathered tarantula lurking around on a tree trunk at night.


47. Tarantula (Pamphobeteus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Also found a group of siblings! How cute!!


48. Jumping spider (Lyssomanes sp.) Buy this Photo
    Many Lyssomanes were spotted. The anterior lateral eyes are situated just above the anterior median eyes.


49. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Some of the salticids had really angry looking eyebrows...


50. Long-legged water spider (Syntrechalea sp.) Buy this Photo
    The trechaleids were commonly seen on tree trunks. Easily spotted with eye shine!


51. Nicky, Vico, Jeff
    Vico and Jeff trudged through the virgin primary forests of Tambopata with me for a week. Thanks guys!


52. Panoramic view of the Amazonian River
    View of the Amazonian River from the terra firma. Wondering... will I be back here soon?

Araneidae - Orb Weaver Spiders



1. Orb weaver spider (Araneus perpolitus) Buy this Photo
   A vulnerable moment as the orb weaver makes its final push out of its exoskeleton. The legs appear in a fresh tone of green at this moment, and turns brown shortly after it emerges fully. This spider is currently placed as Singa perpolita but is likely to be transferred to Araneus.


2. Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.) Buy this Photo
   The trashline stabilimentum of Cyclosa is typically just a single line, but this was my first encounter with expanding stabilimentum in multiple directions in the central catchment reserve. Read the earlier article: Spider Creates Fake Spider Using Trash.


3. Bird dropping spider (Cyrtarachne sp.) Buy this Photo
   A surprise find when checking out an urban park in the east. I found 3 of them in the same area!


4. Red tent spider (Cyrtophora unicolor) Buy this Photo
   A very common spider in Singapore, but rarely photographed in full within its web. The red tent spider weaves a large 3-dimensional web and positions a dead leaf in the middle of the web where it hides underneath, coming out only to collect any trapped prey.


5. Wrap-around spider (Dolophones sp.) Buy this Photo
   A master of camouflage, this orb weaver is able to wrap itself around most branches to appear like a part of it.


6. Orb weaver spider (Eriovixia laglaizei) Buy this Photo
   A goal that I have for the following year is to take a good shot of the silk being spun from an orb weaver. This is what I had from a night's attempt. Hope to do better!


7. Spiny orb web spider (Gasteracantha sp.) Buy this Photo
   A stunning species usually found weaving silk above our heads as they grow bigger. Despite the seemingly strong spines, please refrain from handling it with your hand as I've seen specimens with broken spines before.


8. Spiny orb web spider (Gasteracantha sp.) Buy this Photo
   Similar to the Gasteracantha above but with posterior spines absent and longer median spines. The enchanting fluorescence is a result of exposure to ultraviolet light.


9. Black orb web spider (Neogea nocticolor) Buy this Photo
   This spider is famed for its majestic stabilimentum and I have been searching for a fully woven web for years. This is just a partial stabilimentum and I really hope to see the complete one soon!


10. Black orb web spider (Neogea nocticolor) Buy this Photo
    Look closer, and you would notice that she has a suitor waiting on the other side of the orb web!



Clubionidae - Sac Spiders



11. Sac spider (Clubionidae) Buy this Photo
    When all we see are common subjects, we had to think of different ways to photograph them. Blasting light through this sac spider hiding underneath a sheet of silk reveals the spider's outline and even the coxa within the cephalothorax!



Deinopidae - Net-casting Spiders



12. Net-casting spider (Deinopis sp.) Buy this Photo
    Classic ogre-face shot of the net-casting spider - the huge anterior median eyes allow it to easily detect prey movement. Really difficult to get a shot of it with the net, as it would normally be facing a leaf beneath it.



Hersiliidae - Two-tailed Spiders



13. Two-tailed spiders (Hersiliidae) Buy this Photo
    This pair appeared to be engaging in courtship, so I didn't go too close to disrupt their night. Their elongated spinnerets can do an awesome job of wrapping up prey in a matter of seconds!



Mimetidae - Pirate Spiders



14. Pirate spider (Mimetidae) preying on Lace-sheet weaver (Psechrus sp.) Buy this Photo
    First time seeing the pirate with prey! The pirate spider is known to attack other spiders with a hunting pattern similar to that of Portia, but we've yet to see it in action. This is the closest we've got!



Nemesiidae - Tube Dwelling Spiders



15. Tube dwelling spider (Damarchus workmani) Buy this Photo
    Often called "tube trapdoor spider" but I've never seen it build any trapdoor at their burrows. This is a mature male wandering around in search of a mate, illuminated with ultraviolet.



Nephilidae - Golden Orb Weaver Spiders



16. Golden orb weaver spider (Nephila sp.) Buy this Photo
    Typical scene of a female golden orb weaver emerging from her moult, with multiple males waiting for an opportunity to mate while the female is in her vulnerable state.


17. Golden orb weaver spider (Nephila pilipes) Buy this Photo
    A relatively young female golden orb weaver resting under a leaf as her web had been destroyed by the torrential rain. When she matures, the carapace would bear a much darker colour.



Ocyroceratidae - Long-legged Spiders



18. Long-legged spider (Ocyroceratidae) Buy this Photo
    Looks like any daddy-long-legs spider? This family of spiders has spectacular purple iridescence on the legs!



Oxyopidae - Lynx Spiders



19. Lynx spider (Oxyopidae) Buy this Photo
    Classic example that I would use to illustrate a bright, colourful background to complement the subject. This spider typically suspends her egg sac on a single strand of silk beneath leaves.


