Superman wannabe

Here are 3 incredibly beautiful mantids that I saw last month. Toxodera fimbriata Paratoxodera meggitti Hymenopus coronatus

All of them are Dundubia vaginata.

Here are 3 beautiful mantidflies that I saw last month! They are neither mantises nor flies; their larvae are parasitoids of spider eggs, and these adults appear to mimic wasps. Euclimacia rufocincta Tuberonotha sp. Euclimacia sp.

A pair of treehoppers tending to their eggs. The dorsal fin seems to be variable, as we've seen individuals nearby without any dorsal fin at all. Some also have a red longitudinal stripe on their wings. Pyrgauchenia sp. Gunung Trusmadi, Sabah, Malaysia

Black-femur Selenocosmia, a mini gorilla. EM10m4, Laowa 50mm 2:1, dual Raynox, 2.1mm cctv fisheye, lighted with Godox V350 diffused, handheld without looking through the viewfinder nor LCD screen. Working distance about 1cm to its face.

The primary eyes of spiders are known to exhibit a pigment ring shortly after ecdysis (moulting). During this phase, the lens grows until the pigment ring is no longer visible. The pigment rings are typically more visible in salticids and deinopids.

This is the mystery spider egg sac covered with a veil of pink silk that was determined to be woven by a Poltys based on several rounds of discussion on iNaturalist and Twitter. Thanks to @arachnonaut.bsky.social for the lead!

The biology of scale insects is a mystery to me. What's their life cycle like? How do they eat? How do they mate? How do they lay eggs? What do their larvae look like? How do they even move?

Has anyone seen and identified these large (~10mm) male araneids before? Longitudinal fovea, shoulder horns and stout tibia II with a distal pair of spines. Not many araneids have large males so that narrows down quite a bit. Specimens found in Singapore.

Taking a pause on lantern bugs. Not sure what's next so here's a pleasing fungus beetle (why pleasing?) from the Peruvian Amazon. It's blue, so enjoy it! Probably Cypherotylus debauvei, previously under the genus Gibbifer.

I happen to photograph stuff other than lantern bugs. Which is your favourite? www.nickybay.com/macro-highli...

Not a parent caring for its young, but 2 species of lantern bugs from Ecuador. The smaller Scaralis cf. nigronotata had scampered under Scaralis cf. picta for shelter. Some trees attract more lantern bugs. We found at least 4 species on this tree alone. Yummy sap?

Pyrops clavatus is typically covered with a white waxy layer, but has one of the largest bulbous tips at the end of its "snout". Are you all sick of my lantern bug posts yet? What should I focus on next? 😅

I found this beautiful pair of Pyrops intricatus on this tree and waited for several hours in hope that they would... you know you know. But it didn't happen.

Zanna nobilis is a unique saw-toothed lantern bug with multiple tubercles lining its "snout". If you look up close, you would see patterns like those found on a blue-ringed octopus.

Pyrops whiteheadi is endemic to Borneo and pretty common in Sabah. It sports a shorter and crooked looking blue "snout" with pretty yellow galaxy-spots adoring its green-veined wings.

Lantern bugs usually exhibit bright and beautiful colours while in flight. That's when their hind wings are exposed. Sometimes they may open their wings for a split second, especially when wet. Here's Pyrops spinolae photographed in the rain. This particular morph exists only in Northern Thailand.

It is the month of Christmas and I'm spamming lantern bug photos so....

Many species of lantern bugs tend to roost on the same host tree. On this particular tree in the Ecuadorian Amazon, we saw at least 4 species of lantern bugs in the day and another few others at night. Here's a rockband of Scaralis cf. picta.

Phrictus quinquepartitus is what I'd call the dragon-headed lantern bug with the multiple tubercles lining its snout, or apical process. Photographed in Belize

Not all lantern bugs come with a "nose". Here's Scamandra rosea from Borneo. It was just outside my room in Gunung Mulu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting.

Now let's look at the lantern bugs from the Neotropics. Lantern bugs from the genus Fulgora are also known as peanut heads, due to the shape of the apical process. Did you know that the "peanut" is hollow? Does it vibrate or sense sounds?

Some lantern bugs appear white and dull but would undoubtedly bear colourful hindwings which are usually hidden from view. Here's a white morph of Pyrops pyrorhynchus from peninsular Malaysia with its distinct red bulbous tip of its apical process, just a split second before flying off.

Saiva bullata is endemic to the mountains of Northern Thailand. Despite its colours, it remains extremely well camouflaged when resting on the tree trunk. Yet another polka-dotty species!

From a distance, Kalidasa nigromaculata may seem like a lantern bug without the "snout" or apical process like in the other lantern bugs that I've posted. However, closer inspection reveals a needle-like "snout". Absolutely no idea what those are for. Sensing movement? Picking up some scent?

Ok I'll be spamming lantern bugs this week. This pretty one is Saiva gemmata from Thailand. Starts with a nice sky-blue gradient from the base of its wings with a vibrant green stretching down to a hint of red while being covered by black-stroked yellow polka-dots.

I am somewhat biased towards lantern bugs and often make little trips searching for them. Here's Pyrops pythicus, endemic to Sumatra. How many colours do you see?

There's some special allure when insects come in blue. One of the prettiest lantern bugs that I've ever photographed - Pyrops gunjii from East Kalimantan.