The dead leaf mantis as its name implies, mimics dead leaves and remains well hidden when perched on dead leaf litter. It has a distinctive large shield on its back and the entire body appears to have the texture of a dead leaf. The adult dead leaf mantis typically strikes a majestic pose and is a joy to photograph.
Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
The dead leaf mantis that Victor found in the leaf litter.
Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
View from below reveals intricate textures on the mantis body that mimics a dead leaf
Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
Striking a majestic pose
Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
Clearer view of the “shield” at its back
Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
I started to play around with lighting as the mantis had a lovely silhouette
Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys sp.)
The thin shield allowed light to pass through
Stick Insect (Phasmatodea)
Another interesting discovery that had us squatting at the same spot for almost an hour! This stick insect fluoresces under ultraviolet light! Thanks to Melvyn for pointing it out.
Stick Insect (Phasmatodea)
Close up to see the details of the stick insect, with composition thrown out of the window 😛
Sheetweb Spider (Linyphiidae)
Found a tiny speck of a spider hiding under a leaf, possibly a sheetweb spider
Sheetweb Spider (Linyphiidae)
Dorsal view
Sheetweb Spider (Linyphiidae)
Protrusion at the end of the abdomen suggests that it could be Neriene sp.
Orb Web Spider (Gea sp.)
Male Gea.
Orb Web Spider (Gea sp.)
Dorsal view
Lynx Spider (Oxyopes sp.)
One of the most commonly seen spider families in Singapore, the Lynx Spider !
Lynx Spider (Oxyopes sp.)
It seems to have caught dinner!
Lynx Spider (Oxyopes sp.)
This is a male, with lovely enlarged palps
Orb Web Spider (Neoscona sp.)
Another large female orb weaver spider..
Jumping Spider (Phintella sp.)
Very brightly coloured but tiny Jumping Spider
Earwig (Dermaptera)
Found an Earwig on the leaves, quite a vibrant tone too!
Leafhopper (Cicadellidae)
Say hi to the Leafhopper !
Leafhopper (Cicadellidae)
Wanted to capture the spines on the legs of the Leafhopper but they were blocked
Cone-Headed Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Classic peekaboo of the Cone-Headed Katydid
Cone-Headed Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
So shy~~
Jumping Spider (Phintella sp.)
Melvyn found another Phintella sp.
Mirror Comb-Footed Spider (Thwaitesia sp.)
Mirror Comb-Footed Spider again! Read more about this spider in an earlier blog post.
Leaf-Rolling Weevil (Attelabidae)
Permanent resident of this area, the Leaf-Rolling Weevil
Praying Mantis (Mantodea)
Cute little Praying Mantis hiding under a leaf
Common Garden Spider (Parawixia dehaani)
Common Garden Spider , sports a different pattern from the usual one, could be a different morph?
Orb Web Spider (Gea sp.)
Orb Web Spider dangling on its web
Orb Web Spider (Gea sp.)
Side view, closest I could get without disturbing it
Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
Saw this interestingly coloured Katydid
Wolf Spider (Lycosidae)
There were many Wolf Spiders , and I saw 2 of them carrying egg sacs
Wolf Spider (Lycosidae)
Did my usual yoga stunt to go to the spider’s eye level
Wolf Spider (Lycosidae)
Hallo there!!
Wide-Jawed Viciria (Viciria praemandibularis)
We also saw a beautiful Wide-Jawed Viciria tending to her eggs
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs? (Halyomorpha halys?)
A fresh batch of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs were also gathering under a leaf
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs? (Halyomorpha halys?)
Check out the eggs, they remind me of Eve from the movie Wall-E
Big-Jawed Spider (Tetragnathidae)
Big-Jawed Spider , hard to do a weird arch to reach this
Fungus Weevil (Anthribidae)
Fungus Weevil , thanks to Melvyn for finding this! Unfortunately I couldn’t position myself to get a parallel shot before it flew off.
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda sp.)
A common Huntsman Spider from the leaf litter
Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda sp.)
Customary passport photo
Weevil (Curculionidae)
Another Weevil for the night!
Golden Orb Weaver (Nephila sp.)
I had my Raynox on the floor, so I took a record shot of this Golden Orb Weaver . Would normally have given this a miss!
Monkey Hopper
Cute little Monkey Hopper
Comb-Footed Spider (Meotipa sp.)
Comb-Footed Spider , usually found flattening their bodies under leaves
Comb-Footed Spider (Meotipa sp.)
Oops.. I woke it up
Comb-Footed Spider (Meotipa sp.)
Much clearer view of the legs against a black background
Comb-Footed Spider (Meotipa sp.)
Closer look at the eyes
Comb-Footed Spider (Meotipa sp.)
Dorsal view for the record
Comb-Footed Spider (Janula sp.)
Another tiny Comb-Footed Spider , possibly Janula sp.
Comb-Footed Spider (Janula sp.)
It’s a boy!
Comb-footed spider (Episinus sp.)
Chris found this interesting pose of a Theridiid feasting on an… ant?? and with a tiny midge hanging by watching the mayhem.
Winged Ant (Formicidae) with mite
A Winged Ant seemed to be troubled by the little mite
Cricket (Gryllidae)
One of the common Crickets that we usually skip, it was munching on the fruits earlier
Crane Fly (Tipulidae)
Small little Crane Fly
Crane Fly (Tipulidae)
It did not move much and allowed me to go up close!!
Orb Web Spider (Araneus metalis)
We were on our way out and found this Orb Web Spider
Orb Web Spider (Araneus metalis?)
Doing some acrobatics and not letting me shoot
Sac Spider (Clubionidae)
Sac Spider
Weevil (Curculionidae)
Melvyn found another Weevil , looks like my lens was fogging up!
Moth-Like Planthopper (Ricanula cf. stigmatica)
Final subject of the night, a common Moth-Like Planthopper . Many people mistake this to be a moth… so look closer next time!
Moth-Like Planthopper (Ricanula cf. stigmatica)
Getting a shot parallel to the wings.
The complete album can be viewed here.
