Malaysia’s Top 100 Macro Shots from 2015
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
Lantern bug (Pyrops whiteheadi)
One of the most brightly coloured lantern bugs of Borneo. It is relatively easy to spot P. whiteheadi when they are in season.
Lantern bug (Pyrops sidereus)
Some of the lantern bugs have distinct host trees, and the chances of finding them would be much higher with an experienced guide.
Lantern bug (Pyrops sultanus)
I had photographed this lantern bug before in previous years, so a different approach was taken this time round.
Planthopper (Penthicodes sp.)
Found this fulgorid planthopper off the trail, looks close to the one we see in Singapore but this was much darker, possibly faded.
Net-winged planthopper (Nogodinidae)
A bit of back-lighting to highlight the transparent wings.
Pill-like planthopper (Hemisphaerius sp.)
There were several of these pill-like planthoppers along the paths in Tawau, but this had the most colourful patterns!
Eurybrachyid planthopper (Eurybrachyidae)
Lateral view reveals a bright red abdomen in this stunning planthopper.
Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
Some of the most colourful shield bugs could be found here in Borneo. We found one just outside the toilet.
Giant shield bug nymph (Tessaratomidae)
Another shield bug nymph at the bottom of the bridge and had us excited and queuing up!
Giant shield bug (Tessaratomidae)
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!
Giant shield bug nymph (Tessaratomidae)
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.
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.
Masked hunter assassin bug (Reduviidae)
On the tree trunks, we found the masked hunter, an assassin bug that piles debris upon itself to conceal its shape.
Funnel weaver spider (Agelenidae)
My first record for this family, appears to be quite common in certain parts of Fraser’s Hill.
St Andrew’s cross spider (Argiope sp.)
Also from Fraser’s Hill, this belongs to a unique group of Argiope with a sparse to hairless carapace.
St Andrew’s cross spider (Argiope sp.)
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.
Wrap-around spider (Talthybia sp.)
A magnificent specimen of a wrap-around spider right in front of the cabins in Tawau. The abdomen has a peculiar vertical protrusion.
Big-headed bark spider (Caerostris sp.)
Spiders from this genus are always stunners, providing captivating portraits for us.
Trashline orb web spider (Cyclosa sp.)
Mesmerizing stabilimentum on a Cyclosa, with what looks like a captured prey.
Longhorn orb web spider (Macracantha arcuata)
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.
Long horned orb weaver (Macracantha arcuata)
Wide angle view of a white morph of Macracantha, one of the craziest looking spiders around.
Spiny orb web spider (Gasteracantha sp.)
Also found in front of where we stayed (lazy bums we are), this Gasteracantha has a stout, sclerotized abdomen.
Lichen wandering spider (Acantheis sp.)
One of my favorite ctenids ever! Excellent camouflage on a mossy tree trunk and probably overlooked by most others.
Unknown spider web
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.
Black armored trapdoor spider (Liphistius malayanus)
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.
Lynx spider (Hamadruas sp.)
A lovely new batch of spiderlings crowding around their mother.
Fishing spider (Nilus sp.)
Found beside a river and very cooperative!
Jumping spider (Salticidae)
Small and plain looking, but super cute and gave me the innocent doe-eyed look.
Jumping spider (Epeus sp.)
Very common male Epeus with the “mohawk”, known for the elaborate display of colours.
Big-jawed jumping spider (Parabathippus sp.)
Giant chelicerae makes me wonder if it can deal a painful bite?
Jumping spider (Simaetha sp.)
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.
Huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
Most colourful huntsman spider, ever. Found this huge beauty beside a river.
Malaysian purple femur tarantula (Coremiocnemis hoggi)
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!
Tarantula (Theraphosidae)
We chased this tarantula around but it eventually disappeared into the leaf litter.
Spiny comb-footed spider (Phoroncidia sp.)
One of my favorite theridiids with an exceptionally spiny and odd-shaped abdomen.
Crab spider (Epidius sp.)
The male of this crab spider has ridiculously long pedipalps, which could even be mistaken for its legs.
Bird dung crab spider (Phrynarachne sp.)
An amazing bird dung mimic, it is able to weave its prey around itself to complement its camouflage.
Ant-like sac spider (Utivarachna sp.)
A pale coloured Utivarachna, notably larger than what we find in Singapore.
Harvestman (Opiliones)
Who would have imagined that a harvestman could be blue?
Harvestman ultraviolet animation (Opiliones)
Here’s how one looked like before and after exposure to ultraviolet.
Whip scorpion (Thelyphonida)
We saw a vinegaroon, or whip scorpion. Didn’t disturb it, so we didn’t smell like vinegar. 🙂
Pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpionida)
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…
Giant black forest scorpion (Heterometrus sp.)
A giant black forest scorpion fluorescing brightly under ultraviolet.
Tick (Ixodida)
This tick was sucking the blood of Adam, so we made him sit still while we took close ups of it. 🙂
Golden blue ant (Polyrhachis sp.)
These ants were brilliantly coloured with a metallic blue abdomen.
Fish hook ant (Polyrhachis ypsilon)
Traced one of them that paused for a while, long enough to take some record shots.
Wasp sharing a meal with ant
Another scene that attracted our attention! Gathering of 3 different predators, but the poor orthopteran was at the bottom of this food chain.
Cuckoo wasp (Loboscelidia sp.)
Looks like a winged ant, but turned out to be a cuckoo wasp that is not often seen.
Rhino beetle (Dynastinae)
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.
Rhino beetle (Dynastinae)
This was attracted to our lights at Fraser’s Hill, kept flying! Eyes illuminated with ultraviolet.
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
This was found on several fallen logs in Tawau, probably a different species from those in Singapore.