20. Lynx spider (Oxyopidae) Buy this Photo
    The patterns on this lynx were incredibly striking. It was a really tiny but stood still enough for us to get decent shots.


21. Lynx spider (Oxyopes sp.) preying on damselfly Buy this Photo
    Damselflies are known to be quick and voracious hunters, so it is pretty rare to see a young lynx taking on a damselfly.



Pholcidae - Daddy-long-legs Spiders



22. Daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcidae) Buy this Photo
    Just before hatching, we could see the spiderling eyes and legs on the surface of the eggs.


23. Daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcus atrigularis) Buy this Photo
    Very common spider, but observing the mature male up close would reveal a pair of eye stalks and little thorns at the tip!


24. Daddy-long-legs spider (Pholcidae) Buy this Photo
    Clusters of pholcid spiderlings always look awesome due to the length of their legs.



Pisauridae - Nursery Web Spiders



25. Nursery web spider (Pisauridae) Buy this Photo
    This is the typical nursery web of a pisaurid. Might be mistaken for a lynx spider at times, but those are roving hunters and won't weave such webs!



Psechridae - Lace-Sheet Weaver Spiders



26. Pseudo orb weaver spider (Fecenia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Spiders in this genus hide in rolled leaves positioned in the middle of their orb web. It has characteristically long and hairy legs that can cover its entire body when at rest.



Salticidae - Jumping Spiders



27. SG50 Jumping Spiders of SingaporeBuy this Photo
    In celebration of the nation's 50th birthday and with all the SG50 hullabaloo going around, I did an SG50 commemorative poster featuring 50 jumping spider portraits of Singapore. You can still purchase the poster here.


28. Jumping spider (Epeus sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of the most common jumping spiders in Singapore. This is a scene of potential courtship with the male on the left, and female on the right. Seen several salticid pairs on the same leaf before, but never seen them in action. Wonder why?


29. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    This large salticid has exceptionally long, straight chelicerae.


30. Jumping spider (Salticidae) preying on Comb-footed spider (Argyrodes sp.) Buy this Photo
    This salticid was helping a Nephila to clear out the kleptoparasites on its web. For those who don't know what's going on, the prey is a spider that steals food from the web of other spiders - most often seen on the webs of golden orb weavers.


31. Jumping spider's exoskeleton (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Amazing how exoskeletons can look so perfectly intact.


32. Jumping spider (Salticidae) preying on Two-tailed spider (Hersiliidae) Buy this Photo
    The male hersiliid was no match for the salticid!


33. Jumping spider (Cosmophasis sp.) Buy this Photo
    A curious looking Cosmophasis often known for its thick "eye brows".


34. Ant-mimic jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    This ant-mimic salticid has beautiful green and blue scales on its legs and carapace, looks very different from Myrmarachne.


35. Jumping spider (Portia sp.) Buy this Photo
    The famous spider hunter is an excellent subject for portraits, although the white-moustache will tend to over-expose.


36. Jumping spider (Viciria sp.) Buy this Photo
    Adorable little family as the mother watches over her spiderlings.



Scytodidae - Spitting Spiders



37. Spitting spider with egg sac (Scytodidae) Buy this Photo
    Lighting up this spitting spider from below allowed the eggs in the egg sac to show up, resulting in a captivating scene.


38. Spitting spider (Scytodidae) Buy this Photo
    A slightly later stage with the spiderlings hatched and moulted, this scene depicts the mother oblivious to her scurrying babies.



Sparassidae - Huntsman Spiders



39. Huntsman spider with spiderlings (Pandercetes sp.) Buy this Photo
    A "glittery" scene of fluorescing huntsman spiderlings surrounding their mother.


40. Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.) Buy this Photo
    Lighted from behind, the large orange Heteropoda strikes an eerie mood while clutching onto her precious egg sac.


41. Huntsman spider (Pandercetes sp.) Buy this Photo
    Mixing in various lighting methods resulted in this surreal and brilliantly coloured scene of a rare Pandercetes.



Tetragnathidae - Big-jawed Spiders



42. Red-blue big-jawed spider (Opadometa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Probably the most vivid species of this family, and possibly the first time recorded in Singapore. Unfortunately this was already extremely weak and almost unable to stand on its own.


43. Big-jawed spider (Tylorida ventralis) Buy this Photo
    Arguably the most common spider in our parks!



Theridiidae - Comb-footed Spiders



44. Comb-footed spider (Chrysso sp.) Buy this Photo
    The see-through abdomen and legs of this Chrysso made it a potential candidate for back-lighting.


45. Comb-footed spider (Anelosimus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found in our local mangroves, this seemingly inconspicuous theridiid is seldom photographed.


46. Mirror spider (Thwaitesia sp.) Buy this Photo
    The mirror spider made its rounds on the internet almost 2 years ago after I highlighted its ability to expand its silvery abdominal "plates" when at rest, forming a completely reflective surface on the abdomen.


47. Mirror spider (Thwaitesia sp.) Buy this Photo
    View from the rear shows the expanded "plates". Read more in my earlier post Transformation of the Mirror Spider.


48. Comb-footed spider (Dipoena sp.) Buy this Photo
    Most others photograph this spider genus under a leaf. First time witnessing it in the process of wrapping up its prey while dangling on a strand of silk.


