Giant Twig Spider @ Pulau Ubin
Thanks to Victor for organizing the overnight trip to Pulau Ubin. We boarded the last boat at 8pm and returned to mainland only at 6:30am. In between was nothing but bug hunting and a macro marathon! My favorite shot of the night was a lovely Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.) that Melvyn found. It did not stay still for long and it was hell trying to get everything in the same plane of focus. However, the result was well worth it. 🙂
Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.)
There’s the Twig Spider when it was found! At rest, it straightens its legs to mimic a twig. But once it moves, it becomes a mess of twigs!
Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.)
Ventral view of the Twig Spider
Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.)
Screwed on the Raynox to get a closer shot of the Twig Spider
Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.)
Yep, it refused to stay still!
Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.)
Record shot of the eyes
Twig Spider (Ariamnes sp.)
With Sagita’s help, I managed to adjust the angle with some dried leaves behind to finally get the shot I wanted of the Twig Spider ! A really awesome spider – at first glance, it looked impossible to get much details out of it. After several attempts, it turned out to exhibit a beautiful tone of red.
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae)
James found this Huntsman Spider resting on the leaves. Looked common but still beautiful. 🙂
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae)
Had to get a shot of the eyes
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae)
And go even closer…
Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia sp.)
Found a tree with some juvenile Ornamental Tree Trunk Spiders
Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia sp.)
When observed up close, these spiders actually have very intricate patterns.
Ant-Like Sac Spider (Corinnomma sp.)
We also saw a few of these Ant-Like Sac Spiders running about.
Ant-Like Sac Spider (Corinnomma sp.)
With a black body, the exposure will have to be precise to avoid over-exposing the leaf.
Crown Wasp (Stephanidae)
While we walked deeper off the path, I saw a Crown Wasp ready for oviposition.
Crown Wasp ovipositioning (Stephanidae)
Its amazing how long the ovipositors are!!
Crown Wasp ovipositing (Stephanidae)
Extremely challenging to get the hair-thin ovipositor in complete focus.
Darkling Beetle (Platydema sp.)
Just beside the Crown Wasp was this interesting looking Darkling Beetle with a green metallic body
Fungus Weevil (Anthribidae)
Melvyn found this cute Fungus Weevil peeping out from a tiny burrow
Comb-Footed Spider (Janula sp.)
Also on the same log was this Comb-Footed Spider trying to balloon away. Only managed one shot unfortunately.
Huntsman Spider (Olios sp.)
Found this “Pilot” Huntsman Spider that typically spreads its legs to the sides as if they were wings
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
There were quite a number of Net-Casting Spiders in the tall grass.
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
This particular Net-Casting Spider is a male, with visibly enlarged palps.
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
Getting closer to the ogre-face!
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda lunula)
Another pleasant find was this Huntsman Spider . This is the first time I’ve seen this in Singapore!
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda lunula)
This was a juvenile, but still possible to get a nice shot of the face. A curious ant seems to want to have a conversation with the big fella.
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda lunula)
Just a few trees down, we saw another of the same Huntsman Spider , but with 2 missing legs.
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda lunula)
Lovely face still!
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda lunula)
Record shot of the slightly larger Huntsman Spider
Ant-Like Sac Spider (Aetius sp.)
Victor found this beautiful red Ant-Like Sac Spider
Ant-Like Sac Spider (Aetius sp.)
Face shot of the Ant-Like Sac Spider
Ant-Like Sac Spider (Aetius sp.)
It ran to a lighter bark area
Ant-Like Sac Spider (Aetius sp.)
Note the multiple tufts of hair at the end of the abdomen.
Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia sp.)
This particular juvenile Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider was feasting on what looked like an Argiope. Thanks to James for pointing it out!
Huntsman Spider (Pandercetes sp.)
One of the nicer finds of the night – Lichen Huntsman Spider . The lateral eyes seem to reflect a different colour spectrum when compared to the median eyes.
Huntsman Spider (Pandercetes sp.)
The unique character of this Lichen Huntsman Spider would be the tufts of hair on the legs. Not too clearly seen in this photo due to the camouflage though!
Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia sp.)
Found a more mature Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider on the same tree below the lichen huntsman spider.
Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia sp.)
Lovely patterns!
Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider (Herennia sp.)
Record dorsal shot
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae)
A common Huntsman Spider , but I’m taking record shots of all spiders anyway 🙂
Huntsman Spider (Olios sp.)
A very docile Huntsman Spider , it remained in this position for quite a long time as everyone took turns to get shots of it.
Huntsman Spider (Olios sp.)
Tucked comfortably on a leaf crevice
Huntsman Spider (Olios sp.)
Customary face shot. 🙂
Ant-Mimic Jumping Spider (Myrmarachne sp.)
The rest found a very pretty Ant-Mimic Jumping Spider
Ant-Mimic Jumping Spider (Myrmarachne sp.)
Dorsal view, really very ant-like!
Ant-Mimic Jumping Spider (Myrmarachne sp.)
