How many colour forms of Stinkbug (Pycanum sp) nymphs are there?

Few weeks ago (31 May 2008), I went to Eco-lake at Singapore Botanic Garden to have a macro outing with my photographic friends. The macro subjects there were not so many and not so favorable for macro shooting. So many of my friends decided to move to Holland Woods for a better luck. However, shortly after they left, myself, together with Michael, Tony, Darren and Margret were all amazed by these groups of stinkbugs, both adults and nymphs. The nymphs were exactly the some body shape, but surprisingly with totally different colour forms, i.e. red, yellow and green! We assume that all should be belonging to the same species as there were only one species of adult Stinkbug (Pycanum sp) could be found on the spot. The red color form is quite common, but the other two are all new to us. Just wondering are there any more colour forms out in the field and are there any adaptation significance for having such diverse colour forms for the nymphs? This discovery again reminds us that we know so little about the little creatures right at our backyard....

I have posted these photos in my Flickr account and many of my Flickr friends like these nymph photos very much. Some of them described these nymphs look like a piece of cutting fruit, and I do agree with that. They look so different from the adult and are really really cute. I like particularly the two showing the interaction between the yellow and the red nymphs very much...simply they look so lovely and so interesting!! :)

1. The adult: FL 180mm, 1/10sec-F/18, ISO 640, MLU, Manual, EC: -0.3 ev, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67.

2. Get in Touch: FL 180mm, 1/25sec-F/22, ISO 400, MLU, Manual, EC: +1.0 ev, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67.

3. Red and Yellow Nymphs: FL 180mm, 1/50sec-F/16, ISO 400, MLU, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67.



4. Green Nymph of Pycanum sp, dorsal view: FL 180mm, 1/30sec-F/22, ISO 400, MLU, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67.

5. Green Nymph of Pycanum sp, lateral view: FL 180mm, 1/30sec-F/22, ISO 400, MLU, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67.

6. Mother and child: FL 180mm, 1/15sec-F/22, ISO 400, MLU, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67.

Forest Damselfly (Vestalis amethystina)

This damselfly is living inside the forest. I spent quite some time to shoot it. It's very sensitive to light. Once the flash fire, it would just jumping up and fly away, a very unusual behavior in Damselfly. So I have to fully depend on ambient light. However, I noticed that direct sunlight will also obviously affect its nature colour. Luckily at this moment, it was perch on an undergrowth leaf that just nice to be lightened up by some gentle sunlight from nearby penetrating through the forest... Compared these two photos you will find the blue wing only occur on the first one as a result of iridescence.

FL 180mm, 1/4sec-F/13, ISO 640, MLU, Manual, no flash, tripod, Chestnut Path, Singapore, 28 June 2008.

FL 180mm, 1/2.5sec-F/13, ISO 640, Manual, no flash, tripod, Chestnut Path, Singapore, 28 June 2008.

Singapore Asceles, a locally endemic subspecies of stick insect from Upper Peirce

Sharing images of a stick insect (Asceles Tanarata singapura) taken during Sunday (15 June 2008) outing at Upper Peirce. I spent about two hours to photograph it as it is quite collaborative though occasionally moved a little bit or changed its position, but remained on the same leaf. Due to its elongated and very slender appearance, I found myself having a hard time with the compositions. The movement of the subject caused by morning breeze also gave me some problems. But eventually, I managed to get some images with satisfaction. The species was described by the local stick insect expect Dr. Francis Seow-Choen and his overseas counterpart Paul Brock as Asceles singapura on 1999, based on material from Singapore and southern Johor. Upper Peirce Reservoir was chosen as type locality as specimens there were used for species description. But one year later, Dr. Seow-Choen believed that our local species does not appear to be "specifically" different from another species A. tanarata which is found at Tanarata of Peninsular Malaysia, but displays some minor differences which he regarded as geographical variations, and thus, changed the the local species to be a subspecies of Asceles tanarata.

Interestingly, according to their records, the food plants of this subspecies are three species of Macaranga (M. conifera, M. gigantea and M. triloba), while my specimen was tightly holding to a hairy Clidemia (Clidemia hirta). This hairy clidemia has been listed as food plant for some other species of Asceles.



1. FL 180mm, 1/15sec-F/11, manual, ISO 640,tripod, MLU, fill flash at -2.67;


2. FL 180mm, 1/60sec-F/10, manual, ISO 640,tripod, MLU, fill flash at -2.67;


3. FL 180mm, 2x TC, 1/15sec-F/18, manual, ISO 640,tripod, MLU, fill flash at -2.67;


4. FL 180mm, 2x TC, 1/2sec-F/18, manual, ISO 640,tripod, MLU, fill flash at -2.67;


5. FL 180mm, 2x TC, 1/3sec-F/20, manual, ISO 640,tripod, MLU, fill flash at -2.67


References
Brock, P. D., 1999. Stick and leaf insects of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Malasian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, pp. 1-222.

