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Up Close with Nature: Favorite Images from 2014
All about wildlife photography - insects, frogs, lizards, snakes.
It is the time of the year to round up some of my favorite images taken in the year of 2014. Lots of herps (amphibians, reptiles) this year with many new species added to my collection. Instead of just 36 favorite images like the past few year, there are 108 favorites this year.
If you would like to see more of any of the species posted here, just click that image and that will take you to my Flickr where you can find more images of that particular species.
If you would like to see more amphibians, click here.
#1 Up close with a Spotted Litter Frog (Leptobrachium hendricksoni). Selangor, Malaysia.
#2 Up close with a Robinson's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus robinsonii). Malaysia.
#3 Adult Mossy Bush Frog (Philautus macroscelis), montane forest of Sabah (Borneo).
#4 Just another bird dropping, I thought, but I checked it out anyway, because, sometimes they turned out to be crab spiders in camouflage. This one, however, was a froglet! I was totally amazed. After a little bit of research, we found out that this was a Wallace's Flying Froglet  (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus). SVL approx. 10mm. Totally different from the green adult!
#5 Another mysterious frog we found at night. But it turned out to be a juvenile Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus). Totally different from the green adult! SVL approx. 30mm
#6 A very well camouflaged little Malayan Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta). Selangor, Malaysia.
#7 Leptolalax cf. heteropus. ID credit: Evan Quah. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
#8 Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus). There is a bonus springtail in this frame too. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
#9 Adding a new species to my frog photo collection - Frilled Tree Frog (Kurixalus (Rhacophorus) appendiculatus). Selangor, Malaysia.
#10 Norhayati's Flying Frogs (Rhacophorus norhayatii) in amplexus on vegetation overhanging a dry puddle. Selangor, Malaysia.
#11 My first Malayan Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta). Night herping, Selangor, Malaysia.
#12 Beautiful Malacca Frog (Phrynella pulchra - ID credit: M.A. Muin). Found this beauty perching on a leaf about 8 to 9 feet above ground level. Selangor, Malaysia.
#13 A White Lipped Frog (Hylarana labialis) in the process of molting, and eating its own molt too. Malaysia.
#14  A newly described (2013) -  Malayan Slender Tree Frog (Polypedates discantus). Confused previously with Polypedates leucomystax. Selangor, Malaysia. ID confirmation: Herp Guide Parinya.
#15  I was checking this big tree for gecko when I spotted this photogenic Spiny Wart Frog (Theloderma horridum - ID credit: Steven Wong ) some 6 ft above the ground. Selangor, Malaysia.
#16 Leptolalax sabahmontanus, a species that was described only this year, by Masafumi Matsui, Kanto Nishikawa, Paul Yambun. Borneo. ID credit: Prof. Alexander Haas.
If you would like to see more snake images, click here.
#17 Up close with a beautiful female Wagler's Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri). Malaysia.
#18 Red-tailed Racer (Gonyosoma oxycephalum). Selangor, Malaysia.
#19 The cutest snake in the world: Blunt-head Slug Snake (Aplopeltura boa). Selangor, Malaysia.
#20 One of my best finds of the year!!! Leonard's Pipe Snake (Anomochilus leonardi). ID credit: Mohd Abdul Muin, Evan Quah. Selangor, Malaysia.
#21 Muack! Cute and beautiful juvenile Black-headed Cat Snake (Boiga nigriceps). Selangor, Malaysia.
#22 Up close with a beautiful Blue Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis cyanochloris). Selangor, Malaysia. ID credit: Law Ingsind, M.A. Muin, Evan Quah.
#23 My first krait, yeay! It was both exciting and scary! Red-headed Krait (Bungarus flaviceps). Two species of Kraits within 5 days! . Selangor, Malaysia.
#24 I spotted this Malayan Krait / Blue Krait (Bungarus candidus) from some 15 to 20 ft away. My second krait just 4 nights after finding the first one! Selangor, Malaysia.
#25 Siamese Peninsula Pit Viper. (Trimeresurus fucatus), montane forest of Banjaran Bintang. Perak, Malaysia.
#26 Up close with a beautiful but highly venomous Striped Corral Snake (Calliophis intestinalis). Selangor, Malaysia.
#27   Up close with a Dog-toothed Cat Snake (Boiga cynodon). Selangor, Malaysia.
#28   You look better with your tongue sticking out! Barred Kukri Snake (Oligodon signatus). Selangor, Malaysia.