49. Comb-footed spider (Theridiidae) Buy this Photo
    This theridiid may appear bland-looking at first glance, but it appears to have an extensible abdomen! This phenomenon does not appear to be documented.


50. Comb-footed spider (Theridiidae) Buy this Photo
    The typical scene of a captured ant by a Janula, this time illuminated with lighting from behind.


51. Comb-footed twig spider (Ariamnes sp.) Buy this Photo
    The red twig spider seems to grow to a much longer length than its green counterpart. Glad to see it again!



Thomisidae - Crab Spiders



52. Crab spider (Platythomisus sp.) Buy this Photo
    While many have seen the eight-spotted crab spider, this variant has yet to be identified. Looks like it was made of plastic and soft gel.


53. Crab spider (Thomisus sp.) preying on Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Size isn't really an issue for ambush predators like the crab spider, who willingly takes on prey of any size.


54. Crab spider (Camaricus maugei) Buy this Photo
    Ambush is set up and ready with the predator perched in the middle of the flower.



Trachelidae - Sac Spiders



55. Sac spiders (Utivarachna sp.) Buy this Photo
    Utivarachna had been moved from Corinnidae to Trachelidae in 2014 by Ramírez. Recognized by the lateral invagination (infolding) just behind the ocular region. Also my first time seeing a pair in courtship!



Zodariidae - Ground Spiders



56. Ground spider (Zodariidae) Buy this Photo
    Common zodariid, probably a male Mallinella with raised palps.



Schizomida - Shorttail Whipscorpions



57. Shorttail whipscorpion (Hubbardiidae) Buy this Photo
    Had seen these incredibly skittish runners on fallen logs before, but always lost them before taking any pictures. This would be a first!



Scorpiones - Scorpions



58. Bark scorpion (Lychas scutilus) with Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida) Buy this Photo
    Looks like just a very common scorpion at first glance, but look closer and you might notice a pseudoscorpion clutching tightly onto the scorpion's pincer.


59. Scorpion (Scorpiones) Buy this Photo
    Not your common scorpion. Found in a fallen log and extremely skittish.



Amblypygi - Tailless Whip Scorpions



60. Tailless whip scorpion (Amblpygi) Buy this Photo
    These amblypygids are less than 1cm wide, and usually found underneath rocks. Can never get tired of taking close ups of the red spiky palps. Unfortunately I have not gotten any of them identified yet.



Opiliones - Harvestmen



61. Harvestman (Opiliones) Buy this Photo
    Skipped many harvestmen this year, stopping only for unique angles and lighting.



Pseudoscorpionida - Pseudoscorpions



62. Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida) Buy this Photo
    We found a tree with numerous pseudoscorpions. Tapping around revealed this mother-to-be carrying a load of eggs under her abdomen!


63. Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida) pincing an ant Buy this Photo
    Despite their small size, pseudoscorpions appear to possess immense strength. We have seen it pincing tightly on other ferocious arthropods, such as this ant and a mantis.



Coleoptera - Beetles



64. Longhorn beetle (Cerosterna sp.) Buy this Photo
    A great subject for ultraviolet photography due to the large compound eyes.


65. Longhorn beetle (Chloridolum sp.) Buy this Photo
    First time seeing this metallic green longhorn beetle found in the central catchment reserve.


66. Longhorn beetle (Chlorophorus annularis) Buy this Photo
    Also the first time seeing this longhorn beetle in Singapore.


67. Stingless bee mimicking longhorn beetle (Pectinocallimus sp.) Buy this Photo
    An extremely rare beetle that mimics a stingless bee. This fragile species has an extremely short adult lifespan which made this sighting even more precious.


68. Checkered beetle (Cleridae) Buy this Photo
    Checkered beetles are not common in Singapore but some do frequent certain trees. This particular specimen was found under a leaf.


69. Fungus weevil (Anthribidae) Buy this Photo
    Anthribids are pretty common here, but this makes the list for the deep orange tone.


70. Fungus weevil (Anthribidae) Buy this Photo
    The evil looking ultraman-eyes are typical of many anthribids, but the antennae of this are lined with long hairs as well.


71. Fungus weevil (Choraginae) Buy this Photo
    Most probably missed out by others, as this tiny little dot turned out to be a super adorable anthribid as well.


72. Spiky leaf beetle (Dactylispa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Some awesomely spiky leaf beetles could also be spotted in the foliage as well.


73. Curry leaf tortoise beetle (Silana farinosa) Buy this Photo
    And then there's the occasional tortoise beetle trying to give me directions.


74. Leaf beetles (Arcastes biplagiata) Buy this Photo
    A charming pair of leaf beetles making out in a sunny morning. Female walked around but the male stood firmly anchored with her.


75. Click beetle (Pachyderes apicalis?) Buy this Photo
    A gorgeous click beetle with enlarged pronotum, found together with the remaining patch of lantern bugs in Singapore.


76. Stag beetle (Aegus sp.) Buy this Photo
    First time seeing a local lucanid. This male was found with several other females inside a crevice at the base of a tree. Tinge of ultraviolet thrown in to light up the eyes.


77. Darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) Buy this Photo
    This darkling beetle had captivating colours and an even more alluring twin humps!


78. Darkling beetle (Stenochiinae) Buy this Photo
    Incidentally, these darkling beetles do not look as cool when lighted with a point light source. Using a large and even lighting allowed the colours of the entire beetle to show up.


79. Ground beetle (Catascopus sp.) Buy this Photo
    The resident of many fallen logs of our forests, always a delight to photograph for the brilliant colours.