The typical cute eyes of any jumping spider!
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Another common Huntsman Spider
Moulting Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Common cricket but happened to see it moulting when I walked by!
Big-Headed Termites
Spotted an army of big-headed termites on the ground
Big-Headed Termite
Big-Headed Termite not looking too happy
Mating Beetles
An amorous couple
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae)
Yet another Huntsman Spider . Lots of Sparassids around!
Atlas Moth larva (Attacus atlas)
Found a relatively small Atlas Moth larva
Hemipteran…
Not sure what this is.. Hemipteran but what?
Comb-Footed Spider (Dipoena sp.)
James and Melvyn spent a lot of time shooting this Comb-Footed Spider
Ants transporting a slug
Found a team of ants transporting a slug along a tree trunk
Ants transporting a slug
Interestingly, some left the team, and sometimes others joined. Never knew what they were thinking of.
Bug caught a huge termite
Melvyn showed me this bug that caught a huge termite
Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae)
One of the loveliest Lynx Spiders I have ever seen!
Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae)
It seemed to contrast very nicely with a black background
Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae)
Occasionally, it raised its legs as a sign of threat
Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae)
Could never leave out the face shot. 🙂
Lynx Spider (Oxyopidae)
Close look at the face of the Lynx Spider
Sweat Bees (Halictidae)
While fatigue was setting in, the rest found an entire bunch of equally fatigued Sweat Bees sleeping
Sweat Bees (Halictidae)
I went close to the tip of the branch to see them up close
Sweat Bees (Halictidae)
It was really a HUGE gathering
Sweat Bees (Halictidae)
They didn’t seem to mind the crowd
Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae)
I walking around aimlessly in the night.. and found a Huntsman Spider on my arm
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Almost stepped on this Huntsman Spider which was visited by a curious ant
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Record dorsal shot
Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
Surprisingly, a Common Tailorbird (Thanks Ivan for the ID) was found hiding under a leaf. Just took a record shot in case it got overly spooked by our presence.
Nursery Web Spider (Pisauridae)
A very small Nursery Web Spider
Nursery Web Spider (Pisauridae)
So small that I couldn’t really see the eyes
Tiger Moths (Arctiidae)
Tiger Moths making out in the dark
Tiger Moths (Arctiidae)
View of the action from below
Weevil (Curculionidae)
A slow moving Weevil , which we jokingly called the peanut weevil for the lumpy appearance. We later called it the “David Weevil” because David spent a long time shooting it and even got a preflight shot of it.
Mango Longhorn Beetle? (Bartocera rubus)
A large Mango Longhorn Beetle?
Mango Longhorn Beetle? (Bartocera rubus)
Can’t get enough of the face shot
Close up of Mango Longhorn Beetle? (Bartocera rubus)
Close up of the compound eyes
Mango Longhorn Beetle? (Bartocera rubus)
Dorsal view, very important for beetles
Mango Longhorn Beetle? (Bartocera rubus)
Lateral view for my personal documentation
Garden Spider (Eriovixia sp.)
Victor pointed out this Garden Spider but left me to shoot it
Comb-Footed Spider (Theridiidae)
Comb-Footed Spider hiding in her retreat
Comb-Footed Spider (Theridiidae)
It came out for a little while to say hi
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
As we returned to the shelter, the rest were shooting this Net-Casting Spider with the net
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
Interestingly, the net always seemed to appear blue in our photos.
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
It was almost 6am.. and the Net-Casting Spider started to close shop and devour its net
Huntsman Spider (Gnathopalystes sp.)
We roamed around the shelter, and found this purplish Huntsman Spider . Apparently did not turn out too purple in the pictures!
Huntsman Spider (Gnathopalystes sp.)
Quite a fierce face too! It jumped onto our hands several times.
Huntsman Spider (Gnathopalystes sp.)
Closer look at the body
Net-Casting Spider (Deinopis sp.)
Since the Net-Casting Spider had kept its net, I could adjust the leaf to get a nice shot of the ogre-face!
Robberfly (Asilidae)
In our last burst of hunting, we found a Robberfly . Somehow, it has been almost a year since I’ve shot this.
Robberfly (Asilidae)
Customary shot of the eyes!
Robberfly (Asilidae)
Tried to count the compound eyes but I gave up
Comb-Footed Spider (Argyrodes sp.)
A male Comb-Footed Spider . This is a kleptoparasitic spider, or a food-stealer. It is commonly found on the webs of other spiders to steal their prey.
Crab Spider (Thomisidae)
Cute little Crab Spider . Poor fella lost 4 front legs. 🙁
Crab Spider (Thomisidae)
As usual, a grumpy face!
It was a ridiculously long night, and many ended up sleeping at the shelter by 4am. Some of us couldn’t stop and kept shooting, so that we could go home with more good shots to show you. 🙂 We only stopped when the rain came at 6am, and we phoned for the transport to pick us back to the ferry.
The complete album can be viewed here.
