Favorite Images of 2018

It is that time of the year to round up some of my favorite images taken in the year of 2018. Again, lots of herps (amphibians, reptiles) this year. Mostly with a wide angle lens and/or a 60mm macro lens.

Snakes

#1 Malayan Spinejaw Snake (Xenophidion schaeferi). This is probably the rarest snake in Peninsular Malaysia. The specific ephitet was in honour of Christian Schaefer - the herpetologist who found the holotype in 1988, and donated it to Zoological Museum, Berlin. Thirty years later, I found the third specimen while out looking for frogs with a guest! Peninsular Malaysia. This, of course, was the best find of 2018


#2 Head shot of the same Malayan Spinejaw Snake (Xenophidion schaeferi).


#3 A beautiful Western Bush Viper (Atheris chlorechis) we spotted late one night on our last day in Ghana back in August 2018.


#4 Female Bornean Keeled Pitviper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) from Sarawak, Borneo.


#5 Blue Coral Snake (Calliophis bivirgatus tetrataenia). Lowland forest of Sarawak, Borneo.


#6 Up close with a Gold-ringed Cat Snake / Mangrove Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila) from the lowland forest of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia.


#7 White-spotted Cat Snake (Boiga drapiezii) from the lowland forest of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia. 


#8 Beautiful salmon pink Pale-spotted Cat Snake (Boiga drapiezii) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#9 Adult female Wagler's Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) from Sumatra, Indonesia.


#10 Up close with a stunning Gold-ringed Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila annectens) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#11 Red-headed Krait (Bungarus flaviceps baluensis) from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#12 Speckle-bellied Keelback (Rhabdophis chrysargos) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#13 Beautiful little Striped Coral Snake (Calliophis intestinalis) from the lowland forest of Sarawak. 


#14 Up close with a Red-tailed Racer / Grey-tailed Racer (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) from the lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia.


#15 The same Red-tailed Racer / Grey-tailed Racer (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) from the lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia.


#16 Up close with a beautiful melanistic  Dog-toothed Cat Snake (Boiga cynodon) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#17 Bornean Leaf-nosed Pit Viper (Trimeresurus borneensis) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#18 Up close with a Borneo Pit Viper (Trimeresurus borneensis) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 


#19 Cute little juvenile Malcolm's Pit Viper (Trimeresurus malcolmi) spotted by Bjorn Lardner. Montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#20 Up close with a stunningly beautiful Malcolm's Pitviper (Trimeresurus malcolmi) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#21 Up close with a stunningly beautiful Malcolm's Pitviper (Trimeresurus malcolmi) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#22 Up close with a juvenile Sumatran Pit Viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 

#23 Juvenile Sumatran Pit Viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus) we found back in June 2018, lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

#24 Sumatran Pitviper (Trimeresurus sumatranus / Parias sumatranus) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

#25 Spotted Blind Snake (Afrotyphlops punctatus?) from lowland forest near Kubease, Ghana. August 2018.

#26 Ball Python (Python regius) from Ghana.


#27 Beautiful little Speckle-headed Whip Snake (Ahaetulla fasciolata) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#28 Chequer-bellied Keelback / Sarawak Keelback (Amphiesma sarawacense / Hebius sarawacense) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#29 Up close with a dark form ( melanistic) Dog-tooted Cat Snake (Boiga cynodon) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#30 Orangeneck Keelback / Yellow-headed Keelback (Macropisthodon flaviceps) from near Medan, Sumatra. Big, docile beauty. Didn't try to bite nor escape.


#31 A lovely Specklebelly Keelback (Rhabdophis chrysargos) that crossed our path one morning at the highland of Pahang.


#32 Kopstein's Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis kopsteini) from the lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia.


#33 Barred Bronzeback / Cohn's Bronzeback / Banded Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis striatus). Lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia. Took me 8 years to find my second one! First one was shot with an MPE65. Head shot only 


#34 Lovely Pink-headed Reed Snake (Calamaria schlegeli) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Borneo.


#35 Cute little Keeled Snail-eating Snake (Pareas carinatus) from Sumatra, Indonesia. 


#36 Spotted Snail-eating Snake (Pareas margaritophorus), Sumatra, Indonesia.


#37 Neonate Keel-bellied Whip Snake / Brown Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens) from the lowland forest of Sumatra, Indonesia. 


#38 Sabah Pit Viper (Trimeresurus sabahi sabahi) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#39 Up close with a Sabah Pitviper (Trimeresurus sabahi) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#40 Up close with a beautiful female Siamese Peninsular Pitviper (Trimeresurus fucatus) from the highland of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.


#41 Up close with a Siamese Peninsular PitViper (Trimeresurus fucatus) from the highland of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.


#42 Dark-headed Cat Snake (Boiga nigriceps) from Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.


#43 A nice looking Asian Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) with unusual coloration, Peninsular Malaysia.


#44 Dorsal view of a Mountain Pipe Snake (Anomochilus monticola). Montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 


#45 Large-eyed Water Snake / Spotted Keelback (Xenochrophis maculatus) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#46 A beautiful little juvenile female Wagler's Pitviper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) we found a couple of nights ago, lowland forest of Peninsula Malaysia.


#47 Female Hagen's Pitviper (Trimeresurus hageni) from the lowland forest of Selangor, Peninsula Malaysia.


#48 A juvenile Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) I found one night in the lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia. Approximately 2 feet long.