Trilobite beetle larva (Platerodrilus sp.)
A lankier trilobite beetle larva, this can also be found in Singapore.
Lizard beetle (Languriidae)
A highly reflective lizard beetle.
Rove beetle (Aleocharinae)
Couldn’t figure out the shape until I saw the close ups, which revealed the flipped abdomen.
Tiger beetle (Cicindelinae)
Saw a few of these tiger beetles but only managed to shoot one successfully.
Tiger beetle (Cylindera sp.)
One of the most stunning tiger beetles around!
Leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae)
Common leaf beetle but with a metallic body.
Jewel beetle (Endelus sp.)
Super tiny but brilliant jewel beetle, unfortunately also a very skittish one. Saw one with golden head and thorax at an adjacent plant.
Palm weevil (Cercidocerus sp.)
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! 🙂
Weevils (Curculionidae)
Mating pair of weevils with interesting disc-like texture when viewed up close.
Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Looked like a muddy looking katydid from afar, but spotted a gradient of yellow-green-blue on the wing veins!
Grasshopper (Caelifera)
Hypnotising eyes…
Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Stunning katydid that flattens itself onto a leaf when threatened. It even looks a little bit dirty to complement the camouflage.
Dead leaf grasshopper (Trigonopterygidae)
We found at least 3 different colour morphs of this dead leaf grasshopper within a small area.
Grasshopper nymph (Caelifera)
A small little grasshopper hopped onto the lamp post, and looked surprisingly like a little toy!
Grasshopper (Caelifera)
Apparently quite common and colourful, but often missed out as it resembles many of the common grasshoppers.
Monkey grasshopper (Erucius sp.)
Something that is not uncommon in Malaysia, but have not seen them in Singapore yet.
Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Katydid nymph with some fancy colours.
Moss katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Camouflaged moss katydid, really amazing critter!
Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
First time seeing such prominent spermatophores on a katydid.
Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
From a distance, this looked like a random plain picture. Have you found the katydid yet? View a close up of the katydid.
Katydid (close to Olcinia sp. – ID suggested by Piotr Naskrecki)
Kept confusing it between a katydid and stick insect. Very broad head for a katydid. Incredibly cryptic details!
Hood mantis (Rhombodera valida)
A regal looking hooded mantis from Fraser’s Hill, shot with a fisheye lens.
Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
A green morph of the dead leaf mantis. Mimicking a different not-so-dead leaf?
Dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
This dead leaf mantis was hanging out on our clothes lines… I could even try doing some back-lit shots!
Bark mantis (Mantodea)
Adult bark mantis found at our doorstep.
Mantis (Pachymantis sp.?)
Looks similar to a Pachymantis. The forelegs were yellow and blue on the outside, and red on the inside!
Bark horned mantis (Ceratocrania sp.)
Sadly, a dying horned mantis that had a radially twisted cone head!
Stick insect (Phasmatodea)
An exaggerated wide angle perspective of a superbly camouflaged stick insect.
Stick insects (Phasmatodea)
A beautiful pair of mating stick insects!
Stick insect (Haaniella sp.)
A big fat stick, and it is just a nymph with undeveloped wings!
Knob necked stick insect (Calvisia sp.?)
One of the most colourful stick insects that I have ever seen!
Five bar swordtail (Graphium antiphates)
I rarely shoot butterflies, but saw a sleeping five bar swordtail and couldn’t resist!
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.
Robberfly (Asilidae) preying on Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae)
Found near the waterfall at Fraser’s Hill.
Mass mating crane flies (Tipulidae)
Usually ignored, but this scene actually consists of SEVEN pairs of mating crane flies. (or more?!)
Black armored cockroach (Catara rugosicollis)
The ones in Singapore gave off an odd scent when they felt threatened. Luckily this one didn’t give off any scent.
Flat-backed Millipede (Platyrhacidae)
Wide angle view of a flat-backed millipede. Many thought it looked like the spine of some monster.
Barklice (Psocoptera)
A fresh batch of hatchlings under a leaf, really cute littel jellybeans!
Dobsonfly (Corydalinae)
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.
Tiger leeches (Hirudinea)
They found each other. One of us had over 10 leeches sucking blood off him in a night. Don’t go after me please…
Giant river toad (Phrynoidis juxtasper)
Some of the toads by the river were huge, spanning 20cm in length.
File-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus)
Just chilling. Tree frogs have some of the cutest poses on branches.
Dragon snake (Xenodermus javanicus)
On the way to our night trail, Tom spotted a very rare dragon snake.
Harlequin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis)
We had fun lighting it up like a bulb, with Kerry holding my torch behind the frog.
Malayan horned frog (Megophrys nasuta)
A wide angle close up view of one of the most exotic looking frogs in this region.
Gecko (Gekkota)
Somehow this gecko found Adam’s hands. Didn’t let him dislodge the gecko til everyone got shots!
Siamese peninsula pit viper (Popeia fucata)
This pit viper was found above our heads while we were searching for spiders. It appeared almost ready to lunge towards us.
Skink (Scincidae)
A curious view with a little smile.
Great anglehead lizard (Gonocephalus grandis)
A majestic great anglehead lizard sleeping on a branch at night, allowing everyone to take turns to shoot it.
Hemiptera – True Bugs
Araneae – Spiders
Arachnids – Scorpions, Whipscorpions, Harvestmen, etc. (except spiders)
Hymenoptera – Bees, Wasps, Ants
Coleoptera – Beetles
Orthoptera – Katydids, Grasshoppers, Crickets
Mantodea – Mantises
Phasmatodea – Stick Insects
Lepidoptera – Butterflies, Moths
Diptera – Flies
Other Insects and Worms
Amphibia & Reptilia – Frogs, Lizards, Snakes
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.