#29  Beautiful Vertebral Slug Snake (Asthenodipsas vertebralis). Pahang, Malaysia.
#30  Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus). About 6 feet long. Selangor, Malaysia.
If you would like to see more lizards, please click here.
#31 Malaysia Bow-fingered Gecko / White-eyed Forest Gecko / Beautiful Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus elok). Selangor, Malaysia.
#32 A juvenile Malayan Forest Gecko (Cyrtodactylus bintangtinggi). Montane forest of Banjaran Bintang, Perak, Malaysia.
#33 Marbled Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus) waiting beside a few lantern bug nymphs (Zanna terminalis), presumably waiting for their honeydew excretes. Night find, Selangor, Malaysia.
#34 Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus - ID credit: M.A. Muin). Penang, Malaysia. I saw the tail first and thought it was a Gonocephalus grandis, then I saw the head, which resembled that of a Bronchocela cristatella .
#35 Open your mouth and say "ah...". No cavity. Come back in 3 months. Beautiful Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella). Selangor, Malaysia.
#36 Beautiful Bell's Angle-head Lizard (Gonocephalus bellii). Night herping, Selangor, Malaysia.
#37 Beautiful adult Crytodactylus pulchellus. Penang, Malaysia.
#38 Up close with a beautiful lizard, Phoxophrys cf. cephalum. Borneo.
#39 Beautiful lizard, Phoxophrys cephalum. Sabah (Borneo), Malaysia.
#40 Hypnotizing eyes of a gorgeous Cat Gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus). I think it's one of the most beautiful geckos in Malaysia.
#41 Up close with a Peters' Forest Gecko (Cyrtodactylus consobrinus). Selangor, Malaysia.
#42  One of the most awesome geckos in Malaysia IMHO. Super cool and photogenic Kuhl's Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli). Malaysia.
#43  A really cute Brown's (Wolf) Gecko (Luperosaurus browni). ID credit: M.A. Muin. West Malaysia.
#44 Up close with a Malayan soft-shell turtle (Dogania subplana) ID credit: Mohd Abdul Muin. Isn't it cute?
If you would like to see more Neuropterans, click here.
#45 Beautiful lacewing. Been looking for this species for a long time and finally found one with help from a friend :). Italochrysa cf. japonica. ID suggested by Ks Wong.
#46 Beautiful antlion (Myrmeleontidae) a friend spotted high up on a twig on a rainy night. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dendroleon sp,,  close to caelestis. Possibly a new species - IDed by BиkTop KpиBoxaTckий and Davide Badano.
#47 Up close with a beautiful lacewing with really reflective wings. Italochrysa sp., near I. insignis - ID credit: Roberto A. Pantaleoni. Selangor, Malaysia.
#48 Slow Loris looking at me. Malaysia. Closest I've ever been to a slow loris, probably about 6 to 7 ft away! Isn't he/she a cutie? . Malaysia.
#49 So i got within 2.86 meters (9'4 inches) of this Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) before it disappeared. I spotted the exact same cat again a little bit down the road, and this time, I got within 1.43 meters (4'8") of it! This image was cropped though. Taken with a 60mm macro lens.
#50 Cute little Pencil-tailed tree mouse (Chiropodomys gliroides ) with a nut . The friendliest ever. I've seen many but this was the first one that posed for me. Heavily cropped. ID credit: Muhammad Rasul Abdullah Halim, Neoh Hor Kee. Selangor, Malaysia.
#51   This Tube-nosed bat (Murina sp. - ID suggested by M.A. Muin)  was caught in a Caerostris sp. spider's web. The bat managed to break lose and fell onto the undergrowth after about 5 minutes. We looked but couldn't find it though. Selangor, Malaysia.
If you would like to see more Orthopterans, click here.
#52 Up close with a Dragon Head Katydid. A male Lesina sp.. (IDed with the help of Ming Kai Tan) Selangor, Malaysia.
#53 Meet the amazing Dead Leaf grasshopper (Chorotypus sp.). You'll need a little bit of luck to find this guy even when it's on green vegetation. Good luck if it's on forest floor. Selangor, Malaysia.
#54  Profile of a Pseudophyllinae katydid nymph. Selangor, Malaysia.
#55 A Pseudophyllinae katydid nymph, and an unidentified bug. Selangor, Malaysia.
