Malaysia's Top 100 Macro Shots from 2015

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Malaysia has some of the most dazzling arthropod life. The Borneo rainforest is 140 million years old, making it one of the oldest rainforests in the world and home to countless species of macro photography subjects, many of which are still undescribed. In this post, I'll showcase 100 of the memorable shots from Malaysia that I've taken in 2015. Please enjoy this photo series. :)

I made 4 short photography trips to Malaysia in 2015, and they were all very fruitful! Some of the fauna are similar to that in Singapore, but each trip certainly brought me many lifers. Two of the trips were to the venue of the Borneo Bootcamp in Tawau, one was a night trip to Johor, and one to Fraser's Hill in Pahang.

Due to the sheer number of photographs taken, I've done my 2015 summary in individual posts separated by country. Do check out my other 2015 roundup posts as well:

• Singapore's Hidden Treasures - A 2015 Collection
• Malaysia's Top 100 Macro Shots from 2015
• 50 Tiny Creatures You Never Looked Up Close In the Amazon
• BugShot in the Belizean Jungles of Central America

Hemiptera - True Bugs


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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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!

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

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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


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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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18. Big-headed bark spider (Caerostris sp.) Buy this Photo
    Spiders from this genus are always stunners, providing captivating portraits for us.

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19. Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.) Buy this Photo
    Mesmerizing stabilimentum on a Cyclosa, with what looks like a captured prey.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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26. Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.) Buy this Photo
    A lovely new batch of spiderlings crowding around their mother.

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27. Fishing spider (Nilus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Found beside a river and very cooperative!

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28. Jumping spider (Salticidae) Buy this Photo
    Small and plain looking, but super cute and gave me the innocent doe-eyed look.

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29. Jumping spider (Epeus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Very common male Epeus with the "mohawk", known for the elaborate display of colours.

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30. Big-jawed jumping spider (Parabathippus sp.) Buy this Photo
    Giant chelicerae makes me wonder if it can deal a painful bite?

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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.

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32. Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) Buy this Photo
    Most colourful huntsman spider, ever. Found this huge beauty beside a river.

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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!

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

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35. Spiny comb-footed spider (Phoroncidia sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of my favorite theridiids with an exceptionally spiny and odd-shaped abdomen.

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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.

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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.

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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)


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39. Harvestman (Opiliones) Buy this Photo
    Who would have imagined that a harvestman could be blue?

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40. Harvestman ultraviolet animation (Opiliones) Buy this Photo
    Here's how one looked like before and after exposure to ultraviolet.

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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. :)

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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...

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43. Giant black forest scorpion (Heterometrus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A giant black forest scorpion fluorescing brightly under ultraviolet.

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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


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45. Golden blue ant (Polyrhachis sp.) Buy this Photo
    These ants were brilliantly coloured with a metallic blue abdomen.

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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.

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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.

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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


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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.

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50. Rhino beetle (Dynastinae) Buy this Photo
    This was attracted to our lights at Fraser's Hill, kept flying! Eyes illuminated with ultraviolet.

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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.

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52. Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.) Buy this Photo
    A lankier trilobite beetle larva, this can also be found in Singapore.

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53. Lizard beetle (Languriidae) Buy this Photo
    A highly reflective lizard beetle.

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54. Rove beetle (Aleocharinae) Buy this Photo
    Couldn't figure out the shape until I saw the close ups, which revealed the flipped abdomen.

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55. Tiger beetle (Cicindelinae) Buy this Photo
    Saw a few of these tiger beetles but only managed to shoot one successfully.

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56. Tiger beetle (Cylindera sp.) Buy this Photo
    One of the most stunning tiger beetles around!

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57. Leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) Buy this Photo
    Common leaf beetle but with a metallic body.

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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.

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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! :)

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60. Weevils (Curculionidae) Buy this Photo
    Mating pair of weevils with interesting disc-like texture when viewed up close.



Orthoptera - Katydids, Grasshoppers, Crickets


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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!

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62. Grasshopper (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
    Hypnotising eyes...

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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.

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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.

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65. Grasshopper nymph (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
    A small little grasshopper hopped onto the lamp post, and looked surprisingly like a little toy!

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66. Grasshopper (Caelifera) Buy this Photo
    Apparently quite common and colourful, but often missed out as it resembles many of the common grasshoppers.

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67. Monkey grasshopper (Erucius sp.) Buy this Photo
    Something that is not uncommon in Malaysia, but have not seen them in Singapore yet.

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68. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Katydid nymph with some fancy colours.

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69. Moss katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    Camouflaged moss katydid, really amazing critter!

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70. Katydid (Tettigoniidae) Buy this Photo
    First time seeing such prominent spermatophores on a katydid.

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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.

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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


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73. Hood mantis (Rhombodera valida) Buy this Photo
    A regal looking hooded mantis from Fraser's Hill, shot with a fisheye lens.

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74. Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.) Buy this Photo
    A green morph of the dead leaf mantis. Mimicking a different not-so-dead leaf?

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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!

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76. Bark mantis (Mantodea) Buy this Photo
    Adult bark mantis found at our doorstep.

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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!

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78. Bark horned mantis (Ceratocrania sp.) Buy this Photo
    Sadly, a dying horned mantis that had a radially twisted cone head!



Phasmatodea - Stick Insects


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79. Stick insect (Phasmatodea) Buy this Photo
    An exaggerated wide angle perspective of a superbly camouflaged stick insect.

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80. Stick insects (Phasmatodea) Buy this Photo
    A beautiful pair of mating stick insects!

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81. Stick insect (Haaniella sp.) Buy this Photo
    A big fat stick, and it is just a nymph with undeveloped wings!

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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


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83. Five bar swordtail (Graphium antiphates) Buy this Photo
    I rarely shoot butterflies, but saw a sleeping five bar swordtail and couldn't resist!

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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


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85. Robberfly (Asilidae) preying on Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae) Buy this Photo
    Found near the waterfall at Fraser's Hill.

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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


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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.

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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.

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89. Barklice (Psocoptera) Buy this Photo
    A fresh batch of hatchlings under a leaf, really cute littel jellybeans!

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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.

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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


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92. Giant river toad (Phrynoidis juxtasper) Buy this Photo
    Some of the toads by the river were huge, spanning 20cm in length.

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

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94. Dragon snake (Xenodermus javanicus) Buy this Photo
    On the way to our night trail, Tom spotted a very rare dragon snake.

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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.

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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.

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97. Gecko (Gekkota) Buy this Photo
    Somehow this gecko found Adam's hands. Didn't let him dislodge the gecko til everyone got shots!

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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.

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99. Skink (Scincidae) Buy this Photo
    A curious view with a little smile.

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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.

If you've enjoyed this series, do check out my other 2015 roundups:

• Singapore's Hidden Treasures - A 2015 Collection
• Malaysia's Top 100 Macro Shots from 2015
• 50 Tiny Creatures You Never Looked Up Close In the Amazon
• BugShot in the Belizean Jungles of Central America

If you have any questions, please post in the comments below or contact me at nicky@bay.to.

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