24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE (Spilornis cheela)

This medium-large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. Its short black and white fan-shaped nuchal crest gives it a thick-necked appearance. The bare facial skin and feet are yellow. The underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown. When perched the wing tips do not reach until the tail tip. In soaring flight, the broad and paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. Young birds show a lot of white on the head. The tarsus is unfeathered and covered by hexagonal scales. The upper mandible does not have an overhanging festoon to the tip.

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - GREATER COUCAL (Centropus sinensis)

The greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species. They are large, crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in a wide range of habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds. They have a familiar deep resonant call which is associated with omens in many parts of its range.

Greater coucals are monogamous, and the courtship display involves chases on the ground and the male brings food gifts for the female. The female lowers her tail and droops her wings to signal acceptance. The nest is built mostly by the male over about three to eight days. The nest is a deep cup with a dome in dense vegetation inside tangles of creepers, bamboo clump or Pandanus crowns. They can be built as high as 6m above the ground and the typical clutch is 3–5 eggs. The eggs (of size 36–28 mm weighing 14.8 g ) are chalky white with a yellow glaze when laid that wears off. Both the male and the female take part in nest building. They lay 2 to 4 eggs that hatch after 15–16 days of incubation. The chicks take 18–22 days to fledge. A study in southern India found that 77% of the eggs hatched and 67% fledged. Nests with eggs were sometimes abandoned or marauded by the Indian jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos culminatus.

Haemosporidia closely related to those that cause malaria have been found in their red blood cells. One species, Haemoproteus centropi, is described from cuckoos such as Clamator jacobinus and Centropus sinensis and is spread by mosquitoes. Immature Haemaphysalis ticks have been found feeding on greater coucals.

 

22-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - PROBOSCIS MONKEY (Nasalis larvatus)

Proboscis monkey, (Nasalis larvatus), long-tailed arboreal primate found along rivers and in swampy mangrove forests of Borneo. Named for the male’s long and pendulous nose, the proboscis monkey is red-brown with pale underparts. The nose is smaller in the female and is upturned in the young. Males are 56–72 cm (22–28 inches) long and average 20 kg (44 pounds), but females weigh only about 10 kg (22 pounds). The tail is about the same length as the body. Proboscis monkeys live in groups of about 20 consisting of a single male and up to a dozen females; males live in bachelor groups. The young have blue faces and are born singly, apparently at any time of year; gestation is estimated at five to six months. Proboscis monkeys wade upright through water, which makes them exceptional among monkeys in being habitually bipedal.

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus).

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus).

Despite government protection, habitat destruction has caused a decline in the population of this species. Proboscis monkeys belong to the same subfamily as langurs and colobus monkeys of the family Cercopithecidae.

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - FOREST WHITE BUTTERFLY (Phrissura cynis)

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - CLIPPER BUTTERFLY (Parthenos sylvia)

 

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - GRENADIER DRAGONFLY (FEMALE) (Agrionoptera insignis)

Agrionoptera insignis is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is native to much of eastern Asia and Oceania, occurring as far north as Japan and as far south as Australia. It is common in most of its range. The circumscription of the species is not entirely clear, so if the species is redescribed, its status may change. Common names include grenadier.

The male of this species is generally 37 to 41 millimeters long, the hindwing about 28 to 30 millimeters long. The thorax is metallic green with yellow mottling. The eyes are brown and yellow. The abdomen is mostly red with a black tip. The abdomen of the female is duller in color.

This species lives in swampy areas, including disturbed habitat.

 

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, 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.

 

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - ROUGH MABUYA (Eutropis rudis)

Eutropis rudis, commonly known as the rough mabuya or brown mabuya, is a species of skink. It is found in the Maritime Southeast Asia: Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, Mentawai Islands, Java, and Sulawesi), Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), Philippine Islands, Sulu Islands, as well as on the Nicobar islands of India.

 

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, 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.

 

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - LONG FLANGE MILLIPEDE (Family Platyrhacidae)

Platyrhacidae is a family of polydesmidan millipedes distributed in Southeast Asia and tropical Central and South America.

Platyrhacids are often large and colorful. They can be distinguished from most other polydesmidans by having ozopores situated further inward from the paranota margins, ozopores surrounded by a broad, flat ring, and presence of compound setae on the labrum and often on the epiproct (a posterior extension of the telson). The gonopods in males are relatively simple, although up to five gonopodal processes ("branches") may be present in some genera from Borneo. Large platyrhacids in Borneo may grow up to 13 cm (5.1 in) long and exhibit colors of blue, green, and yellow with black spots or stripes. The largest known species in the order Polydesmida, however, is a platyrhacid species found in Sumatra, Gigantorhacus mirandus, which can reach 134 mm (5.3 in) in length.

Platyrhacids occur in two disjunct geographic areas. The majority of species occur in Southeast Asia, including the Greater Sunda Islands and the Philippine archipelago. The rest occur in the New World Tropics from Nicaragua to Peru, as well as on some Caribbean islands.