#56 Beautiful monkey grasshopper.  Erucius sp.- ID credit: Tan Ming Kai. Banjaran Bintang montane forest, Perak, Malaysia.
#57  A katydid in threat pose, signalling me not to get any closer . Night find, Selangor, Malaysia. Probably Capnogryllacris fruhstorferi - ID credit: Tan Ming Kai.
If you would like to see more tropical ants, click here.
If you would like to see more bees and wasps, click here.
#58 Insects love (to bite) me!!! A Camponotus sp. ant with her mandibles locking onto my flesh. Ouch. Selangor, Malaysia. I was photographing another Carpenter ant when I felt sharp pain on my left wrist! It was this ant!
#59  Two Bee(s), or Not Two Bees. Okay, that's really lame .Sleeping bees (Genus: Amegilla; sub-genus: Glossamegilla - info credit: Zestin Soh and Doug Yanega) I found at night. They flew away after just 3 shots . Selangor, Malaysia.
#60  A paper wasp guarding her eggs and pupae. Shot at around 2X only. MP-E65, MT-24EX and concave diffuser. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ropalidia sp. ID credit: Rob Longair, Doug Yanega.  Bell-shaped 2nd metasomal segment.
#61  Pseudoneoponera sp. ant carrying a pupa. ID credit: Dave General. Malaysia.
#62  The nest of a Stenogastrine (hover wasp), almost certainly Eustenogaster sp. ID credit: James Kwb and John Lee.
#63  Up close with a strikingly beautiful Centipede. Malaysian Cherry Red (Scolopendra dehaani). ID credit: Lee Chia How. Malaysia.
If you would like to see more arachnids, click here.
#64  Mouhot’s Rolled-leaf spider (Poltys mouhoti). Selangor, Malaysia. Unlike all those I've come across before, this one has red "butt" instead of the usual yellow.
#65  Big, fluffy Jumping Spider (Hyllus cf giganteus - ID suggested by Faiz Qifa) Sabah (Borneo).
#66  Beautiful Eight-spotted Crab Spider (Platythomisus sp., P. octomaculatus?)  my buddies found for me . Singapore.
#67  Cute and tame unidentified tarantula we found at night. Selangor, Malaysia.
#68  Cute Big-headed Bark Spider (Caerostris sp.). Selangor, Malaysia.
#69 A Heteropoda sp. huntsman spider with frog prey (Vermiculate Bush Frog - Philautus vermiculatus). Night herping, montane forest of Banjaran Bintang, Perak, Malaysia.
#70  Sandokanidae harvestmans trying to enjoy some intimate moments while a Polyrhachis ant came intruding on them. OK the photographer was guilty as charged too! Selangor, Malaysia.
#71  Malaysian Black & Gold Huntsman (Thelcticopis sp.) with a Conehead Katydid (Macroxiphus sumatranus) for supper. Night find, Selangor, Malaysia.
#72  Shrimp sashimi. Freshness guaranteed. A Fishing Spider (Dolomedes sp.) feasting on a fresh water prawn. Penang, Malaysia.
#73 A Harvestman enjoying the remain of a beetle(?). Sabah, Borneo.
#74  Yellow jumping spider with fly prey. Selangor, Malaysia.
#75  Big dinner! Crab spider with cricket prey. Selangor, Malaysia. Podoscirtinae nymph, or perhaps Gryllinae - ID credit: Ming Kai Tan.
#76  My precious! Momma huntsman with her newly hatched spiderlings. Aww . Selangor, Malaysia.
#77  Wrap-around Spider (Dolophones sp.). Selangor, Malaysia.
If you would like to see more tropical beetles of Malaysia, click here.
#78 Lampyridae firefly (Lamprigera sp. - ID credit: Michael Geiser, Gene Mesher) preying on and later eating a Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica. ID credit: Tan Siong-Kiat, Marcus Ng) that it killed earlier. Selangor, Malaysia.
#79 Beautiful Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae). Banjaran Bintang, Perak, Malaysia. Eurybatus (Eurybatus) decempunctatus Westwood, 1848 (ID credit: Francesco Vitali)
#80  Massicus pascoei - ID confirmed by Francesco Vitali. A largish, male Longhorn beetle. It found a female and was mating with her when we came back a few hours later . Selangor, Malaysia.
