Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to you and your family!



Now a muack from the fly :D (front a couple of years ago :D)



Hover fly Santa and giraffe weevils reindeer :D..recycled from last year, or maybe 2 years ago:D. Remind me to do a new one next year!



Oh I couldn't resist adding the red nosed lanternfly in :D...that was last year :D



If you want to see more lanternflies, click here.

2011 Fave Macro Images

2011 is almost over and as usual, I spent some time going through the images I have taken this year to come out with this mosaic.

Created using BigHugeLabs' Mosaic Maker.

It's been a good year. I only realized I found 5 new species (to me) of lantern bugs this year after going through the whole year's images. I had also managed to cross off a few insects/arthropods from my wish list, such as mantisfly, lacewing, owlfly, jewel wasp. The unexpected finds in Maliau Basin like the violin beetle, jewel beetle and dead leaf mantis are wonderful surprises too!

All in all, it's been a great year!



All taken with a 40D. Mostly full flash with Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens, and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 AF APO EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens for natural light for bigger subject.

Full flash macro shot with an MP-E65, Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite Flash, and Concave Diffuser. 

Natural light macro shot with a 150mm F2.8 (with or without a 1.4x teleconverter).

Should you like to check out any image in the mosaic above, just use the links below. For example, if you want to find out more or view bigger image of the mantis, a quick count will tell you that it's image #7. You can then click on #7 below and that will take you to that mantisfly image in my Flickr Stream.

1. flickr.com/photos/9353033@N05/5925447431/, 2. IMG_7512 copy, 3. IMG_8642 copy, 4. IMG_6788 copy, 5. IMG_8151 copy, 6. IMG_9433 copy, 7. IMG_6100 copy, 8. IMG_7643 copy, 9. IMG_7152 copy, 10. IMG_6898 copy, 11. IMG_2530 copy, 12. IMG_6748 copy, 13. IMG_8414 copy, 14. IMG_2407, 15. IMG_0204merged copy, 16. flickr.com/photos/9353033@N05/6219924736/, 17. IMG_7325 copy, 18. IMG_1477 copy, 19. IMG_8640 copy, 20. IMG_0609 copy, 21. IMG_1663 copy, 22. IMG_0472 copy, 23. IMG_8850 copy, 24. IMG_9640 copy, 25. IMG_9955 copy, 26. IMG_0020 copy, 27. IMG_0024 copy, 28. IMG_0598stk copy, 29. IMG_9235 copy, 30. IMG_8983 copy, 31. flickr.com/photos/9353033@N05/6028707942/, 32. IMG_1229 copy, 33. IMG_8132 copy, 34. IMG_7332 copy, 35. IMG_9358 copy, 36. IMG_7353 copy

You can find my 2010 Fave here.

Wireless Macro Rig

This is an alternative to the FMMB and it is also wireless! No ETTL cord (CANON OC-E3 OFF CAMERA SHOE CORD ) needed!

If you really like the FMMB (Front Mounted Macro Bracket) but don't know how to DIY one for yourself, fret not. There's an easy way out, and it won't really cost you a lot! Items like extension tubes and Canon Speedlite 270EX II Flash  are items that will come in really handy in macro anyway!

Chances are, you might already have most of the items already, and all you need is one simple bracket. (HDE flash bracket shown below, or something similar) so you can bring the 270EX II even closer to the front (if you have to), and closer to your macro subject.


I used my 40D body, MP-E65 lens and 1.4x teleconverter here just for illustration. This wireless macro rig works only with IF (internal focus) lenses like the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM  or Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, or Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR , and with extension tubes (prefered over teleconverter), and of course, newer bodies like Canon EOS 60D , Canon EOS 7D , Canon EOS Rebel T3i /600D


Some side notes:

- the 270 EX II should be upside down/belly up.
- Only the newer Canon body like 60D, 7D, and 600D can trigger the 270EX II wirelessly.
- Mount Ring/tripod collar B is for the older Canon 100mm (USM) while D is for the newer Canon 100mm L (IS)
- You won't be able to rotate the mount ring all the way up (flat surface on top) unless you have at least one tube attached to the body, as the mount ring will hit the popup flash.

