Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

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moloch
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Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

In June, I visited the Maliau Basin Reserve in Sabah with a group of butterfly photographers from Malaysia and Singapore. I met the group on the net and they kindly invited me along to participate in a survey of the butterflies near the headquarters of the reserve.
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I was happy to visit since it is difficult to gain access to the Maliau Basin. Reaching the reserve involved a five hour drive by 4x4 from the coastal city of Tawau. It was sad to see the extent of habitat loss in this part of Sabah. Nearly four hours of the journey passed through oil palm plantations and these stretched to the horizon in all directions. Sometimes, I saw the skeletons of old trees but the rainforest that once covered this area was completely gone. The last hour of the trip passed through selectively logged forest where all of the big trees had been removed. The forest canopy was broken so there were lots of vines and ferns in the understorey. Walking through this was impossible but I heard/saw quite a variety of birds including forest species such as pittas, trogons and hornbills. The headquarters was situated in selectively logged forest although it was in reasonable condition. The slopes and basin itself were never logged so the forest there was primary.

Here is a distant view of the Maliau Basin. The northern slopes are higher than those in the south. The headquarters is situated just below the southern slope of the reserve.
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...selectively logged forest near the headquarters:
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Here is our accommodation at the headquarters of the reserve. It was a nice place with great views of the surrounding trees. At night, all sorts of interesting inverts and moths visited the lights.
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The forest was often "steamy" in the early mornings:
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We sat in the mornings and evenings and watched hornbills flying back and forth from these trees to a nearby fruiting Ficus. Hornbills were abundant and included many Rhinoceros, Helmeted, Wreathed, Black and Bushy-crested.
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It seems that access to the Maliau Basin is restricted to those who travel with a few tour companies (big $$$) or those who apply and are granted a permit that allows them to conduct biological research. My group arranged the later permit but we were restricted to the roads and a single nature trail near the headquarters. We were not allowed to venture along other trails that entered the basin.

The Maliau Basin was a fairly late discovery last century. The basin is surrounded by steep sided mountains and receives heavy rainfall. This is one of those locations in the world where there are still new animals to be discovered. One recent discovery that we heard about was a small frog that only lives in pitcher plants. I am sure that someone will find new species of butterflies in some of the remote, unusual habitats of the reserve. Our group added a number of species not previously recorded in this area and our total list after seven days of searching was about 140 species. Sabah is rich with butterflies.

Here is a topographical display of the reserve. The white marker (centre right) is the location of the headquarters.
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We were allowed on a nature trail across the Maliau River. The river marked the boundary of the primary forest.
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There also was a skywalk here. The walkway was built out from a ridge and allowed good views into the canopy and then to the treetops of the smaller trees. At times, it was a great place for birds and I was able to look down on species that I normally had a hard time seeing in the canopy. Helmeted Hornbills were particularly common here and I now understand why I always hear these but so rarely see them in the Asian rainforest.
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Here is a shot of the guys in action. Our party of eight was equally divided between macro photographers and butterfly photographers. Both groups were superb photographers and I learned lots from the guys.
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Tiger Leeches were one of the most common animals in the forest. These creatures were so affectionate. They just loved us.
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One of the guys suggested that this shot would make a nice Valentine's Card.
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Blue-eyed Dragon (Gonocephalus liogaster)
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Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)?
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Luperosaurus browni. This gecko scampered across the ceiling of the veranda one night while we were photographing the inverts.
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Not certain but I think that this might be a Worm Gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus typus). Is that correct? I found this during the day on a pot plant at the headquarters.
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Sphenomorphus sp. It resembles the shot of S. haasi in Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo but I am not certain of the species.
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Sphenomorphus sp. It resembles the shot of S. multisquamatus in Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo but again, I am not certain of the species.
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I think that the following two skinks are a juvenile and adult of the same species. They look much like Black-banded Skinks (Mabuya rudis) in the Borneo guide.
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Water Monitors (Varanus salvator) were common in a pond at the headquarters. This one swam beneath a bridge where I was standing.
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I think that this little monitor was a juvenile V. salvator.
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Frog. Id? These were common on plants around the headquarters. I watched a Malay Civet eat one of these.
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Maliau Basin was great for mammals. I went out each night on a walk and ended up seeing four species of civets (Malay, Banded Palm, Small-toothed Palm and Binturong), Long-tailed Macaques, Bornean Gibbons, Slow Loris, Colugo, Giant Flying Squirrels, Leopard Cat, Mouse Deer, and Bearded Pigs. A Costa Rican ornithologist that I met found a Flat-headed Cat along the river at night.