#81  This is what a Trilobite beetle looks like underneath. Malaysia. Platerodrilus sp., formerly Duliticola sp., (Family: Lycidae)
#82  Beautiful longhorn beetle from Sabah (Borneo). Aegosoma osseum - ID credit: Alain Drumont.
#83  Beautiful longhorn beetle. Pseudoeuchitonia barbarae Bentanachs, Morati, Vives, 2010 cf. ID credit: Enrico Ruzzier. Sabah (Borneo).
If you would like to see more caterpillars, click here.
If you would like to see more butterflies, click here.
#84 Beautiful Limacodid(?) caterpillar we found at night. Banjaran Bintang, Perak, Malaysia.
#85  Cup Moth Caterpillars (Limacodidae - suggested by GC Gan) having bamboo leaf for supper. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
#86  Beautiful moth we found at night. Selangor, Malaysia. Samia tetrica - ID credit: Marcus Ng.
#87  Great Orangetip butterfly (Hebomoia glaucippe). Selangor, Malaysia.
#88  I was photographing a green dragon tail at first and this beauty was extremely cooperative. Didn't move a bit despite the strong wind and my approaching him/her. Delias cinerascens cinerascens. ID credit: Les Day.
#89   Beautiful Green Dragontail butterfly (Lamproptera meges meges - ID credit: Lc Goh ). Sabah (Borneo).
#90  Beautiful moth. Selangor, Malaysia. Geometridae - Dysphania militaris?
If you would like to see more lantern bugs / lanternflies of Malaysia, click here.
#91  One of the most beautiful and elegant lantern bugs / lantern flies IMO. Pyrops heringi. Borneo.
#92  Trophobiosis between lantern bug and cockroach. The lantern bug are Pyrops cultellatus yoshiakii  Nagai & Porion, 2002.  The roach was Dorylaea sp., either D. flavicincta, D. robinsoni or D. saundersi. ID credit: Stefan Phalagorn.  Selangor, Malaysia.
More robber flies of Malaysia here.
#93 This female robber fly should be sleeping at night but there she was, having a winged termite for late dinner. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Asilidae, Asilinae, near Promachus - ID credit: Manuel Ayala L
#94  Orange Robber fly (Clephydroneura sp.) with prey - a Prosena sp. fly. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MP-E65, MT-24EX, concave diffuser. Manually stitched from two horizontal shots. The robber fly was too big for the MP-E65.
#95 Cute as a bug. Pill millipede on green moss. Selangor, Malaysia.
#96 Jewel Bug (Scutelleridae). Selangor, Malaysia.
#97  Strikingly beautiful shield bug. I spotted it as soon as I looked up on the underside of leaves. Selangor, Malaysia.
#98  A green and yellow  bug (Urostylididae - Urolabida sp. ID credit: John Horstman, Philippe Magnien, Ashish Nimkar ) Selangor, Malaysia.
#99  Bubble bath time! A beautiful froghopper (Cercopidae). Banjaran Bintang, Perak, Malaysia.
#100  Leaf-footed bug (Coreidae) with cool antennae. Selangor, Malaysia. Dalader sp. - ID credit: Doug Yanega.
#101  A male roach trying to impress a female, I think. Epilamprine or near. Selangor, Malaysia.
#102 Adult female Malayan Jungle Nymph (Heteropteryx dilatata - ID confirmation: Bruno Kneubuhler). They're totally cool! Selangor, Malaysia.
#103    An emerging cicada. Dundubia vaginata? (Jade-green Cicada)? Selangor, Malaysia.
#104  Flatidae planthopper nymph. Selangor, Malaysia.
#105 Optical fibers . A passion-vine Ricaniid planthopper nymph. Night macro, Selangor, Malaysia. 40D, 60mm, diffused 270EX, 1/200, F13, ISO200, night macro, handheld.
#106  A molting stick insect. Montane forest, Pahang, Malaysia. Haaniella sp. - ID credit: Bruno Kneubühler & Cain Eyre.
#107 A walking leaf! What an amazing insect! Possibly an adult female Leaf Insect, Phyllium bioculatum. But for a more accurate ID, photos of eggs and the male would be needed too - ID via Bruno Kneubuhler.
#108 Treehopper nymphs (Membracidae- Centrotypus pactolus. ID credit: Munetoshi Maruyama ) being tended to by a few unidentified ants (Crematogaster). Selangor, Malaysia.
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Posted by Kurt (OrionMystery) at 11:40 PM
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Favorite Images from 2014
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