Seow-Choen, F., 1997. A guide to the stick leaf insects of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, pp. 1-160.

Seow-Choen, F., 2000. An illustratedguide to the stick and leaf insects of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, pp. 1-173.

Seow-Choen, F., 2005. A Pocket Guide, Phasmids of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, pp. 1-120.

Making Love: Right Time or Wrong Time-Crab Spider Story

Joined with a group of Macro buddies to Holland Woods, Singapore last Saturday, and observed some interesting happenings of the crab spiders (Thomisus sp)...

1. The female crab spider was jumping into the mid air to catch the bee when I saw her. She grabbed the bee tightly with a single thread of silk connecting to the flower. The bee was struggling, trying to escape from the predator. But..Nowhere!! It just need a few seconds for the female crab spider to paralyze the bee...(FL 180mm, 1/40sec-F/18, ISO 400, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67ec.)



2. The spider brought back the bee to the flower where she was hiding of before. Don't know how will she handle the prey...(FL 180mm, 1/2sec-F/25, ISO 400, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67ec.)



3. Then I saw a male crab spider (the tiny brown color one) approaching to the female from behind. Thought that he was coming to help...(FL 180mm, 1/3sec-F/25, ISO 400, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67ec.)




4. When the male spider was climbing onto the female, the female was using her hind legs to kick him off several times. But as she have to hold the prey tightly at the same time, the male managed to climb up...and stick to that position for few minutes..Then just at this moment I realized that the male was most probably mating with the female. My God!!! (FL 180mm, 1/3sec-F/25, ISO 400, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67ec.)



5. The male spider left the female after he has achieved what he want, moved to a leaf above the flower to hind himself. And the female was carrying the bee moving around the flower. Eventually, she brought the bee to hind underneath another leaf at lower part of the plant, disappearing from my view... (FL 180mm, 1/3sec-F/22, ISO 400, Manual, Tripod, fill flash at -1.67ec.)



Just wondering if I interpret the observation correctly? Will the male get a piece of the prey later on?! Does he do the right thing to mate her at that point of time (assuming that my speculation is correct)? What do you think?? :P

Biodiversity Survey, Western Singapore, 14 August 2007

Western Catchment is the area at the western part of Singapore. It's one of our major terestrial sites for biodiversity survey. We did a bird count at the early moning, survey dragonfly and spider at afternoon, almost finished at 8pm. Here posted are some photos taken by my Nikon camera and the 70-300 zoom lens.


This was taken after a drizzle rain at the early morning.


Trithemis pallidinervis, an uncommon species dragonfly in Singapore


Oxyopes birmaniscus, a common lnyx spider.


Jumping spider Phintella vittata, a common species.


Crab spider, Boliscus tuberculata, not so easy to find in Singapore


The take off of the Purple heron, Ardea purpurea.

Daving Trip to Pulau Tioman, 9-12 August 2007

9 August 2007

Went with my diving friends The Hardy_tadpole Family to Pulau Tioman for diving. Many of my friends have their family going along...

We left Singapore at about 7:30am, arrived Mursing at 10:30am. The diving boat came a bit late to pick us, so we left Mursing for our first diving site at 12:30pm.

Got to know some more diving friends..


Lester, a colleague of Lloyd, who is also a Diving Instructor.


Ah Bob, another dive instructor of Lloyd's friends, and his girlfriend

We have our first dive at a reef located at the middle distance between Pulau Tioman and Mursing. The water is very clear, and there were quite a number of fishes there. Other than that, there are not much can be remenbered. Arrived Kampung Genting at about 5pm and after a short rest, four of us went to conduct a night dive to Pulau Reggis. I was diving with Lloyd and we were moving very slowly to find quite a number of sleeping fishes, shrimps and crabs...

10 August 2007

At breakfast, chidren were enjoying their food before we move to our diving site, Pulau Chebeh, a little island quite far away (aout one hour boat ridde) from Tioman







After the dive, we move to Pulau Tulai for another dive and then have a rest. Here, all those non-divers were happily snorkelling or went to the sandy beach play around with water and sand...


The leader of the trip, Lloyd, our diving instructor


Ah Goh and his son...


Ah Goh's daughter happily enjoy her first swimming at the sea...


Hobin'son was so happy to find a shell. Don't know where he got it...


Erin's daught found herself well recobered from a flu and enjoy the water very much...

At evening, we move to Pulau Soyak to do have the third dive.

Dinner was quite enjoyable, and many of them were doing nothings but relaxing by watching TV and chatting...