16-5-2023 KOTA KINABALU NAT PRK, BORNEO - BORNEAN GREEN MAGPIE (Cissa jefferyi)

The Bornean green magpie (Cissa jefferyi) is a passerine bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is endemic to montane forests on the southeast Asian island of Borneo. It was formerly included as a subspecies of the Javan green magpie, but under the common name Short-tailed Green Magpie. Uniquely among the green magpies, the Bornean green magpie has whitish eyes (dark reddish-brown in the other species).

It dwells in thick vegetation in the mid and upper storeys of forests, and makes only short flights.

The Bornean green magpie builds an open cup nest of sticks in the canopy. The Bornean green magpie has a rather harsh call; a reminder that they are passerine birds which belong to the crow family Corvidae.

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - STORK BILLED KINGFISHER (Pelargopsis capensis)

The stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia. This kingfisher is resident throughout its range.

It is a very large kingfisher, measuring 35 cm (14 in) in length. The adult has a green back, blue wings and tail, and olive-brown head. Its underparts and neck are buff. The very large bill and legs are bright red. The flight of the stork-billed kingfisher is laboured and flapping, but direct. Sexes are similar. There are 13 races or subspecies, differing mostly in plumage detail, but P. c. gigantea of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines has a white head, neck and underparts. The call of this noisy kingfisher is a low and far reaching peer-por-por repeated about every 5 seconds, as well cackling ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke.

The stork-billed kingfisher lives in a variety of well-wooded habitats near lakes, rivers, or coasts. It perches quietly whilst seeking food, and is often inconspicuous despite its size. It is territorial and will chase away eagles and other large predators. This species hunts fish, frogs, crabs, rodents and young birds.

Adults dig their nests in river banks, decaying trees, or tree termite nests. A clutch of two to five round white eggs is typical.

 

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILL (Anthracoceros albirostris)

The oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) is an Indo-Malayan pied hornbill, a large canopy-dwelling bird belonging to the family Bucerotidae. Two other common names for this species are Sunda pied hornbill (convexus) and Malaysian pied hornbill.

The species is considered to be among the smallest and most common of the Asian hornbills. It has the largest distribution in the genus and is found in the Indian Subcontinent and throughout Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The oriental pied hornbill's diet includes fruit, insects, shellfish, small reptiles and, sometimes, small mammals and birds including their eggs.

The oriental pied hornbill is found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Eastern and Northern India, Indonesia, Laos, peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam and the Sunda shelf islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Within these regions, A. albirostris occupies various habitat types, which include dry and semi-evergreen forests, dry and moist deciduous forests, subtropical broadleaf forests, secondary forests, plantations and woodlands.

Hornbills are predominantly frugivores. The oriental pied hornbill's diet consists of wild fruits such as figs (Ficus spp.), melanoxylon berries, rambutans, palm fruit, papaya and fruits of liana plants. It will also take large insects (grasshoppers), small birds (finches) small reptiles (lizards and snakes), amphibians such as frogs, fish, and bats. Its diet differs slightly between the breeding and non-breeding season. During the non-breeding season, oriental pied hornbills feed more on non-fig fruit such as small sized berries, drupes, arillate capsules and lianas (woody vines), however the availability of these food items is lower in the breeding season, which suggests that the species increases its habitat range during that time. They also tend to feed in flocks during the non breeding season. When foraging for food, they tend to select a few common species of fruit trees.

27-5-2023 TABIN RESERVE, BORNEO - BANDED BROADBILL (Eurylaimus javanicus)

The banded broadbill (Eurylaimus javanicus) is a species of bird in the typical broadbill family Eurylaimidae found in Mainland Southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands. It is sometimes split into two species, one including only the nominate subspecies, E. j. javanicus, and one including all the remaining subspecies. It inhabits a variety of forests, along with forest edge, rubber plantations and Falcataria falcata groves, mainly in lowland areas. A striking, large-bodied bird with a length of 21.5–23.0 cm (8.5–9.1 in), it is unlikely to be mistaken for another species. The broadbill is mostly purplish-red, with yellow-streaked black wings, a bright blue beak, a blackish face and greyish chin and upper breast. Females can be told apart from males by their lack of a black neckband, although these are indistinct in Bornean and Javan males. Despite its conspicuous appearance, the bird is usually hard to see due to its sluggishness and is usually only noticed when it vocalises.

The species mainly eats arthropods such as orthopterans (grasshoppers, katydids and crickets), true bugs and beetles, but has also been recorded feeding on snails, lizards, frogs and figs. On the mainland, breeding generally occurs during the dry season; populations in the Greater Sundas have a longer breeding season lasting from March to November. On Java, the broadbill is thought to breed year-round. Their large, raggedy nests are hung from trees at a height of 6–21 m (20–69 ft) over clearings or water bodies. Clutches have two or three eggs. The eggs are usually dull white with dark purple or reddish-brown flecks, but those from West Java are dirty white with dense rusty-brown to lavender-grey markings. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which splits the banded broadbill into two species, classifies javanicus as being near-threatened and the other subspecies as being of least concern.