80. Handsome fungus beetles (Endomychidae) Buy this Photo
    Not often seen, this pair of endomychids had interesting dual protrusions on their elytra. The female didn't seem too bothered with the mites running around!



Hymenoptera - Bees, Wasps, Ants



81. Parasitoid wasp (Scelioninae) on shield bug eggs Buy this Photo
    This minuscule parasitoid wasp was poking around the patch of shield bug eggs. Not sure if she had already laid her eggs in them?


82. Velvet ant (Mutillidae) Buy this Photo
    We've seen the female velvet ant many times, but this is my first sighting of the male! A female was also spotted nearby but he didn't approach her. Next step would be to find a mating pair..


83. Eucharitid wasp (Stilbula sp.) Buy this Photo
    Eucharitids tend to be very tiny, but cooperative subjects and extremely tolerant towards clumsy photographers.


84. Eucharitid wasp (Eucharitidae) Buy this Photo
    Another eucharitid with a waist to die for.


85. Potter wasp (Eumeninae) Buy this Photo
    A slightly different view of a sleeping potter wasp.


86. Cuckoo bee (Thyreus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Our favorite sleeping cuckoo bee - this was a teeny bit yellowed but still a lovely sleeping beauty.


87. Blue ant (Echinopla striata?) Buy this Photo
    Surprise find of the night. We often ignore the little ants scurrying around, only to find that some were actually blue!


88. Braconid wasp (Braconidae) Buy this Photo
    Lucky shot for me as this braconid was only ovipositing for less than a minute before it went around tapping on a fallen log again. Wonder what beetle larvae could be underneath?


89. Eupelmid wasp (Eupelmidae) Buy this Photo
    Freakishly small and skittish wasp, but mind-blowing when viewed up close. The true flying jewel!



Hemiptera - True Bugs



90. Giant shield bugs (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
    These shield bug nymphs had been sighted in various colours, but this is the first time finding 3 with traffic light colours together!


91. Deltocephaline leafhopper (Penthimia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Cute platypus-ish leafhopper, first sighting as well!


92. Bug nymphBuy this Photo
    No idea what this is, but it looked like a little jelly bean.


93. Planthopper nymph (Fulgoromorpha) Buy this Photo
    The bizarre waxy tails of planthopper nymphs appear to come in a myriad of forms.


94. Derbid planthopper (Derbidae) Buy this Photo
    With such intense colours and patterned wings, this derbid should be high on a macro photographer's wish list.


95. Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae) Buy this Photo
    This large planthopper is sometimes mistaken for a cicada.


96. Planthopper nymph (Fulgoridae) Buy this Photo
    I've always questioned what the adult of this fulgorid looked like. Anyone has any clues? Seen it quite often, so I took a different approach this time.


97. Lantern bug (Pyrops oculatus) Buy this Photo
    Only lantern bug that I've ever seen in Singapore. Appears to be seasonal. This was over 3 meters above ground and shot from a distance.


98. Scale insect (Drosicha sp.) Buy this Photo
    These scale insects are extremely slow flyers. Next on my wish list would be to shoot it in flight. I did have some in-flight shots before but they were lacking in sharpness.


99. Scale insect (Paralecanium sp.) Buy this Photo
    Why do so many people question whether aliens exist when we have this?


100. Thread-legged assassin bug (Emesinae) Buy this Photo
     Thread-legged assassin bugs may appear to be fragile, but they are quite adept at capturing prey. Guess what the prey is?


101. Ant-snatching assassin bug (Acanthaspis sp.) Buy this Photo
     The classic corpse-pile on the back of an ant-snatching assassin bug doesn't get any more brutal. Helped a bit with the folks filming Wild City episode 3, do look out for it! For more on these gruesome assassins, read my earlier post: Gruesome Tactics of an Ant-Snatching Assassin Bug. My next goal would be to film or photograph the act of stacking the ants. Apparently, the stacking is done from the bottom and not the top!


102. Plant bug (Miridae) Buy this Photo
     Seen occasionally, the eyes of this mirid is distinctly heightened.


103. Shield-backed bug (Scutelleridae) Buy this Photo
     This is still a nymph, but due to the "metallic" body, many are mistaking it to be a beetle.


104. Treehopper (Membracidae) Buy this Photo
     Another tiny speck that revealed a strange network of red nodules on its wing veins.



Orthoptera - Katydids, Grasshoppers, Crickets



105. Raspy cricket (Gryllacrididae) Buy this Photo
     An all time favorite would be a back-lit shot of a moulting cricket with wings freshly pumped out. The additional colours are a bonus!


106. Katydid nymph (Lipotactes maculatus) with mites Buy this Photo
     This poor cricket was covered with mites. They probably had been sucking on the cricket for some time as some were already quite fat.


107. Cricket (Gryllidae) Buy this Photo
     Unconventional view of a cricket when I was testing the Venus 15mm wide angle macro lens.


108. Leaf-mimic katydid ovipositing (Onomarchus sp.) Buy this Photo
     Ultraviolet brings out the veins on the wings of this leaf-mimic katydid beautifully.


109. Leaf-mimic katydid ovipositing (Onomarchus sp.) Buy this Photo
     Since it was ovipositing, I had the opportunity to try a wide angle view at night. This was shot with the Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, and the lights in the background belonged to my friends who ignored my calls to stay out of frame. Turned out nicer than I imagined!


