16-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - COMMANDER BUTTERFLY (Moduza procris)

The commander is generally found in forested regions having moderate to heavy rainfall. It usually keeps to low elevations, that is, up to 900 metres (3,000 ft) into the hills.

It is fond of open glades, roadsides and clearings in forests. It is abundant along watercourses in dry and moist deciduous forests. It is also found close to villages or wherever its larval host plant Mussaenda frondosa is found. It is most common in the post-monsoon months and winter.

The commander can often be spotted basking with its wings pressed flat on exposed stones in streambeds. Individuals settle down on an exposed perch high up in the trees during the heat of the day. At this time it can be seen defending its territory and driving intruding butterflies away.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - YELLOW ALDER (Turnera ulmifolia)

Turnera ulmifolia, the ramgoat dashalong[1] or yellow alder, is a species of plant of family Passifloraceae, native to Mexico and the West Indies. A recent study found that yellow alder potentiated the antibiotic activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Turnera ulmifolia grows erect, with dark toothed leaves and small, yellow-orange flowers, and is often found as a weed growing on roadsides. These yellow flowers bloom around 6:00 am and wilt around 11:30 AM. Life span for flower is around 6 hours. These plants can survive on minimum water and grow on walls, cement blocks, and rocks. Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) butterfly larvae feed on these plants. This plant is commonly misidentified with the closely related T. diffusa in horticultural commerce, causing it to be often misrepresented as "Damiana."

16-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BLACK AND WHITE HELEN SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio nephelus)

Papilio nephelus is a species of swallowtail butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. Subspecies include P. n. chaon, the yellow Helen, and P. n. sunatus, the black and white Helen.

This species can be found the Asian part of the Palaearctic realm and partially in the Australasian realm and in the Indomalayan realm, from Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, to the south of China, and from Myanmar to Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.

These butterflies are mainly present in the lowlands in the primary forests. 

16-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - RAJAH BROOKES BIRDWING BUTTERFLY (Trogonoptera brookiana)

Rogonoptera brookiana, Rajah Brooke's birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly from the rainforests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Natuna, Sumatra, and various small islands west of Sumatra (Banyak, Simeulue, Batu and Mentawai). The butterfly was named by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1855, after James Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak. The larval host plants are Aristolochia acuminata and A. foveolata. Adults sip flower nectar from plants such as Bauhinia. Rajah Brooke's birdwing is a protected species, listed under Appendix II of CITES, meaning that international export is restricted to those who have been granted a permit. It is the national butterfly of Malaysia.

 

19-7-2023 MONTANYETA DEL SANS, ALBUFERA - SQUACCO HERON (Ardeola ralloides)

The squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides) is a small heron, 44–47 cm (17+1⁄2–18+1⁄2 in) long, of which the body is 20–23 cm (8–9 in), with 80–92 cm (31+1⁄2–36 in) wingspan. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East.

The squacco heron is a migrant, wintering in Africa. It is rare north of its breeding range. The species has been recorded in Fernando de Noronha islands, and more rarely in mainland South America, as a vagrant. This is a stocky species with a short neck, short thick bill and buff-brown back. In summer, adults have long neck feathers. Its appearance is transformed in flight, when it looks very white due to the colour of the wings.

The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries. The birds nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to four eggs are laid. They feed on fish, frogs and insects.

15-5-2023 KOTA KINABALU, BORNEO - CHECKER THROATED WOODPECKER (Chrysophlegma mentale)

 The checker-throated woodpecker, checker-throated yellownape, or Javan yellownape (Chrysophlegma mentale) is a species of bird in the family Picidae native to Southeast Asia.

The checker-throated woodpecker has a wide range in Southeast Asia and is known to occur in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland or montane forests, and the landward edge of mangrove forests.

The species has been recorded as breeding in March and April in Malaysia, and between February and June in Borneo, using nests is excavated in deadwood. It feeds on insects supplemented by berries, foraging by gleaning and probing in the lower and middle canopy storeys.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BROWN PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia hedonia)

Junonia hedonia, the brown pansy, chocolate pansy, brown soldier or chocolate argus, is a butterfly found in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Australia.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - GREAT MARQUIS BUTTERFLY (Bassarona dunya)

 Bassarona dunya, the great marquis, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South-East Asia.

28-5-2023 TABIN RESERVE, BORNEO - WHITE CROWNED HORNBILL (Berenicornis comatus)

The white-crowned hornbill (Berenicornis comatus), also known as the long-crested hornbill or white-crested hornbill (leading to easy confusion with the African white-crested hornbill), is a species of hornbill.

