Tawau Hills Day 3
Tawau Hills 2015: [ Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 ]
Day 3 at Tawau Hills was littered with several unexpected surprises, but our main goal for the day was to capture shots of Pyrops whiteheadi, popularly known as the blue-snout lantern bug. I’m very glad that we managed to shoot not 1, but 3 of them together at knee level! It was unfortunate that they flew away before we could take more shots, but the sight itself was undoubtedly unforgettable. If you love bugs and macro photography, the next Borneo Bootcamp in June will be perfect for you!
Pre-Breakfast Lantern Bugging
We dropped by to visit the previous day’s lantern bugs again on our way to breakfast, and were pleasantly surprised to see them still there. Enough time for a few casual shots to whet our appetite for the day. 🙂
Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
Before heading out, look who landed on our plastic bag of bananas!
Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
Looks like the little fella had a good night’s sleep.
Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
But still sleepy…
Robberfly (Asilidae)
There was also a robberfly with breakfast on our clothes lines.
Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
We returned the tree frog to the foliage, and it woke up, changing its colours in the process!
Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis sp.)
Saw more fish hook ants climbing around. They hardly ever stopped, lots of patience needed to shoot these!
Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)
Back to visit these pretty fellas!
Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)
This was pretty low lying, so I could take shots of the snout.
Giant pill millipede (Sphaerotheriida?)
On the way to the botanical gardens, a huge pill millipede was spotted on the gravel. This was at least 2 inches long, over twice the size of those we see in Singapore.
Giant pill millipede (Sphaerotheriida?)
Not talking to me it seems…
Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi)
Target achieved! Found these 3 cute little blue-snout lantern bugs at knee level. Some of us could even take selfies with them! Unfortunately… they got spooked at some point and all flew away before I could take more shots. T_T
Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi)
Not to be outdone, we found some more of them, but at a higher level. This was shot with a 200mm lens.
Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi)
After countless attempts, I finally found an angle with a nice background! Thanks to the rest for graciously giving me the chance to shoot first!
Giant pill millipede (Sphaerotheriida?)
As we walked out, we saw another giant pill millipede. Not so exciting when seeing it for the second time. 😛
Giant pill millipede (Sphaerotheriida?)
Climbed onto a stick, so we lifted it up to see how it looked like underneath. Perverts…
Winged ant (Formicidae)
This fuzzy little winged was oddly not moving.
Winged ant (Formicidae)
Probably just stoning, as it start scuttling around after this shot!
Tiger leech (Hirudinea)
Saw a tiger leech busily scanning the surrounding for heat signals. Dennis was victim to one or two of them (2 punctures on his neck, like a dracula bite) on the first night.
Tiger leech (Hirudinea)
Can you see the eyes?
Tiger leech (Hirudinea)
This species seems much brighter than those we saw in Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.
Tiger leech (Hirudinea)
Close up on the wiggly head.
Longhorn beetle (Cleptometopus sp.)
Found a tiny longhorn beetle.
Longhorn beetle (Cleptometopus sp.)
Dorsal view for identification.
Mass mating crane flies (Tipulidae)
Usually ignored, but this scene actually consists of SEVEN pairs of mating crane flies. (or more?!)
Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
This lynx spider looked a little bit different from the ones we saw on the first 2 days.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
Lateral view.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
That pretty face. 🙂
Harvestman (Opiliones)
This spiky looking harvestman was resting on a tree trunk.
Harvestman (Opiliones)
On further inspection, it was actually being attacked by several mites on its legs!
Feather-legged spider (Uloboridae)
Fancy looking uloborid, but still ever so small.
Pill-like planthopper (Hemisphaerius sp.)
Looks like a tiny pill, this planthopper only let me take this shot before hopping to oblivion.
Jumping spider (Salticidae)
Several unidentified jumping spiders around.
Jumping spider (Salticidae)
No jumping spider goes off without a passport photo in my collection. =D
Lizard (Agamidae)
I wasn’t too keen on lizards, but this agamid was just waiting outside the garden entrance.
Lizard (Agamidae)
Dorsal view.
Fairy longhorn moth (Nemophora sp.)
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.
Fairy longhorn moth (Nemophora sp.)
Better view of the wings.
Fairy longhorn moth (Nemophora sp.)
The eyes were following the light!