110. Katydid nymph (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
     Just a nymph or fresh from moult?


111. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
     Bit of backlighting and ultraviolet to highlight the wing veins.


112. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) with PseudoscorpionBuy this Photo
     Katydids are excellent subjects for back lighting as many allow light to pass through parts of its body. In this scene, a bonus pseudoscorpion was pincing the katydid's front leg.


113. Dead leaf grasshopper nymph (Chorotypus sp.) Buy this Photo
     This master of a mimic masquerades as a dead leaf, complete with holes in the pronotum!



Lepidoptera - Butterflies, Moths



114. Psyche butterfly (Leptosia nina malayana) Buy this Photo
     This butterfly was resting quietly in the night.


115. Multi-headed caterpillarBuy this Photo
     A bizarre scene where a caterpillar keeps the exoskeleton of its head of each previous instar, creating a tower of heads! Read my earlier post on this caterpillar here: Meet the Multi-Headed Caterpillar.


116. Stick-mimic moth (Gargetta sp.) Buy this Photo
     Spotted this moth resting at the tip of a broken branch. It was a perfect camouflage when viewed from far, didn't look like a moth at all!


117. Moth (Lepidoptera) Buy this Photo
     Possibly an injured moth, looked oddly asymmetrical.


118. Lymantriine moth (Arctornis sp.) Buy this Photo
     Freshly emerged, this lymantriine moth looked really fluffy!


119. Green pergesa hawkmoth (Pergesa acteus) Buy this Photo
     An interesting hawkmoth larva that adjusts its folds to reveal a pair of pseudo-eyes!


120. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
     Fluffy caterpillars are great for back lighting. In fact, most of my caterpillar shots would have some examples of back lighting.


121. CaterpillarBuy this Photo
     A tiny one that allowed light to pass through its body.


122. Red weaver ant mimic caterpillar (Homodes sp.) Buy this Photo
     A truly bizarre species that mimics the red weaver ants. Perhaps they obtained protection by hanging out with the ferocious ants?


123. Archduke larva (Lexias sp.) Buy this Photo
     The classic "Christmas Tree" too!



Diptera - Flies



124. Fruit fly (Adrama sp.) Buy this Photo
     Very common fruit fly, perhaps that's why I have not been shooting it. Anyway, here's a record shot!


125. Hammerhead fly (Themara hirtipes) Buy this Photo
     Interesting hammerhead fly with a slight dent on its left eye.


126. Mating gnats (Cecidomyiidae or Mycetophilidae?) Buy this Photo
     Tiny little specks turned out to be mating on a leaf!


127. Thick-headed fly (Conopidae) Buy this Photo
     Initially thought to be a hoverfly, but turned out to be a new record for me!


128. Robberfly (Asilidae) Buy this Photo
     Favorite fly among macro photographers, due to its high hit-rate of snagging prey. The leaf beetle didn't stand a chance at all.



Neuroptera - Lacewings, Owlflies, Antlions



129. Scarlet lacewing (Italochrysa japonica) Buy this Photo
     Probably the most beautiful lacewing in Singapore. It has been spotted in the north-east several times, and I was lucky to see one just before leaving the park.


130. Green lacewing (Chrysopidae) Buy this Photo
     Looks like the common lacewing in our parks, but this was at least twice the size, with some dark markings on the wings.


131. Owlfly larva (Ascalaphidae) Buy this Photo
     An owlfly larva spotted in the day. And I always thought that they were nocturnal.



Mantodea - Mantises



132. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.) Buy this Photo
     Mantids tend to give the widest variety of poses. Had to be ready at all times in case it did an epic pose.


133. Mantis mating (Tropidomantinae) Buy this Photo
     Interestingly, this is the first time I'm seeing a mating pair of mantids in Singapore. Previous encounters had only been in Malaysia.



Phasmatodea - Stick Insects



134. Leaf insect (Phylliidae) Buy this Photo
     I did shoot many stick insects this year, but only chose this leaf insect from Sungei Buloh. The rest were just not as interesting. :)



Blattodea - Cockroaches, Termites



135. Pill cockroach (Perisphaerus sp.) Buy this Photo
     A cherry-red pill cockroach looked as if it were wearing shades from this angle!



Myriapoda - Millipedes, Centipedes



136. Millipede (Diplopoda) Buy this Photo
     This was featured in Wild City episode 2, except that the fluorescence on this millipede was much brighter. The light fluorescence was bright enough to illuminate the leaf it was on!



Isopoda - Woodlice



137. Woodlouse moult (Isopoda) Buy this Photo
     Woodlouse fresh from its moult. Not sure which direction it was supposed to be headed though?



Gastropoda - Snails



138. Snail embryosBuy this Photo
     It was only with the curiosity of my friends that we discovered the tiny embryos within these snail eggs. Delicate, yet spellbinding.


139. Snail (Gastropoda) Buy this Photo
     This snail's shell also showed up nicely with back lighting. The eyes are interestingly situated at the base of the tentacles.


140. Snail (Gastropoda) Buy this Photo
     The very first wide angle test shot with the Venus 15mm wide angle macro lens at Marina Bay Sands.



Serpentes - Snakes



141. Big-eye green whip snake (Ahaetulla mycterizans) Buy this Photo
     The extremely slender whip snake grips tightly to the branch with its tail, and is able to jump a distance after forming this S-shape.


142. Big-eye green whip snake (Ahaetulla mycterizans) Buy this Photo
     Back-lighting reveals the entire scene and the bulging eyes of the snake as well.