I awakened to the territorial songs of Bornean Gibbons every morning. On one occasion, they came close to the accommodation buildings to feed in a fruiting tree.
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Malay Civet: Saw these animals every night below the walkway of the accommodation. They seemed to be hunting frogs and inverts near the lights at night.
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Colugo: Saw two of these. One was found licking sap at night and the other was disturbed during the day and scampered up a tree.
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Birds were good and included several species of trogons, Blue-headed/Black-crowned Pittas, 5 species of hornbills, many babblers, two species of broadbills, four species of kingfishers and on and on.

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher: a stunning bird.
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... asleep at night.
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Black Hornbills were a common sight and sound.
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Rhinoceros Hornbill: These were a daily sight as were the big Helmeted Hornbills. They usually were seen flying from a giant tree near the accommodation to a fruiting fig.
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Brown Wood Owl: seen most evening at lights along the walkways of the accommodation. It appeared to hunt the giant cicadas that would visit the lights at night.
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Rufous-bellied Eagle
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Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, a Bornean endemic.
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Whip Scorpions were seen a few times at night.
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Bird-dropping mimic spider. One of the macro photographers pointed out this spider to me. It certainly looked like bird droppings so was easy to overlook.
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huntsman?
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This House Centipede was huge!
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"Pill" Millipede. These are about the size of a golf ball when curled.
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Stag Beetle: This beetle was one of my favourite finds on the trip. It was huge and had enormous almost tusk-like jaws.
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Violin Beetle: Arrived at the lights on a rainy night. Another odd and fabulous beetle.
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Rhinoceros Beetles of several species were common. The second species below had incredible horns.
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Weevil
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Lantern Bugs are always a nice sight. One of the macro photographers loves to photograph these insects. He methodically searched the bases of trees and eventually found three species of these insects.
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Plant Hoppers
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Dead-leaf Mantis: An amazing species! They were so well disguised when standing on leaf little.
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Lace Mantis was a fast mover. It could race away when disturbed.
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Katydids were diverse. They also included one of the largest insects that I have observed (first couple of shots below).
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Tessaratomidae: These are big, showy hemipterans.
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Ichneumon wasp with an incredibly long ovipositer. It looked like a white ribbon was trailing behind the insect when in flight.
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... more tomorrow
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Rags
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Rags »

Great photography and some fascinating subjects, thanks for taking the time to post this.

I think the frog is Hylarana (Rana) erythraea - Green Paddy Frog.

Looking forward to the next installment.
Geqqo
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Geqqo »

Wow. A beautiful post from an unbelievable part of the world. I don't know if you have ever read Wallace's account collecting through the area, but it brought back to me that narrative whilst reading yours. Thanks for posting this and I cannot wait for the Lepidoptera installment.

Dan
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

Thanks for the frog id, Rags.

Thanks, Dan. Yes, I have read some of Wallace's account of his voyage around the islands of southeast Asia. I have a photo of one that was particularly interesting to him and will add it in the next post.

Regards,
David
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

A few more before the leps.

Plain Pygmy Squirrel: cute little squirrel that was not much bigger than a mouse.
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Earwigs feeding on a fungus at night:
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White-fronted Falconet: This is a Bornean endemic and only a little larger than a starling.
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LEPIDOPTERANS:
PIERIDAE


This butterfly hand an interesting pattern that can be seen through the wings. It looked much like a Dogface Butterfly in the States. We only saw it once along the Maliau River.
Orange Tip (Ixias pyrene)
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Orange Emigrant (Catopsilia scylla): common puddler.
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Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilla pomona): even more common.
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Saletara panda: only a few encountered.
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Bornean Sawtooth (Prioneris cornelia): a Borean endemic.
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One of the Jezebels (Delias singapura): Only seen once in deep shade.
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One of the Gulls (Cepora iudith)
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Grass Yellow (Eurema sp.)
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NYMPHALIDAE