This species is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.

This bird inhabits rainforests at low and medium altitudes, usually at an elevation below 900 meters. It may also be found on fruit, oil-palm and rubber plantations. It is threatened by habitat destruction.

The female lays two white eggs in a tree hole, then seals herself in by blocking the entrance to the nest with droppings, debris and mud. The male, and other adults and young forming a cooperative group, feed the breeding female and the chicks through a narrow hole. The female breaks the "wall" and leaves the nest when the chicks are able to fly. 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - CHRISTMAS ORCHIDS (Genus Calanthe)

Alanthe, commonly known as Christmas orchids, is a genus of about 220 species of orchids in the family Orchidaceae. They are evergreen or deciduous terrestrial plants with thick roots, small oval pseudobulbs, large corrugated leaves and upright, sometimes arching flowering stems. The sepals and petals are narrow and a similar size to each other and the labellum usually has spreading lobes. 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - SPIDERWORT (Genus Amischotolype)

Amischotolype is a genus of perennial monocotyledonous flowering plants in the Commelinaceae. It is found in Central Africa and from India through Southeast Asia to New Guinea,und in Asia.

The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words αμισχος, meaning 'unstalked', and τολυπη, meaning 'tangle'. The genus is characterised by its rather compact inflorescences which are composed on two or more cincinni that pierce through the base of the leaf sheath, and also by its seeds that are embedded in red arils. Flowers are actinomorphic, and anthers release their pollen either through a pore at the tip or slits down the sides. They are typically encountered in forest understories.  

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - COMMON TREE NYMPH BUTTERFLY

Idea stolli, the common tree nymph, is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is found in South East Asia. There are twelve Idea species, of which five occur in West Malaysia.

The wings are white with black dots and veins. The wingspan is about 150 mm.

The larvae feed on Aganosma cymosa and Aganosma corymbosa.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - MALAYAN BIRDWING BUTTERFLY (Troides amphrysus)

Troides amphrysus, the Malay birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly in the genus Troides in the family Papilionidae.

This species can be found in the Australasian realm and in the Indomalayan realm, from Myanmar to Indonesia.

19-7-2023 MONTANYETA DEL SANS, ALBUFERA - WHISKERED TERN (Chlidonias niger)

The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The specific hybridus is Latin for hybrid; Peter Simon Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of white-winged black tern and common tern, writing "Sterna fissipes [Chlidonias leucopterus] et Hirundine [Sterna hirundo] natam".

This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details.

C. h. hybrida breeds in warmer parts of Europe and the Palearctic (northwestern Africa and central and southern Europe to southeastern Siberia, eastern China and south to Pakistan and northern India). The smaller-billed and darker C. h. delalandii is found in east and south Africa, and the paler C. h. javanicus from Java to Australia.

The tropical forms are resident, but European and Asian birds winter south to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. A tagged whiskered tern was spotted at Manakudi Bird Sanctuary, Kanniyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, India in the month of April 2021.

This species breeds in colonies on inland marshes, sometimes amongst black-headed gulls, which provide some protection. The scientific name arises from the fact that this, the largest marsh tern, show similarities in appearance to both the white Sterna terns and to black tern.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BLACK TIPPED ARCHDUKE BUTTERFLY (Lexias dirtea)

Lexias dirtea, the archduke, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

Lexias dirtea has a wingspan of about 80–100 millimetres (3.1–3.9 in). In this species sexual dichromatism is extreme. In males the uppersides of the wings are mainly velvety black, with metallic blue green on the margins, while in the females the uppersides of the wings are mainly brownish, covered by several rows of yellowish-whitish spots.

This species can be found in India, Burma, Northern Thailand, southern China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Philippines.

It lives primarily in virgin swamp forests.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - TYPICAL CICADAS (Tacua speciosa)

Tacua speciosa is a very large Southeast Asian species of cicada. It is the only member of the genus Tacua.

Tacua speciosa has a wingspan of 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in) and a head-body length of 4.7–5.7 cm (1.9–2.2 in). Megapomponia, Pomponia and Tacua are the largest cicadas in the world. Tacua speciosa has black wings, a yellow-green collar, a red transverse stripe on the thorax and a turquoise-blue abdomen.