143. Blue malayan coral snake (Calliophis bivirgatus) Buy this Photo
     Just a quick record shot of the blue coral snake. This snake has the world's longest venom glands, extending up to a third of the body from its fangs. We saw 2 of them together, but both escaped in different directions quickly when a large crowd of visitors spotted them as well.


144. Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) Buy this Photo
     Found quietly sitting at the base of a tree while many joggers whisked past.


145. Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) Buy this Photo
     Another beauty above our heads!


146. Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) Buy this Photo
     A wide angle view including its habitat.


147. Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) Buy this Photo
     Can't help including a close up of her head!


148. Dwarf reed snake (Pseudorabdion longiceps) Buy this Photo
     First time trying back-lighting on a snake. Not too exceptional unfortunately.



Fungi - Mushrooms



149. Bioluminescent fungi (Filoboletus manipularis) Buy this Photo
     My largest bioluminescent mushroom cluster to date!


150. Mushroom under ultravioletBuy this Photo
     Interestingly, we also found a mushroom that fluoresces under ultraviolet. No idea what made the difference.


151. Fungi (Mycena illuminans?) Buy this Photo
     Another test of the Venus 15mm wide angle macro lens.


152. FungiBuy this Photo
     This was shot for a review of the wide angle macro lens mentioned above. Just a simple scene at the entrance of Pasir Ris Park.


153. Slime moldBuy this Photo
     Not exactly fungi, but an interesting view at slime moulds up close. They look like mini trees!

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Hemiptera - True Bugs



1. Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi) Buy this Photo
   One of the most brightly coloured lantern bugs of Borneo. It is relatively easy to spot P. whiteheadi when they are in season.


2. Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus) Buy this Photo
   Some of the lantern bugs have distinct host trees, and the chances of finding them would be much higher with an experienced guide.


3. Lantern bug (Pyrops sultanus) Buy this Photo
   I had photographed this lantern bug before in previous years, so a different approach was taken this time round.


4. Planthopper (Penthicodes sp.) Buy this Photo
   Found this fulgorid planthopper off the trail, looks close to the one we see in Singapore but this was much darker, possibly faded.


5. Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae) Buy this Photo
   A bit of back-lighting to highlight the transparent wings.


6. Pill-like planthopper (Hemisphaerius sp.) Buy this Photo
   There were several of these pill-like planthoppers along the paths in Tawau, but this had the most colourful patterns!


7. Eurybrachyid planthopper (Eurybrachyidae) Buy this Photo
   Lateral view reveals a bright red abdomen in this stunning planthopper.


8. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
   Some of the most colourful shield bugs could be found here in Borneo. We found one just outside the toilet.


9. Giant shield bug nymph (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
   Another shield bug nymph at the bottom of the bridge and had us excited and queuing up!


10. Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
    An adult shield bug was spotted behind the cabins, and we found it to be laying eggs! She had beautiful textures on her dorsal body with green metallic pits!


11. Giant shield bug nymph (Tessaratomidae) Buy this Photo
    While we took at break by the tree, this exotic little shield bug nymph had followed us all the way up! We brought it back down to where we found it near our cabins.


12. Thread-legged assassin bug (Emesinae) Buy this Photo
    Found a furry looking thread-legged assassin bug! Stunning looking creature and a definite pain to focus when it decides to move all the time.


13. Masked hunter assassin bug (Reduviidae) Buy this Photo
    On the tree trunks, we found the masked hunter, an assassin bug that piles debris upon itself to conceal its shape.



Araneae - Spiders



14. Funnel weaver spider (Agelenidae) Buy this Photo
    My first record for this family, appears to be quite common in certain parts of Fraser's Hill.


15. St Andrew's cross spider (Argiope sp.) Buy this Photo
    Also from Fraser's Hill, this belongs to a unique group of Argiope with a sparse to hairless carapace.


16. St Andrew's cross spider (Argiope sp.) Buy this Photo
    A much larger Argiope that Tan Ji found - check out the shiny carapace! The carapace of most other Argiope would be covered with silvery hairs.


17. Wrap-around spider (Dolophones sp.) Buy this Photo
    A magnificent specimen of a wrap-around spider right in front of the cabins in Tawau. The abdomen has a peculiar vertical protrusion.


18. Big-headed bark spider (Caerostris sp.) Buy this Photo
    Spiders from this genus are always stunners, providing captivating portraits for us.


19. Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Mesmerizing stabilimentum on a Cyclosa, with what looks like a captured prey.


20. Longhorn orb web spider (Macracantha arcuata) Buy this Photo
    Probably the longest horns on any spider in the region, the longhorn orb web spider is a common sight near to the cabins in Tawau.


21. Long horned orb weaver (Macracantha arcuata) Buy this Photo
    Wide angle view of a white morph of Macracantha, one of the craziest looking spiders around.


22. Spiny orb web spider (Gasteracantha sp.) Buy this Photo
    Also found in front of where we stayed (lazy bums we are), this Gasteracantha has a stout, sclerotized abdomen.


23. Lichen wandering spider (Acantheis sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of my favorite ctenids ever! Excellent camouflage on a mossy tree trunk and probably overlooked by most others.


24. Unknown spider webBuy this Photo
    Possibly a tetragnathid, but have not been able to confirm the identity of this spider. It builds a horizontal orb web in constricted spaces, with a delightful array of stabilimentum.