Caterpillar
Amber found this cute little caterpillar with reindeer-like antlers.
Caterpillar
Lateral view.
Caterpillar
Looks really cute! But… still not gonna touch it. 🙂
Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
One of the many shield bugs on the foliage.
Masked hunter assassin bug (Reduvius sp.)
Can you spot the hidden assassin? 🙂
Masked hunter assassin bug (Reduvius sp.)
Closer view reveals the antennae.
Masked hunter assassin bug (Reduvius sp.)
It lifted its head up, and we have a good view of the eyes through the debris!
Masked hunter assassin bug (Reduvius sp.)
This particular assassin bug had both debris and ant carcasses on its back. Very interesting!
Bark moss mantis nymph (Haanidae)
This tiny bark mantis nymph was hiding on the tree trunk.
Bark moss mantis nymph (Haanidae)
At rest, it flattens its body to conceal its outline.
Bark moss mantis nymph (Haanidae)
Face shot!
Bark moss mantis nymph (Haania sp.)
Check out the camouflage!
Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon)
The same tree had fish hook ants running up and down too!
Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon)
No they didn’t stop, had to chase them!
Planthopper (Fulgoromorpha)
Plain looking planthopper also on the tree trunk. Have not gotten down to identifying most of them yet.
Planthopper (Fulgoromorpha)
Another planthopper! This was found on the bridge railing.
Planthopper (Fulgoromorpha)
Anterior view.
Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
Just outside the cabin, this shield bug was walking in an odd manner.
Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida)
Turned out that a pseudoscorpion had been clinging onto its leg!
Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida)
The pseudoscorpion clings on very tightly, hoping to hitch a ride. It probably hasn’t figured out that this shield bug was a nymph without wings…
Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
At our cabins, more bugs appeared on our clothes lines. This dead-leaf mantis was happily chilling out in front of the rooms.
Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
I could even try doing some back-lit shots!
Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
Photo flipped around as it looked really comical.
Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
Close up of its face.
Moth (Lymantria sp.)
Some moths had also visited our common area.
Moth (Lymantria sp.)
Beautiful combed antennae!
Gecko (Gekkota)
Small little gecko, didn’t stop long enough for more record shots.
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
Took quick shots of the cupcake mayflies at the lamp posts while we walked past. 🙂
Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
Got bored with the stick insects, and decided to take close ups of the head instead.
Moth-like planthopper (Ricaniidae)
At the trail entrance, this “macha” moth-like planthopper was found under a leaf.
Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae)
Just a few leaves away, a planthopper had just moulted.
Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae)
Better view of the wing veins.
Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae)
The face!
Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae)
A bit of back-lighting to highlight the transparent wings.
Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
Seems like these trachelids were quite common.
Barklouse (Psocoptera)
There were also some barklice on the leaves.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas)
We found this lynx spider again, but this specimen was exceptionally bright in colours, as if it had just moulted.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas)
Lateral view.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas)
Anterior view.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas)
Straight-on shot. The angle was a little higher in order to get the entire “face” in focus.
Unknown web
Found this honey-comb web, not sure which spider it belonged to.
Harvestman under ultraviolet (Opiliones)
Found a harvestman at rest, and took the opportunity to shine ultraviolet on it!
Harvestman ultraviolet animation (Opiliones)
Here’s how it looked before and after shining ultraviolet.
Harvestman under ultraviolet (Opiliones)
Closer view, looks so alien-like!
Weevil (Curculionidae)
Amber spotted a pair of weevils almost next to each other.
Weevil (Curculionidae)
The body was littered with “golden coins”.
Weevil (Curculionidae)
On the other one, it had “green coins” on its body.
Weevil (Curculionidae)
Lateral view.
Planthopper (Fulgoromorpha)
Quite a few of these tiny planthoppers.
Thread-legged assassin bug (Emesinae)
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.
Orb web spider (Eriovixia sp.)
One of the many male Eriovixia under leaves.
Orb web spider (Eriovixia sp.)
View of the eyes.
Orb web spider (Eriovixia sp.)
Notice the tiny nose under the eyes? Guess what it is for?
Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Nick found a hairy Heteropoda resting up above our heads.
Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
It decided to take a jump and scrambled around on the gravel.
Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Such pretty chelicerae!!
Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Feels like lipstick.
