18-5-2023 SEPILOK, BORNEO - SURINAME STICKPEA (Calliandra surinamensis)

Calliandra surinamensis is a low branching evergreen tropical shrub that is named after Suriname, a country in northern South America. The plant usually has complexly branched multiple trunks and grows to a height of about 5 metres, although many sources suggest that it only attains a height of 3 metres. Left unpruned it grows long thin branches that eventually droop down onto the ground. The leaves close and droop from dusk until morning when they once again reopen. Calliandra surinamensis is said to contain lectins which are toxic to cancer cells, although more research is needed. Calliandra surinamensis contains three important compounds: myrectin which contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, lupeol which contains anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, and ferulic acid which contains antimicrobial properties.

18-5-2023 SEPILOK, BORNEO - BROWN THROATED SUNBIRD (MALE) (Anthreptes malacensis)

The brown-throated sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis), also known as the plain-throated sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in a wide range of semi-open habitats in south-east Asia, ranging from Myanmar to the Lesser Sundas and west Philippines. The grey-throated sunbird found in the remaining part of the Philippines is often considered a subspecies of the brown-throated sunbird, but the two differ consistently in measurements and plumage, and there is no evidence of intergradation between them.

18-5-2023 SEPILOK, BORNEO - BLACK AND RED BROADBILL (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos)

The black-and-red broadbill is found in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In peninsular Thailand, it has vanished locally from some areas. It was also common in Singapore until the 1940s, after which it was not recorded until 2004, and then 2020. It mainly inhabits riparian forest edges up to altitudes of 300 m (980 ft) throughout its range, although it can sometimes be found up to altitudes of 900 m (3,000 ft) m. In areas further downstream, it inhabits screw-palm swamps near the edges of mangroves. In areas affected by heavy land-conversion, it inhabits rubber plantations and coconut groves or orchards that have water channels. It has also been observed in peat swamp forest, but rarely enters closed-canopy forest. It can adapt quite well to disturbed habitat, surviving in secondary forest that has some tall trees remaining, as well as secondary vegetation with clumps of forest in pastureland. It also inhabits seriously degraded habitats along rivers.

 

17-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - RHINOCEROS BEETLE (Chalcosoma atlas ssp. keyboh)

17-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - SUGARCANE WHITE GRUB (Lepidiota stigma)

Lepidiota stigma, also known as sugarcane white grub, is a species of insect native to Southeast Asia. The species is known to attack sugarcane fields in the region.

17-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BORDERED DUSTER MOTH (Pingasa ruginaria)

Pingasa ruginaria is a species of moth of the family Geometridae first described by Achille Guenée in 1857. It is found in India, south-east Asia, the Ryukyu Islands and Sundaland.

The larvae have been recorded on Rhus, Liquidambar, Cinnamomum, Litsea, Crotalaria, Nephelium, Trema and Sterculiaceae species.

16-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BORNEAN OAKLEAF BUTTERFLY (Kallima buxtoni)

 Kallima buxtoni is a species of insects with 54 observations

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - COMMON ARCHDUKE BUTTERFLY (Lexias pardalis)

Lexias pardalis, the common archduke, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

This species can be found in the Indomalayan realm.

Lexias pardalis prefer paths, clearings and edges of primary forests and they are easily sighted in sunny areas standing on the forest floor. 

17-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - TAWNY RAJAH BUTTERFLY (Charaxes bernardus)

Charaxes bernardus, the tawny rajah, is a butterfly that belongs to the rajahs and nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae group of the brush-footed butterflies family. This species can be found in India, China, Indomalaya, and onwards to Indonesia. 

17-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - BLUE MARSH HAWK DRAGONFLY (Orthetrum glaucum)

Orthetrum glaucum is an Asian dragonfly species, common across much of tropical and subtropical Asia. The common name for this species is blue marsh hawk.

It is a medium sized dragonfly with dark face and greenish blue eyes. The thorax of old males are dark blue due to pruinescence. Its wings are transparent with dark amber-yellow tint in the extreme base. Its abdomen is pruinosed with blue color up to segment 8; last two segments are black. It breeds in marshes associated with forest streams, plantations and canals.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - EURASIAN TREE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer montanus)

The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult. This sparrow breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow. Although several subspecies are recognised, the appearance of this bird varies little across its extensive range.

The Eurasian tree sparrow's untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the disused nest of a European magpie or white stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, and predation by birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years.

The Eurasian tree sparrow is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of lightly wooded open countryside, with the house sparrow breeding in the more urban areas. The Eurasian tree sparrow's extensive range and large population ensure that it is not endangered globally, but there have been large declines in western European populations, in part due to changes in farming practices involving increased use of herbicides and loss of winter stubble fields. In eastern Asia and western Australia, this species is sometimes viewed as a pest, although it is also widely celebrated in oriental art. 

16-5-2024 RANAU, BORNEO 1 - ATLAS MOTH (Attacus atlas)

How rare is an atlas moth?

The atlas moth is considered among the largest moths in the world, along with species like the white witch moth, which can have a wingspan up to 14 inches, according to the California Academy of Sciences. Sightings of the creature in the U.S. are extremely rare – and were thought to be nonexistent until recently.

Range. The Atlas moth lives in Asia, from India to the Philippines and south to Indonesia. It belongs to the family Saturniidae, or giant silkworm moths, which has a worldwide distribution.

19-7-2023 SILLA, VALENCIA - GLOSSY IBIS (Plegadis falcinellus)

Flocks of Glossy Ibis forage quite close together, advancing slowly as they probe a muddy area. This activity often attracts Snowy Egrets and other species of waders, which capture minnows and other prey moving away from the feeding ibis flocks.

Glossy Ibises nest in colonies, often among other species of ibis, heron, egret, or spoonbill. Colonial nesters have the advantage of many extra sets of eyes looking out for predators. Colonies might also be places where highly gregarious species like ibises can share information about the most productive foraging areas.

Glossy Ibis is a cosmopolitan species, also found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In recent decades, its population in Spain has been increasing rapidly, probably helped by increased rice cultivation there. Glossy Ibises banded in Spain have turned up as far away as Barbados, having crossed the Atlantic—a remarkable feat but one that several species of heron and egret have managed as well.

16-7-2023 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - BURROWING BUG (Genus Canthophorus)

17-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - RAFFLESIA (Rafflesia keithii)

Rafflesia keithii, the biggest flower of the world.

Rafflesia keithii is a parasitic flowering plant in the genus Rafflesia endemic to Sabah in Borneo. The flowers can grow up to one metre in diameter. It is named after Henry (Harry) George Keith, former Conservator of Forests in North Borneo (now Sabah).

The native range of this species is Borneo (Sabah). It is a holoparasitic perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

 

15-5-2023 PORING HOT SPRINGS, BORNEO - ORANGE SKIMMER DRAGONFLY (Orthetrum testaceum)

Orthetrum testaceum, common names Crimson Dropwing or Orange Skimmer. is an Asian freshwater dragonfly species belonging to the family Libellulidae.

This common species is widespread throughout India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. These dragonflies may occur in various areas with standing waters, as in ponds, drains, marshes, around rivers, streams, lakes, and gardens.

The males regularly perch near ponds, while the females usually fly to water only during mating season and egg-laying. In this case the males guard them by flying over them.

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.