25. Black armored trapdoor spider (Liphistius malayanus) Buy this Photo
    Resident of Fraser's Hill under ultraviolet. It is facing possible extinction due to poaching and collection. Surveys of the area have shown the sore absence of males and younger specimens. Given that the male does not travel far to find mates, the chances of procreation of this species is slim.


26. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.) Buy this Photo
    A lovely new batch of spiderlings crowding around their mother.


27. Fishing spider (Nilus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found beside a river and very cooperative!


28. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Small and plain looking, but super cute and gave me the innocent doe-eyed look.


29. Jumping spider (Epeus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Very common male Epeus with the "mohawk", known for the elaborate display of colours.


30. Big-jawed jumping spider (Parabathippus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Giant chelicerae makes me wonder if it can deal a painful bite?


31. Jumping spider (Simaetha sp.) Buy this Photo
    Purplish and tiny, this turned out to be a beetle-mimic jumping spider! It even has golden palps to mimic the mouth parts of beetles.


32. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) Buy this Photo
    Most colourful huntsman spider, ever. Found this huge beauty beside a river.


33. Malaysian purple femur tarantula (Coremiocnemis hoggi) Buy this Photo
    Another resident of Fraser's Hill and named after Stephen Hogg, who now runs a guesthouse there. Do check out Stephen's Place and it's reviews if you plan to visit Fraser's Hill. For nature lovers only!


34. Tarantula (Theraphosidae) Buy this Photo
    We chased this tarantula around but it eventually disappeared into the leaf litter.


35. Spiny comb-footed spider (Phoroncidia sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of my favorite theridiids with an exceptionally spiny and odd-shaped abdomen.


36. Crab spider (Epidius sp.) Buy this Photo
    The male of this crab spider has ridiculously long pedipalps, which could even be mistaken for its legs.


37. Bird dung crab spider (Phrynarachne sp.) Buy this Photo
    An amazing bird dung mimic, it is able to weave its prey around itself to complement its camouflage.


38. Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.) Buy this Photo
    A pale coloured Utivarachna, notably larger than what we find in Singapore.



Arachnids - Scorpions, Whipscorpions, Harvestmen, etc. (except spiders)



39. Harvestman (Opiliones) Buy this Photo
    Who would have imagined that a harvestman could be blue?


40. Harvestman ultraviolet animation (Opiliones) Buy this Photo
    Here's how one looked like before and after exposure to ultraviolet.


41. Whip scorpion (Thelyphonida) Buy this Photo
    We saw a vinegaroon, or whip scorpion. Didn't disturb it, so we didn't smell like vinegar. :)


42. Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida) Buy this Photo
    The pseudoscorpion clings on very tightly, hoping to hitch a ride. It probably hasn't figured out that it was clinging onto a shield bug nymph... without wings...


43. Giant black forest scorpion (Heterometrus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A giant black forest scorpion fluorescing brightly under ultraviolet.


44. Tick (Ixodida) Buy this Photo
    This tick was sucking the blood of Adam, so we made him sit still while we took close ups of it. :)



Hymenoptera - Bees, Wasps, Ants



45. Golden blue ant (Polyrhachis sp.) Buy this Photo
    These ants were brilliantly coloured with a metallic blue abdomen.


46. Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon) Buy this Photo
    Traced one of them that paused for a while, long enough to take some record shots.


47. Wasp sharing a meal with antBuy this Photo
    Another scene that attracted our attention! Gathering of 3 different predators, but the poor orthopteran was at the bottom of this food chain.


48. Cuckoo wasp (Loboscelidia sp.) Buy this Photo
    Looks like a winged ant, but turned out to be a cuckoo wasp that is not often seen.



Coleoptera - Beetles



49. Rhino beetle (Dynastinae) Buy this Photo
    This rhino beetle flew to us near the cabin in Tawau, which gave us the opportunity to take some wide angle shots when we were checking out on the last day.


50. Rhino beetle (Dynastinae) Buy this Photo
    This was attracted to our lights at Fraser's Hill, kept flying! Eyes illuminated with ultraviolet.


51. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) Buy this Photo
    This was found on several fallen logs in Tawau, probably a different species from those in Singapore.


52. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A lankier trilobite beetle larva, this can also be found in Singapore.


53. Lizard beetle (Languriidae) Buy this Photo
    A highly reflective lizard beetle.


54. Rove beetle (Aleocharinae) Buy this Photo
    Couldn't figure out the shape until I saw the close ups, which revealed the flipped abdomen.


55. Tiger beetle (Cicindelinae) Buy this Photo
    Saw a few of these tiger beetles but only managed to shoot one successfully.


56. Tiger beetle (Cylindera sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of the most stunning tiger beetles around!


57. Leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) Buy this Photo
    Common leaf beetle but with a metallic body.


58. Jewel beetle (Endelus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Super tiny but brilliant jewel beetle, unfortunately also a very skittish one. Saw one with golden head and thorax at an adjacent plant.


59. Palm weevil (Cercidocerus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A black weevil got Dennis really excited near the garden entrance, but it was this that got him going OMG OMG OMG OMG. I tend to imagine the antennae of this weevil to be window wipers! :)


60. Weevils (Curculionidae) Buy this Photo
    Mating pair of weevils with interesting disc-like texture when viewed up close.



Orthoptera - Katydids, Grasshoppers, Crickets



61. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Looked like a muddy looking katydid from afar, but spotted a gradient of yellow-green-blue on the wing veins!