Black Rajah (Charaxes solon): We were happy to find this species since it is rare throughout its range.
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Tawny Rajah (Charaxes bernadus): a common and widespread species.
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Jewel Nawab (Polyura delphis): This lovely species was only seen once.
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Yellow Indian Nawab (Polyura jalysus): widespread species only seen once.
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Plain Nawab (Polyura hebe): widespread species only seen once.
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Archduke (Lexia pardalis)
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Unbroken Sargeant (Athyma pravara)
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Malay Staff Sargeant (Athyma reta)
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Neptis ilura
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Clipper (Parthenos sylvia)
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Commodore (Moduza procris)
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Brown Pansy (Junonia iphita): common in open areas.
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Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites): common in open areas.
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Glorius Began (Agatasa calydonia): I found one of these gorgeous butterflies as it sat next to pig excrement on a dirt road. Unfortunately, it flushed and I was only able to get this highly cropped shot of it as it perched on the side of a tree. This is a rare species. Wallace only recorded it once on his voyage of discovery in the 1800s.
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Malay Yeoman (Cirrochroa malaya)
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Cirrochroa satellita
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Paduca fasciata with a Tiger Beetle
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One of the Barons (Tanaecia munda):
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Wizzard (Rhinopalpa polynice)
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heavenscloud
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by heavenscloud »

Outstanding. Love those leps!
Geqqo
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Geqqo »

Fantastic. Beyond my expectations. Thanks once again so much for a glimpse of the magnificent diversity of the Malay Archipelago. What were the identifying characteristics between the two Athyma species? As for the Agatasa wonderful you got a decent shot even if its cropped. :beer:

Here's Wallace's quick account of the find, "I was one afternoon walking along a favourite road through the forest, with my gun, when I saw a butterfly on the ground. It was large, handsome and quite new to me, and I got close to it before it flew away. I then observed that it had been settling on the dung of some carnivorous animal."
"Thinking that it might return to the same spot, I next day after breakfast took my net, and as I approached the place was delighted to see the same butterfly sitting on the same piece of dung, and succeeded in capturing it. It was an entirely new species of great beauty........ I never saw another specimen of it, and it was only after 12 years had elapsed that a second individual reached this country ( England ) from the north-western part of Borneo."
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

Thanks, guys.

Geggo, I also read that account before so was happy to have been lucky enough to see the Glorious Begum. I also saw the very nice and more common Blue Begum but it did not stop for photos.

Athyma and Neptis are large genera with similar species. Identification is based on the the stripes/spots on the wings but it can be difficult to separate the species. Here are examples of the two genera and you can get an idea how similar the they are in appearance.

1. Neptis duryodama
2. Neptis leucoporos
3. Neptis soma
4. Athyma pravara
5. Athyma pravara
6. Athyma reta
7. Athyma cama
8. Athyma nefte
9. Neptis ilura
10. Neptis miah
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

PAPILIONIDAE
Graphium evemon: Common on the sand flats along the river.
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Tailed Jay (Graphium agememnon) Common on the sand flats along the river.
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Five-bar Swallowtail (Pathysa antiphates) Only seen once.
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Black and White Helen (Papilio nephelus): Common swallowtail.
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LYCAENIDAE
Common Imperial (Cheritra freja): several seen along the river or within the forest.
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Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra): Common in the forest.
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Acytolepis lambi: a few puddling after a rain on a dirt road through the forest.
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Elbowed Pierrot (Caleta elna): fairly common puddler.
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Silver Royal (Ancema blanka): A gorgeous species seen along a dirt road through the forest.
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HESPERIDAE
This skipper is a mimic of bird droppings. I only saw it once when it responded to the bait and dropped to the sand briefly from the surrounding forest. Odontoptilum pygela
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Moths were interesting at night. They were the best on our first two nights after a heavy shower.
Moth 1: One of the luna moths.
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Moth 2.
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Moth 3.
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Moth 4.
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Moth 5.
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Moth 6.
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Moth 7.
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Moth 8.
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Moth 9. Bizzare creature that was hard to recognize as a moth.
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That is it for my photos from Malaysia for this year.

Regards,
David
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TravisK
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by TravisK »

Very nice! So much eye candy for one thread. :crazyeyes:
Yuri Kaverkin
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Yuri Kaverkin »

Great post!
The first one small gecko (juvenile) look like Ptychozoon horsfieldi juvenile for me... The second one.... unbelievable....but maybe Luperosaurus sp. (??? !!!) :shock: :roll: or very light color Ptychozoon sp.
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-EJ
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by -EJ »

a hatchling ptychozoon is my guess.
Yuri Kaverkin wrote:Great post!
The first one small gecko (juvenile) look like Ptychozoon horsfieldi juvenile for me... The second one.... unbelievable....but maybe Luperosaurus sp. (??? !!!) :shock: :roll: or very light color Ptychozoon sp.
Geqqo
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Geqqo »

Moloch- Thanks for the reply with example photographs! Wonderful. I have seen swallowtail bird dropping mimic caterpillars, but never a butterfly, let alone a skipper. They are usually so quick and alert I wouldn't ever think the family needed such mimicry. I guess the spectacular diversity leads to a need to fill each niche. Tho moths too, wow!