Blue harvestman (Gagrellinae)
Amber started shooting some of the long-legged harvestmen.. and discovered that they wore a blue metallic pitted armor!
Blue harvestman (Gagrellinae)
Highlighting the symmetry of this beautiful creature.
Blue harvestman (Gagrellinae)
Closer shot of the pitted body.
Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
With eye-shine, we were able to spot many huntsman spiders.
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
As usual, Amber was spotting trilobite beetle larvae again!
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
Not too active, so we could take more shots.
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
Very very shy, but decided to peep out once in a while.
Huntsman spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Juvenile huntsman spider in the foliage.
Minute litter spider? (Mysmenidae?)
Record shot of this common web. ID to be confirmed.
Crab spider (Cebrenninus sp.)
This crab spider is usually found on fallen logs or fungus.
Hammerhead flatworm (Geoplanidae?)
Wrinkly looking hammerhead flatworm.
Ribbon worm? (Nemertea?)
Not sure, another flatworm or ribbonworm?
Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
Smaller, male lynx spider.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
Probably a sub-male.
Longhorn beetle (Trachystola granulata)
Longhorn beetle hiding in the foliage. It was infected by several mites on the thorax.
Longhorn beetle (Trachystola granulata)
Dorsal view.
Longhorn beetle (Trachystola granulata)
Face shot and wider view of the horns!
Derbid planthoppers (Derbidae)
Found this pair of derbid planthoppers facing each other.
Orb web spider (Araneidae)
Small little orb web spider, probably juvenile.
Planthopper (Tropiduchidae)
This planthopper looked plain at first sight.
Planthopper (Tropiduchidae)
But it has a pretty face!
Jumping spider (Thiania sp.)
Most commonly known to us as the fighting spider.
Jumping spider (Thiania sp.)
How to fight? So cute!
Thread-legged assassin bug (Emesinae)
Found another thread-legged assassin bug, but this one looked more mature with distinct wings.
Thread-legged assassin bug (Emesinae)
Very shy, hiding its eyes.
Planthopper (Tropiduchidae)
More of the pretty faced planthopper.
Derbid planthopper (Derbidae)
Exceptional beauty! Tiny (less than 4mm) but a black beauty indeed.
Derbid planthopper (Derbidae)
Found that the red bits were not the eyes, but the antennae.
Comb-footed spider (Theridiidae)
Probably a Parasteatoda.
Harvestman (Opiliones)
Got inspired by the blue harvestmen and decided to shoot even those that we thought were boring-looking.
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
More cupcakes!
Derbid planthopper (Derbidae)
Seemed to see many variants of planthoppers around.
Derbid planthopper (Derbidae)
It should look cross-eyed if the antennae were not blocking the eyes!
Winged ant (Crematogaster sp.)
Another dead winged ant on the lamp post… or was it the same one?
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
We found ourselves back at the lamp post chasing mayflies!
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
Some where smaller, with different colours.
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
Some were busily “praying”.
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
At certain angles, some looked cross-eyed. 😛
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
The eyes looked quite cute from the front as well.
Grasshopper nymph (Caelifera)
A small little grasshopper hopped onto the lamp post, and looked surprisingly like a little toy!
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
Can’t resist shooting more cupcakes.
Mayfly (Ephemeroptera)
And the funny eyed ones.
Caterpillar
Just before calling it a night, this caterpillar was left wiggling around for me to take the final shot of the night!
Botanical Gardens
Breakfast was getting boring, as we had the same menu everyday. But.. food wasn’t meant to be the highlight and we quickly fed ourselves in preparation for the day ahead.
Dinner Break!
We stopped earlier to take a break in the late afternoon, and proceeded for dinner again in Tawau town. Found that doing the trips out took over 3 hours, we could have been shooting more bugs! In any case, at night fall, we started venturing deeper into the trail after the botanical gardens, in hope of discovering more unique bugs.
It was 3am by the time we stopped the shoot. Every night, our bedtime got pushed back by another hour. On our 4th night, it was 4am… look forward to posting the finds for the 4th day soon!
The complete album for this day’s findings can be viewed on Flickr.
Remember to check out the other posts for this trip from the links below! If you are interested in the smaller wildlife of Borneo with the guide of an experienced macro photographer, check out the upcoming Borneo Bootcamp. It is not to be missed!
Tawau Hills 2015: [ Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 ]