#49 Dusky Mock Viper / Common Mock Viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus) from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 


#50 Cute little Ring-necked Litter Snake (Pseudorabdion albonuchalis) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#51 Striped Dwarf Treesnake (Dryocalamus tristrigatus) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#52 Smooth Snail-eating Snake (Asthenodipsas laeavis) from the highland of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


Lizards

#53 Doria's Anglehead Lizard (Gonocephalus doriae) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Probably my most favorite lizard in Malaysian Borneo.


#54 Check out the amazing markings on the patagium of this Five-banded Gliding Lizard (Draco quinquefasciatus). Lowland forest, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#55 Borneo Bow-fingered Gecko (Cyrtodactylus malayanus) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#56 Banded Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus fasciatus)?, Kubease, Ghana.


#57 Baby Dwarf Crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetrapis) we found in a marsh pond up on a hill in Ghana, August 2018. They're just so cute!


#58 Baby Dwarf Crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetrapis) we found in a marsh pond up on a hill in Ghana, August 2018. They're just socute!


#59 Up close with an adult Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetrapis) from Ghana. We found two adults and many cute juveniles in Ghana back in August 2018.


#60 Malayan Mountain Horned Agamid / Titiwangsa Horned Tree Lizard (Acanthosaura titiwangsaensis. Highland of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.


#61 Up close with a Sabah Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon rhacophorus) from the highland of Sabah, Borneo.


#62 The same  Sabah Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon rhacophorus)



#63 Boulenger's Tree Agama (Dendragama boulengeri) from the highland of Sumatra, Indonesia. 

#64 Up close with a Blue-eyed Anglehead Lizard (Gonocephalus liogaster) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Borneo.


#65 My new favorite lizard in Borneo - Doria's Anglehead Lizard (Gonocephalus doriae)  , Sarawak, Borneo.


#66 Cat Gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


Amphibians

#67 A male Smooth Guardian Frog (Limnonectes palavanensis) with tadpoles on his back. Lowland forest of Sarawak, Borneo.


#68 A pair of File-eared Tree Frogs (Polypedates otilophus) in amplexus. Lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#69 Malaya Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma leprosum) from the highland of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. Probably the most elusive of all the Thelodermids in Malaysia.


#70 This should be quite an easy "spot me" challenge. Go ahead! Peninsular Malaysia. If you can't find it, you can cheat by looking at the other 3 photos.


#71 One of the many lovely frogs we came across in the forest of Ghana. Kassina arboricola. August, 2018, Kyebi, Ghana. 


#72 Kobayashi's Horned Frog (Megophrys kobayashii) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#73 Malayan Horned Frog / Bornean Horned Frog / Malayan Leaf Frog (Megophrys nasuta) in amplexus, lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#74 Sticky Frog (Kalophrynus sp.) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#75 Lesser Bornean Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla borneensis) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#76 Black-spotted Rock Skipper (Staurois guttatus) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#77 Green-spotted Rock Skipper (Staurois tuberilinguis) and a bonus in-flight insect! Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#78 Nyctixalus sp. from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#79 Borneo Flying Frog (Rhacophorus borneensis) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Borneo.


#80 Sticky Frog (Kalophrynus kiewi?) from the lowland forest of Peninsular Malaysia.


#81 Mossy Bush Frog (Philautus macroscelis) from the montane forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 


#82 Collett's Tree Frog (Polypedates colletti) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#83 Eyes Eyes Baby. The eye of a Poisonous Rock Frog / Hose's Frog (Odorrana hosii), from Peninsular Malaysia.



Lepidoptera

#84 A gorgeous female Malaysian Moon Moth (Actias maenas) i spotted a few nights ago in a lowland forest, Peninsular Malaysia.



#85 The African Brahmaeidae, Dactylocerus lucina. Ghana, August 2018.

#86 Mimetic Swallowtail (Papilio cynorta) - ID suggested by Oskar Brattstrom.. Ghana, August 2018.


Orthoptera

#87 Beautiful katydid (Plastocorypha vandicana?) we found while herping in the lowland forest near Kubease, Ghana, August 2018. 


#88 Dragon-head Katydid (Ellatodon blanchardi) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. 


Arachnida

#89 Bird Dung Spider from Kubease, Ghana, August 2018.Probably Phrynarachne rubroperlata - suggested by Miguel Machado 


#90 Barylestis sp. Huntsman Spider, Ghana.


#91 While out looking for herps, we found a few Feather leg baboon Tarantula (Stromatopelma calceatum). This one was a female. Kubease, Ghana.


#92 Spiny Orb-weaver, Gasteracantha sp. from Kubease, Ghana. August 2018.



Others

#93 Amazing Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys dessiccata) from the lowland forest of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.


#94 Longhorn beetle from Ghana, August 2018. Ommatomenus longipennis (Hope, 1843) 



#95 Bark Mantis, likely Theopompella sp., maybe T. aurivilli. Kubease, Ghana, August 2018.

#96 A lovely mantis I found at the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Female Humbertiella ocularis.


#97 Impressed Tortoise (Manuoria impressa) we found at the highland of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. There were many ticks on him/her.


#98 Stick Insect (Diesbachia sophiae) from the lowland forest of Poring, Sabah (Borneo).


#99 Velvet Worm. Either Eoperipatus sp. or Typhloperipatus sp., from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.


#100 A mating pair of stick insects (Haaniella sp.) from the lowland forest of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.



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