22-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - GREEN AND PALE LEAF CHAFER (Genus Anomala)

Anomala is a genus of shining leaf chafers in the family of beetles known as Scarabaeidae. There are at least 1,200 described species in Anomala.

A common characteristic behavior of beetles in Anomala is that most grubs of these species feed on the roots of grasses, becoming a pest in many areas where they invade. One notable species is the Oriental beetle (Anomala orientalis), which was introduced to North America and has since become a major pest in several mid-Atlantic states. 

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - COCOA TUSSOCK MOTH (Orgyia postica)

Orgyia postica, the cocoa tussock moth or hevea tussock moth, is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae of the family Erebidae found in the Oriental tropics of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, and Taiwan. It was described by Francis Walker in 1855.

 Adult males are on the wing year-round. The name Orgyia is because the larvae have been recorded on a wide range of species, including Buchanania, Mangifera, Durio, Ochroma, Casuarina, Terminalia, Shorea, Hevea, Ricinus, Pelargonium, Cinnamomum, Acacia, Albizia, Caesalpinia, Cajanus, Cassia, Dalbergia, Erythrina, Pithecellobium, Pterocarpus, Sesbania, Xylia, Lagerstroemia, Eucalyptus, Tristania, Zizyphus, Malus, Coffea, Citrus, Santalum, Dimocarpus, Litchi, Nephelium, Theobroma, Camellia, Grewia, and Tectona. The head, legs, and prolegs are pale red. The body is longitudinally banded in dark brown and pale yellow. The four dorsal brushes are pale yellow.

The parasitoid wasps of Telenomus are known to attack the eggs of this moth.

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - KATYDID (Subtribe LIARINA)

Agraeciini is a large tribe of bush crickets or katydids in the conehead subfamily, Conocephalinae.

 

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - EMERALD MOTH (Dysphania malayanus)

 Dysphania malayanus is a species of insects with 59 observations

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - CLIPPER BUTTERFLY (Parthenos sylvia)

Parthenos sylvia, the clipper, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in south and southeast Asia, mostly in forested areas. The clipper is a fast-flying butterfly and has a habit of flying with its wings flapping stiffly between the horizontal position and a few degrees below the horizontal. It may glide between spurts of flapping.

The species lives in the Western Ghats, Bangladesh, Assam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia (Malaya, Philippines, and New Guinea). 

16-5-2023 KOTA KINABALU NAT PRK, BORNEO - MOUNTAIN WREN BABBLER (Gypsophila crassa)

The mountain wren-babbler (Gypsophila crassa) is a species of bird in the family Pellorneidae. It is native to the Iran Mountains of northeastern Borneo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - BROWN BACKED RED MARSH HAWK DRAGONFLY

The Spine-tufted skimmer, or brown-backed red marsh hawk, (Orthetrum chrysis) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in many Asian countries.

Description and habitat

It is a medium sized dragonfly with dark thorax and blood-red abdomen. It looks very similar to Orthetrum pruinosum in shape and size; but can be distinguished by the color of the abdomen. The abdomen of the female is ochreous brown. It breeds in pools and marshes.

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - RED TOWER GINGER (Costus comosus)

Costus comosus is a species of plants with 485 observations

 

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - PAGODA FLOWER (Clerodendrum paniculatum)

Clerodendrum paniculatum, the pagoda flower, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Clerodendrum and family Lamiaceae. It is native to tropical Asia and Papuasia (southern China including Taiwan, Indochina, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Borneo, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Philippines, Bismarck Archipelago), Fiji, and French Polynesia. It is introduced in Central America. 

18-5-2023 SEPILOK, BORNEO - BLACK CROWNED PITTA (Erythropitta ussheri)

The black-crowned pitta (Erythropitta ussheri), also known as the black-headed pitta, black-and-crimson pitta, black-and-scarlet pitta or black-crowned garnet pitta, is a brightly coloured, ground-dwelling, bird species in the pitta family. It is endemic to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. It was described by John Gould in 1877, with the type locality recorded as the Lawas River in northern Sarawak.

The pitta has only been recorded from the Malaysian state of Sabah in northern Borneo, where it occupies lowland tropical rainforests from sea level up to about 300 m, above which it is replaced by the blue-banded pitta. It prefers dark and damp places, especially ravines beneath dense cover. In prime habitat, such as the primary forest of the Danum Valley Conservation Area, recorded population densities are 21–22 pairs per square kilometre. It can also be found in areas that have been selectively logged as well as in overgrown rubber and Albizia plantations. 

23-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - FLAT BACKED MILLIPEDE (Tribe Platyrhacini)

 Platyrhacini is a tribe of animals with 279 observations