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Sunday, December 9, 2012

Camouflage in nature

Camouflage in nature.

A bunch of dead leaves on the forest floor?
leaf mimic grasshopper, Chorotypus gallinaceus IMG_5896 copy

Leaf mimic grasshopper, Chorotypus gallinaceus
 Leaf mimic grasshopper, <i>Chorotypus gallinaceus </i>IMG_5908 copy

A Cryptic katydid (Pseudophyllinae )
A Cryptic katydid (Pseudophyllinae ) IMG_6392 copy

A cryptic Reduvius sp. assassin bug nymph with dirt/debris and ant carcasses on its back.
assassin bug, Reduvius sp. IMG_3481 copy

Another Reduvius sp. on tree trunk
reduvius sp. assassin bug nymph IMG_9906 copy

This one took it to a new level. Not just debris/dirt but also moss, ant carcasses, and a roach ootheca too!
reduvius sp. assassin bug camouflage IMG_3319 stk copy

The camouflage by this Acanthaspis sp. assassin bug nymph is not bad either.
Acanthaspis sp. assassin bug nymph IMG_9235 copy
The camouflage is to protect the nymph from predators like jumping spiders. Read about it here.

A leaf insect on guava plant!
leaf insect on a guava plant........IMG_8349 DT copy

another leaf insect.
Camouflage leaf insect.........IMG_8327 copy

Another leaf insect.
IMG_6670 copy

Amazingly cryptic katydid on a plant!
cryptic katydid on a plant IMG_2141 dt copy

Another katydid, not as cryptic as the previous one but still pretty good.
katydid on green leaf IMG_9760 copy

Amazing leaf mimic katydid, Leptoderes ornatipennis.
Leaf mimic katydid Leptoderes ornatipennis IMG_6653 copy

Lichen mimic katydid, Olcinia sp.
Lichen mimic katydid Olcinia sp. IMG_6979 copy

The view of the same katydid, different angle.
Lichen mimic katydid Olcinia sp. IMG_6988 copy

Camouflaged Pseudophyllinae katydid. Try to spot it.
Camouflaged Pseudophyllinae IMG_2669 copy

Zooming in, can you see it now?
Camouflaged Pseudophyllinae IMG_2682 copy

A hard-to-spot stick insect
stick insect IMG_8608 copy

There is something in here, can you spot it?
Spot the bug challenge :D DSC_0136 copy

Here it is, a stick insect :D
stick insect camouflage DSC_0140copy

Another stick insect
stick insect camouflage DSC_9578 copy

Twig on a leaf?
stick insect on a leaf DSC_9038 copy (2)

Even harder to spot and there were two of them! Mating!
A mating pair of stick insects....IMG_0607 copy
More bugs porn here.

Still no idea what it is but think it's a weevil?
Weevil??? ID pls thanks :) IMG_5162 copy

A well camouflaged stick insect on a tree trunk
stick insect IMG_3426 copy

Katydid on a leaf. Pseudophyllinae, Phylomimini (Tettigoniidae).
Beautiful katydid....IMG_8598 merged copy


What about this moth
moth camouflage DSC_8694 full size
I passed it by a few times thinking it was some dried leaf! Pyralidae, Pyralinae, possibly in the genus Sacada

Another cryptic moth
cryptic moth IMG_9302 copy

Profile shot of the moth
cryptic moth IMG_9306 copy

Another moth with impressive camouflage.
Arguda sp. (Lassiocampidae).
<i>Arguda sp</i>. (Lassiocampidae). IMG_9248 copy


What about this one Flatidae? I only spotted it at night only when it moved!
IMG_7048 copy
Flatidae, sub family Flatoidinae

Another Flatidae, sub family Flatoidinae
Flatidae, sub family FlatoidinaeIMG_1585 copy

Another one.
Flatidae, sub family FlatoidinaeIMG_4839 copy

Kuhl's Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli)
Kuhl's Flying Gecko (<i>Ptychozoon kuhli</i>) IMG_6877 copy

Kuhl's Flying Gecko (<i>Ptychozoon kuhli</i>) IMG_6880 copy

A Eurybrachyidae planthopper, genus: Thessitus.

IMG_6168 copy

Eurybrachyidae planthopper, genus: <i>Thessitus</i>,  IMG_3615 copy

 Eurybrachyidae planthopper, genus: <i>Thessitus</i>. IMG_3614 copy


A nicely camouflage Draco sumatranus Flying Dragon
Draco sumatranus...IMG_4635 copy

A closer look at the Draco sumatranus.
Draco sumatranus...IMG_4632 copy

Blyth's river frog. Tough to spot when it's on the forest floor.
Blyth's River Frog ...IMG_0619 copy

Can you spot the subject here?
Megophrys nasuta IMG_2984 copy
Malayan Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta)

Two tailed spider, Hersilia sp.
two tailed spider, Hersilia sp. DSC_8388 copy
More tropical spiders.