This species can be found in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Singapore, Malay Peninsula. It was once described as from North East India but it seems to be a mistake.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BLACK BARBED FLYING DRAGON (Draco melanopogon)

 Draco melanopogon, commonly known as the black-bearded gliding lizard or black-barbed flying dragon, is a species of agamid "flying lizard" endemic to Southeast Asia. It is a typically forest-dwelling arboreal lizard. It preys on small invertebrates like ants and is oviparous. They are notable for relying solely on dewlap-mediated communication, instead of conveying signals via both headbobbing and employing dewlaps, as is typical for lizards with dewlaps.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BORNEO FOREST DRAGON (Gonocephalus bornensis)

Gonocephalus bornensis, the Borneo anglehead lizard or Borneo forest dragon, is an agamid lizard endemic to Borneo in Indonesia and Malaysia, and known from Sabah, Kinabalu, Brunei, Sarawak and Kalimantan.

Is endemic to Borneo. Found commonly in Mount Kinabalu, Poring Hot Spring in Sabah, also found in Brunei, Sarawak and Kalimantan.

Found in primary and secondary rainforests up to 700 m a.s.l. Arboreal in habit, they live in tree trunks and on lianas often near streams. They deposit eggs in a small burrow dug on soil. Up to four eggs (length 22 mm each) are laid per clutch at intervals of three months.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - PSYCHE BUTTERFLY (Leptosia nina)

 Leptosia nina, the psyche, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae (the sulphurs, yellows and whites) and is found in Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia and Australia. The upper forewing has a black spot on a mainly white background. The flight is weak and erratic and the body of the butterfly bobs up and down as it beats its wings. They fly low over the grass and the butterfly rarely leaves the ground level.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - RUSTIC BUTTERFLY (Cupha erymanthis)

Cupha erymanthis, the rustic, is a species of brush-footed butterfly found in forested areas of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. The males and females are identical.

The rustic caterpillars feed mainly on Flacourtiaceae species, for example Flacourtia montana, F. ramontchii, F. rukam, Xylosma racemosa and Scolopia species. They also eat plants such as Glochidion eriocarpum and Lepisanthes rubiginosum.

Adult butterflies occasionally visit carrion to drink the fluids. They seem to favour carcasses lying in exposed, sunny areas over those which are in the shade.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - ATLAS MOTH (Attacus atlas)

Attacus atlas, the Atlas moth, is a large saturniid moth endemic to the forests of Asia. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

The Atlas moth is one of the largest lepidopterans, with a wingspan measuring up to 24 cm (9.4 in) and a wing surface area of about 160 cm2 (≈25 in2). It is only surpassed in wingspan by the white witch (Thysania agrippina) and Attacus caesar, and in wing surface area by the Hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules). As in most silk moths, females are noticeably larger and heavier than males, while males have broader antennae.

Atlas moths lay a number of spherical eggs, 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in diameter, on the undersides of the leaves of food plants.

After approximately two weeks, dusty-green caterpillars hatch and feed on the their egg-shell, and then the foliage of citrus, cinnamon, guava, and evergreen trees. The caterpillars can grow to 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length and 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in thickness. They have white, waxy, fleshy spines along their backs, which become more prominent at later instars. On the last abdominal segment beside the prolegs, there is a large green spot surrounded by an orange ring.

After reaching a length of about 11.5 cm (4.5 in), the caterpillars pupate. They spin a 7–8 cm long papery cocoon interwoven with desiccated leaves and attach it to a twig using a strand of silk. The adult moths emerge from the cocoon after approximately four weeks depending on environmental factors.

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - JADE GREEN CICADA (Dundubia vaginata)

Dundubia vaginata is the type species in its genus, sometimes called the jade-green cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in the tribe Dundubiini.

Dundubia vaginata is one of the most widespread species of the genus Dundubia and typically found in tropical forests. The recorded distribution is widespread throughout SE Asia: from India and China to Japan, Thailand, Malesia, through to Sulawesi and northern Australia.

16-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - ORANGE BELLIED FLOWERPECKER (Dicaeum trigonostigma)

The orange-bellied flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma) is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

 

16-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - YELLOW VENTED BULBUL (Pycnonotus goiavier)

The yellow-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier), or eastern yellow-vented bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in southeastern Asia from Indochina to the Philippines. It is found in a wide variety of open habitats but not the deep forest. It is one of the most common birds in cultivated areas. They appear to be nomadic and roam from place to place regularly.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - SNOUTED TIGER MOTH (Asota plana)

Asota plana is a moth in the family Erebidae first described by Francis Walker in 1854. It is found from the Oriental tropics east to New Guinea.