Lloyd and Edmond watching TV...


"I am spiderman"--Gigi, the spiderboy.

11 August 2007

We went to the famous diving site Tiger Reef, which is a deep water site in pulau Tioman. Current here is always very strong and only experiened diver can fully enjoy it. Because the current is too strong at the morning, so we move a the little island just next to it, Pulau Labas for the first dive. This is rather nice diving site. I took quite a number of fishes, includin a moray eel, and a tiger cowry.



At the dive interval, while the other resting for the next dive, I was busily shooting birds, which were so abundance there. Those bird photos are
really nice as beyond my own's target during this trip. I was just to test the lenses and the camera and then the result come out quite unexpected! Like the
black-naped tern, when I took it, I didn't realize that it was biting a fish with it's beak.

Christmas Frigatebird


The black-naped tern with its prey...


Little tern

When we conducted our second dive for the Tiger reef, I was very unlucky as the descending rope that I was holding got cut by the propeller of our boat :( Then I got no choice but have to give up, as many of other divers have already descended. I am so eager to dive this site as I have dived it before but in limited time. Sigh...

At afterroom, we moved to Pulau Tomok to have another dive. Before the dive, I saw a group of black-naped tern happily enjoyed their dinner there...



All of us went back to the Island Reef Resort after this dive, but only Ah Bob and myself went out again for the night dive at Genting Jetty. On our way back, I saw this Pacific swallow sittingat the cable and grab this opportunity to closely shot it...







Both Ah Bob and myself are all enjoy night very much and we have been dive buddy for night dive before. We moved very very slowly to find a lot of crustaceans, seashell and many others which are very offen to be neglected by other divers...

Dinner was BBQ, and followed by a series of fun on drink and game...




Several people were virtually drunk...






Here all the divers and the families for the trip

12 August 2007

We left at about 9:30 as the boat need to travel 4 hours to reach Mursing. At Mursing, I took Ah Lin's car back to Singapore...

It's a so enjoyable diving trip...

Terrestrial recce, Pulau Semakau, Singapore, 4th August 2007

Much has been known for Semakau's intertidal fauna and flora through the joint efforts by various parties, which concern about the biodiversity of the landfill island in the recent years, species of the terrestrial component are rarely reported. Species list of forest plants and birds have been listed, while that of invertebrates and other mammals almost remains unknown. As an attempt to fill this gap, Hung Kei, Hung Bun and myself form a volunteer survey team to recce the site, and to conduct a "quick and dirty" first hand data collection.

To access coral reef beach of the island, everyone has to pass a forest trail. For those have been there, the density and the strength of mosquito bite are surely the unforgetable experiences. In many a time, people will just covered themselves with whatever means, or/and running through it so as to get less bites. But for us, we are aiming to survey this place, back and forth slowly looking for various kinds of insect and spiders. Those mosquitoes were happily enjoying their unexpected food source.

The recce trip is rewarded quite well with a list of of spider species, and some of insects which have been spotted....

Species list of spiders

Araneidae
1.Argiope cf perforata
2.Cyrtophora unicolor
Tetragnathidae
3.Tylorida striata
Theriidae
4.Achaearanea mundula
5.Achaearanea t-notata
6. Theridon sp (green)
Scytodidae
7.Scytodes fusca
Oxyopidae
8.Oxyopes birmanicus
9.Tapponia sp
Lycosidae
10.Pardosa sp
Salticidae
11.Epeus flavobilineatus
12.Thiania bhamoensis
13.Thorelliola ensifera
14.Cocalus murinus
15.Myrmarachne maxillosa
16.?Thianitara sp
17. sp1 (dog-faced jumper)
18. sp2 (long-tailed jumper)
Desidae
19.Desis cf martensi
Clubionidae
20.Clubiona sp1
21.Clubiona sp2 (elongated abdomen)
22.Clubiona sp3 (rounded abdomen, green)
Thomisidae
23.Thomisus sp
24.Tmarus pulchripes
25.Amyciaea lineatipes
Heteropodidae
26.Thelccticopis sp

List of Insects

Grasshopper
Cricket
Beetle
Leave beetle
Paired beetles
Ladybird
Black fly
Red-eyed fly
Micropezid fly
Weaver ants
Twig wilters
Robberflies
Leaf beetle
Common Grass Yellow Butterfly
Two species of Long legged fly
Two small moths
Squash bug and nymph
Praying mantis
Plataspid bug

Others

Snail
Gecko


References

Koh, K. H. 1989. A guide to common Singapore Spiders. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, pp 1-160.

Murphy, F. & J. Murphy, 2000. An introduction to the spiders of South East Asia, with notes on all the genera. Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pp 1-625, plates. 1-32.