Best regards,
Dan
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Yuri Kaverkin »

[quote="-EJ"]a hatchling ptychozoon is my guess.

It's possible but very strange looking Ptychozoon. Notice that no good developed membranas between toes which are typical for all representatives of this genus. It will be great to see more pics of this juveniles if possible.
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

Thanks, Travis.

Yuri and EJ,
I think that you guys are right about the gecko being Ptychozoon horsfieldi. I highly cropped a couple of other shots and now can see what looks like a gliding membrane along the abdomen and also a few denticulate tail lobes. I had not noticed either feature before.
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Still don't know about this little gecko.
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A colourful stinging caterpillar:
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These crickets were common:
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Another colourful moth:
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Dan,
If you are interesting in butterflies from southeast Asia, you might consider the following forum at: http://www.butterflycircle.com/forums/

The people there post the most amazing photos of butterflies. They are also helpful with advice about photo techniques and attracting butterflies.


Regards,
David
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frogshot
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by frogshot »

wow, dont know where to start, I have never seen anything like that lace mantis. The Luna moth was really cool. Any Idea on Moth7? very very strange looking.
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

Frogshot,

Moth 1:
Acteas maenas (Malaysian moon moth)


Moth 5:
Trabala sp., maybe Trabala ganesha


Moth 7:
Xyleutes mineus (Cossidae). It is thought to be a beetle mimic.


Moth 8:
Arguda insulindiana (Lasiocampidae)


Regards,
David
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Holy Schlamoly, what a collection! How did I miss this post the first time around? You sure make finding stuff in the jungle look easy as pie.....congratulations on your good eyes and your tenacity!
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Mike Pingleton
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Mike Pingleton »

Fantastic! Wow! I bookmarked this one. Too much for one pass!

I'd agree on the frog - Rana erythraea. I kept a few back in the dark ages.

It's not so easy, shooting leps. Did you learn any new techniques for getting within range?

-Mike
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moloch
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by moloch »

Thanks guys.

Mike,
The butterfly photographers used several baits that worked well. The most effective along creeks and rivers was shrimp paste (balachan) mixed with water. You can find this smelly stuff in Asian grocery stores. Many Malay dishes include it and it tastes quite nice despite the rancid smell. Chop up an entire block and add along with gravel to a large water bottle. Shake and pour the liquid over a meter or two of sand and rocks. Recharge the bottle with water and do the same again. A block of shrimp paste would usually be enough bait for a morning of photography.

Animal excrement mixed with sand also worked well for other species. Another good bait in the forest was rotting bananas. These attracted the Satyrinae in particular and should work for relatives in North America.

I am looking forward to trying the shrimp paste up in northern Queensland later this spring. I want to see whether Aussie butterflies enjoy Asian food as well.

Regards,
David
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TNWJackson
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by TNWJackson »

Fantastic, especially the mammals and the diversity of cool inverts you photographed. There are so many great SE Asia posts at the moment and they're making me extremely nostalgic for my time there.
hisno
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by hisno »

Great pictures and I have just seen your little gecko and for me this looks like a juvenile Luperosaurus browni. I would say congratulations!!!!
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orionmystery
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by orionmystery »

Wonderful series David. Maliau is great. Would love to go back there again!
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Dell Despain
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Dell Despain »

Not the herp heaviest post you've ever done, but what a wonderful post.
Thanks for taking the time to compose it, I really enjoyed it.

-Dell
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Steve Atkins
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Steve Atkins »

Fantastic :thumb: I rarely go through posts more than once, I went through the whole thing 3 times. And I will once more with kids later.
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

David,

do you have this book? Absolutely spectacular. The author ("the other Hans in Kuching") gave it to me for my birthday last year, and I've been wanting to see Maliau ever since. Lucky you! Re-reading the thread, it's sad to see that they had the gall to hack off almost everything first and then make tourists pay huge bucks to see the pitiful remainder of Sabah's erstwhile glory...
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by ksuglennj »

I think you overloaded my iPhone. Wow, great shots as always. Looking forward to getting back to the states and reading your post on a real computer.

Glenn
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by frankc »

Sorry to revive such an old post, but hisno is correct, the gecko in question is a Luperosaurus browni. A very excellent find!
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orionmystery
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Re: Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

Post by orionmystery »

David, I think that white little gecko is Luperosaurus browni.

Edit: oops...i missed the previous comment :D...no option to delete post?
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