62. Grasshopper (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
    Hypnotising eyes...


63. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Stunning katydid that flattens itself onto a leaf when threatened. It even looks a little bit dirty to complement the camouflage.


64. Dead leaf grasshopper (Trigonopterygidae) Buy this Photo
    We found at least 3 different colour morphs of this dead leaf grasshopper within a small area.


65. Grasshopper nymph (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
    A small little grasshopper hopped onto the lamp post, and looked surprisingly like a little toy!


66. Grasshopper (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
    Apparently quite common and colourful, but often missed out as it resembles many of the common grasshoppers.


67. Monkey grasshopper (Erucius sp.) Buy this Photo
    Something that is not uncommon in Malaysia, but have not seen them in Singapore yet.


68. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Katydid nymph with some fancy colours.


69. Moss katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Camouflaged moss katydid, really amazing critter!


70. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    First time seeing such prominent spermatophores on a katydid.


71. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    From a distance, this looked like a random plain picture. Have you found the katydid yet? View a close up of the katydid.


72. Katydid (close to Olcinia sp. - ID suggested by Piotr Naskrecki) Buy this Photo
    Kept confusing it between a katydid and stick insect. Very broad head for a katydid. Incredibly cryptic details!



Mantodea - Mantises



73. Hood mantis (Rhombodera valida) Buy this Photo
    A regal looking hooded mantis from Fraser's Hill, shot with a fisheye lens.


74. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.) Buy this Photo
    A green morph of the dead leaf mantis. Mimicking a different not-so-dead leaf?


75. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.) Buy this Photo
    This dead leaf mantis was hanging out on our clothes lines... I could even try doing some back-lit shots!


76. Bark mantis (Mantodea) Buy this Photo
    Adult bark mantis found at our doorstep.


77. Mantis (Pachymantis sp.?) Buy this Photo
    Looks similar to a Pachymantis. The forelegs were yellow and blue on the outside, and red on the inside!


78. Bark horned mantis (Ceratocrania sp.) Buy this Photo
    Sadly, a dying horned mantis that had a radially twisted cone head!



Phasmatodea - Stick Insects



79. Stick insect (Phasmatodea) Buy this Photo
    An exaggerated wide angle perspective of a superbly camouflaged stick insect.


80. Stick insects (Phasmatodea) Buy this Photo
    A beautiful pair of mating stick insects!


81. Stick insect (Haaniella sp.) Buy this Photo
    A big fat stick, and it is just a nymph with undeveloped wings!


82. Knob necked stick insect (Calvisia sp.?) Buy this Photo
    One of the most colourful stick insects that I have ever seen!



Lepidoptera - Butterflies, Moths



83. Five bar swordtail (Graphium antiphates) Buy this Photo
    I rarely shoot butterflies, but saw a sleeping five bar swordtail and couldn't resist!


84. Fairy longhorn moth (Nemophora sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found a beautiful cross-eyed fairy longhorn moth. We were afraid to spook it off and took quite a while to shoot it from a distance, before approaching closer.



Diptera - Flies



85. Robberfly (Asilidae) preying on Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae) Buy this Photo
    Found near the waterfall at Fraser's Hill.


86. Mass mating crane flies (Tipulidae) Buy this Photo
    Usually ignored, but this scene actually consists of SEVEN pairs of mating crane flies. (or more?!)



Other Insects and Worms



87. Black armored cockroach (Catara rugosicollis) Buy this Photo
    The ones in Singapore gave off an odd scent when they felt threatened. Luckily this one didn't give off any scent.


88. Flat-backed Millipede (Platyrhacidae) Buy this Photo
    Wide angle view of a flat-backed millipede. Many thought it looked like the spine of some monster.


89. Barklice (Psocoptera) Buy this Photo
    A fresh batch of hatchlings under a leaf, really cute littel jellybeans!


90. Dobsonfly (Corydalinae) Buy this Photo
    Back at the cabins, we found that a dobsonfly was still on the light trap! It didn't stay for long, but I was fortunate enough to get some shots.


91. Tiger leeches (Hirudinea) Buy this Photo
    They found each other. One of us had over 10 leeches sucking blood off him in a night. Don't go after me please...



Amphibia & Reptilia - Frogs, Lizards, Snakes



92. Giant river toad (Phrynoidis juxtasper) Buy this Photo
    Some of the toads by the river were huge, spanning 20cm in length.


93. File-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus) Buy this Photo
    Just chilling. Tree frogs have some of the cutest poses on branches.


94. Dragon snake (Xenodermus javanicus) Buy this Photo
    On the way to our night trail, Tom spotted a very rare dragon snake.


95. Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) Buy this Photo
    We had fun lighting it up like a bulb, with Kerry holding my torch behind the frog.


96. Malayan horned frog (Megophrys nasuta) Buy this Photo
    A wide angle close up view of one of the most exotic looking frogs in this region.


97. Gecko (Gekkota) Buy this Photo
    Somehow this gecko found Adam's hands. Didn't let him dislodge the gecko til everyone got shots!


98. Siamese peninsula pit viper (Popeia fucata) Buy this Photo
    This pit viper was found above our heads while we were searching for spiders. It appeared almost ready to lunge towards us.


99. Skink (Scincidae) Buy this Photo
    A curious view with a little smile.


100. Great anglehead lizard (Gonocephalus grandis) Buy this Photo
     A majestic great anglehead lizard sleeping on a branch at night, allowing everyone to take turns to shoot it.