Why you need at least one extension tube if you want to use the tripod collar/mount ring:

Lacewing and Mantidfly

Lacewing and mantidfly are insects in the order Neuroptea (net winged insects). Both are quite rare, at least here in Malaysia. I have only seen like 7 lacewings in four years of macro photography, and even fewer mantidflies! Other Neuropterans like antlions and owlflies will be included here as well.

My first mantidfly. What a gorgeous creature!


Another shot of this beauty.


Another one with slightly duller color. Not sure if it's the same genus with only sexual dimorphism or what? Or immature, yet to fully color up?


Some very interesting images of a mantidfly laying eggs here. It is in Mandarin but you can just enjoy the images. Another one here.

Check out this totally cool clip on mantisfly larvae:




A new lacewing species I found in Selangor. Also my first time lucky with lacewing. Saw a couple before but never managed any decent shots. I first saw and photographed this species in the wild in its natural habitat on May 10, 2011. A few lacewing experts informed me that this could be a new species. Luckily, I came across this beautiful species again on Jan 27, 2012. Specimen was captured and sent to Mr. Winterton.

New species. Semachrysa jade. Taxon Author: Winterton, Guek & Brooks, 2012. More info here, here and here.

More images of this beautiful lacewing can be found here.












Lacewing from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo). Chrysopidia (s. str.) sp. - ID suggested by Roberto A. Pantaleoni.


Closer shot


My second time lucky with lacewing :)


Third time lucky with green lacewing:)


Another one we found in Gunung Gading, Sarawak. Beautiful brown lacewing. Family: Hemerobiidae, Genus: Micromus(?)




White lacewing, Ankylopteryx sp.




Italochrysa cf. insignis, ID credit: Roberto A. Pantaleoni. Selangor, Malaysia.


Beautiful lacewing photobombed by a winged ant! Italochrysa sp., near I. insignis - ID credit: Roberto A. Pantaleoni. Selangor, Malaysia.




Italochrysa cf. japonica, ID suggested by KS Wong.


Italochrysa cf. japonica, ID suggested by KS Wong.


Mnay of you may not have seen a live lacewing before but I am sure you have seen lacewing junior (larva!) at one time or another. Both adult lacewings and larvae are predatory and feed on plant pests like aphids.


Check out this cool clip on lacewing larva:


All images shot with a 40D, MP-E65, MT-24EX Twin Flash and DIY Concave Diffuser. Full flash, 1/200, around F13, ISO 100, handheld.

Owlflies from Maliau Basin:

Ascalohybris borneensis



My first antlion (Myrmeleontidae)

A larva


Full body shot. Myrmeleon sp. - IDed by Roberto A. Pantaleoni




Adult antlion, Distoleon sp., possibly D.dirus (Walker, 1853) - ID credit: Davide Badano. Selangor, Malaysia.


Dendroleon, close to caelestis. Possibly a new species - IDed by Виктор Кривохатский and Davide Badano.


Same specimen as above


Same specimen as above, closer.



 

Sleeping wasps

This is a collection of all the sleeping wasps and bees I have encountered during night macro. You won't find them sleeping like this during daylight.

Sleeping blue cuckoo bee, Thyreus sp.


profile shot


I don't like to sleep alone :D (Halictidae: Nomiinae)




Blue banded bee


Hover wasp (Vespidae: Stenogastrinae)


Another sleeping bee (Halictidae: Nomiinae)


Mud-dauber wasp (Sceliphrinae; Chalybion sp.)


Scoliidae wasp


Larrinae under the family Crabronidae. This could be a Liris sp. or another genus such as Tachytes; the specimen will be needed for identification.(IDed by: Vespa bicolor)


The same sleeping wasp


Sleeping bee (Genus: Amegilla; sub-genus: Glossamegilla - info credit: Zestin Soh and Doug Yanega). Selangor, Malaysia.





As you can see, some of them sleep by locking their mandibles onto the perches/plants while the others just rest on the perches. All taken with a 40D, MP-E65, MT-24EX and DIY concave diffuser, full flash.

Other wasps and bees

A male crown wasp (Stephanidae).