A cryptic crab spider. Took me a while to spot it.
IMG_8682 copy

A Phaeacius sp. jumping spider on a tree trunk at night.
IMG_8816 copy
More tropical jumping spiders.

A slightly pinkish crab spider on similarly colored plant
crab spider IMG_3885 copy

Aetius nocturnus.  Ant-mimic sac spider.
aetius nocturnus, ant mimic sac spider IMG_0022 copy

A male and female Herennia sp. spider on a tree trunk. They can be quite hard to spot too!
male and female herennia sp. spider on a tree trunk IMG_9740 copy

A metamorph Malayan Flying Frog, Rhacophorus prominanus
a metamorph Malayan Flying Frog, <i>Rhacophorus prominanus</i> IMG_1655 copy

An adult Malayan Flying Frog, Rhacophorus prominanus
Malayan Flying Frog, <i>Rhacophorus prominanus</i> IMG_1454 copy

Larut Torrent Frog (Amolops larutensis)
IMG_9508 copy Larut Torrent Frog (Amolops larutensis).

Cicadas are not exactly easy to spot either. You can hear them, but it's tough to tell which tree they are on!
cicada IMG_9665 copy

and another well camouflaged cicada
cicada camouflage IMG_9913 copy

This keel-bellied whip snake (Dryophiops rubescens).
keel-bellied whip snake (Dryophiops rubescens)

This green crested lizard turned from green to dark in just a couple minutes!
green crested lizard IMG_1091 copy

green crested lizard IMG_1112 copy

Lichen huntsman on a tree
lichen huntsman IMG_9622 copy

A lichen huntsman spider guarding her egg sac.
IMG_8808 copy A lichen huntsman spider with egg sac and spiderlings

Moss mantis, Majangella sp.  on a mossy trunk :D
moss mantis IMG_7698 copy

Moss mantis, Majangella sp.
Moss mantis, <i>Majangella sp. </i>IMG_7513 copy

A dead leaf mantis, Deroplatys lobata, female.
female dead leaf mantis, Deroplatys labata IMG_6003 copy

 female dead leaf mantis, Deroplatys labataIMG_6021 copy
More mantids here.

A mossy caterpillar
mossy caterpillar IMG_5958 copy

A short clip of the caterpillar



A Polydictya sp., Fulgoridae.
fulgoridae, <i>Polydictya sp. </i>IMG_7279 copy

Malay Baron caterpillar (Euthalia monina).
Malay Baron caterpillar (Euthalia monina).  IMG_6723 copy

A pair of Pyrops oculata on a tree trunk.
Pyrops oculata lantern fly ...IMG_4008 copy
More lanternfly / lantern bugs.

A couple of angle head lizard, Gonocephalus grandis.
IMG_0110 copy

Beautiful dead leaf mantis, Deroplatys truncata
Beautiful dead leaf mantis, <i>Deroplatys truncata</i> IMG_6100 copy
Look at the leaf-like abdomen. It would have been a perfect camouflage if it were on some dead plants!

Beautiful dead leaf mantis, <i>Deroplatys truncata</i> IMG_6108 copy

An Ephestiasula sp. boxer mantis. Really difficult to spot when it's on dried bushes.
Ephestiasula sp. boxer mantis DSC_8987 copy

Theopropus elegans.

Although colorful, it was not easy to spot this beauty when it was on the wild flowering plant!
Theopropus elagans Asian Flower Mantis.....IMG_9310 copy

A colugo / flying lemur. You may think it's too easy to spot but trust me, it takes a while to spot them in a rainforest!
colugo aka flying lemur IMG_8373 copy
More about these amazing mammals here.

Another colugo. This one stared at me maybe because I stayed too long and took too many images of him/her :D
colugo aka flying lemur IMG_8151 copy

A female tree hugger, Tyriobapta torrida. Nice camouflage.
female tree hugger, Tyriobapta torrida IMG_8903 copy

A male tree hugger, Tyriobapta torrida. The camouflage is not as good!
IMG_8913 DT copy

A Zanna sp. lanternfly / lantern bug nymph. Excellent camouflage.
lanternfly lantern bug zanna sp. IMG_9228web
More lantern fly / lantern bugs here.

And of course, let's not forget the most amazing camouflage of all -
Earth Day - Hug a tree!

All images taken with 40D, either with:

(i) MP-E65, MT-24EX and concave diffuser, or
(ii) Sigma 150mm, with/without Kenko 1.4x teleconverter, with/without tripod




2 comments:

  1. Nice post Kurt!

    Saw one of those Reduvius sp. assassin bugs today that looked exactly like a pile of rubble moving among rubble. Completely indistinguishable from debris if it hadn't ran when exposed. Happy to find similar pictures on your site.

    Jon Hakim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jon. Yeah, their camouflage is amazing. Sometimes I can't be sure if it's just a pile of dirt or it's really an insect until it moves!

      Delete

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