A lovely surprise from my wife - a first edition Book of Spiders by W. S. Bristowe. This book is nearly 70 years old and is in great condition - I feel a great responsibility to keep it that way. #Invertebrates #Spiders #Spoods

Just been gifted by a friend “The Book of Barely Imagined Beings” by @casparhenderson.bsky.social Looking forward to a full geek out

So this was the result from this mornings dive in the Abu Dhabi Marina. Very poor visibility and masses of silt did not mar good conditions - but was much better than what was going on up in the sky at the time.

Went for a nice calm dive in an Abu Dhabi marina this morning to collect some undescribed sea slugs under a permit for study. When we surfaced we discovered that war had started and missiles were flying over our heads. It’s been an interesting day so far

It looks like it has recently been to Turkey www.bbc.com/news/article...

Here is another one from the desert. I sometimes find these in the Giant Milkweed bushes. For this little lady I spotted her eggs first and then found her close by. Blepharopsis mendica from Abu Dhabi. #Invertebrates #Insects #Mantis #Bugs

Camped out in the Abu Dhabi desert last night and got up early this morning to go bug hunting. Found this Prionotheca coronata - Urchin Beetle pootling along #Invertebrates #Bugs #Insects #Beetles

Anyone know what this could be - in Phuket - Thailand. Sister in Law found it this morning

The following basically translates to “UK Farmers upset because EU won’t accept toxic chemicals they’ve been pumping into the UK consumers for the last 5 years” Food sector calls for transition period if UK and EU agree post-Brexit rules reset www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Only found the one slug today - it is still early as the water is somewhat chilly. Will head back in March to resume the search. #seaslug #Nudibranch #Invertebrates #Marinelife

It is somewhat ironic that the great nation of the USA found its formation begin as a result of a Tea Party and yet also its demise.

Something came in the post today that helped brighten my world #nudibranch #Invertebrate #Marinelife #Plushie

Does this remind anyone of the dynamic between Miller and Trump?

Life can be quirky. That sliding doors moment when I decided to not do biology at school - and have regretted it ever since. I now find myself 38 years later about to collaborate as a citizen scientist with a post-doc researcher on collecting and naming some Nudibranch. 2026 seems suddenly brighter.

Something to at least try and brighten the day.

Just gonna leave this here

Oh well - no surprise there

This is believe is a little Nomia strigata bee. It has these gorgeous blue stripes on its abdomen. From Ko Yao Yai in Thailand.

I believe these belong in the Atractomorpha genus of grasshoppers. So nice that the bigger one is giving its buddy a piggyback - I suspect it’s tired. Found in Phuket region of Thailand. #Invertebrates #Insects #Bugs

So the big question upcoming for 2026 is do I get the Sony 200-600 or the 400-800 lens?

So this morning I give you a big. Pycanum rubens - Giant Shorld bug from Thailand. Not the best camouflage if I’m honest - but suspect it’s a warning of something distasteful to a predator. #invertebrate #bug #red #thailand

Spood time! I believe this is Carrhotus sannio. It’s from Thailand and has snagged something tasty for dinner. #Spiders #Invertebrates #Thailand

Giant Golden Orbweavers (Nephila pilipes) are a stunning spider. Also the fact that they apparently manipulate UV light reflections on their body to attract prey - makes them a great little marvel of nature. #Invertebrates #Spiders #Arachnids #Thailand

This believe is Ideopsis vulgaris, the Blue Glassy Tiger. Another one from Koh Yao Yai in Thailand. #invertebrates #Butterfly #Thailand #insects #lepidoptera

Another one from Thailand - Pantala flavescens - The Wandering Glider. #Invertebrates #thailand #dragonfly

So here we have a little green invertebrate from Thailand - not sure of the species but it appears to be a type of Shining Leaf Chafer (according to iNat) #Invertebrates #Beetles #Insects #Thailand #Chafer #Green

Now that I am back to Thailand I can start processing some of my pictures. Here is the helpful house gecko that hung around our jungle villa for the duration of our sojourn keeping the mosquitoes at bay. #Lizards #Gecko #Thailand

So this was a nice spot the other morning - Phintella vittata (Banded Phintella). I was disappointed that I couldn’t get it to face me properly so I could get a shot of its spoody face. #Invertebrates #Spiders #Spood #Thailand

Here is the first bug/insect - straight out of the camera as all my editing stuff is back home. This is Argiope versicolor - Multi-coloured Saint Andrew’s Cross Spider from Koh Yao Yai in Thailand.

Saw a Tree Puppy this morning on the way back from breakfast

So I’ve been finding a fair few bugs - but everything has been surpassed by what my wife spotted in the trees on our way back from dinner tonight. A true bucket list moment - Nycticebus coucang in the wild - female I believe and possibly pregnant

Off to Koh Yao Yai Island tomorrow - hopefully will find some interesting bugs to shoot. Hopefully will stop raining

So it’s International Sea Slug Day (Happy Birthday Dr Terry Gosliner) So here is the Branch of the Week featuring yours truly on one of my favourite little websites. slugsite.us/bow2007/nudw...

Work at Ettington Cutting site has now been completed for this year ✅ Many thanks to our hard working volunteers. Summer & Autumn photos of this site below.

Some potential great news from today - looks like I may have finally found a way to get some real scientists to start describing some of the many undescribed #Nudibranch we have here in the UAE. This spectacular creature will hopefully be the first on the list. #🦐 #🦑

So no #Nudibranch today - but something almost as cool - a little snail from the genus Diminovula. #🦑 #🦐 #Mollusc

This #Nudibranch is Caloria indica and is one of the slugs seen quite often here in the UAE. Hopefully I can get back in the water soon to find some more. #🦐 #🦑

So this morning we have a bug rather than a slug. This is Allogalathea elegans - the elegant squat lobster who are generally found hanging out on crinoids. This one is from the east coast of the #UAE #🦐 #🦑

This one is not so common here - probably only the second time in 15 years I’ve found this in the UAE. Goniobranchus alius is the name #🦑 #🦐 #Nudibranch

So for today’s #Nudibranch we have this zigzag emblazoned slug. This is Hypselodoris nigrostriata from the UAE. #MarineLife #Invertebrates

This tiny little Crustacean was hiding in a piece of old coral thinking nobody would spot them. Not sure of the genus - iNat suggested Pilodius #🦐 #🦑

So apparently it’s #MolluscMonday so here is one of our local star #Nudibranch in the UAE. Hypselodoris dollfusi is relatively common but no less spectacular. #Invertebrates #MarineLife #SeaSlugs

So for this shrimp I am leaning towards Dasycaris symbiotes- problem being it isn’t included in iNaturalist. It could also be D. ceratops but I’m not an expert so who knows. From the UAE. #Invertebrates #MarineLife

So this is one that shows up a few times here in the UAE - was historically referred to as Hypselodoris capensis - but is now more likely to be undescribed. This was found on a wreck down at 21m.

So first dive in over a year - and first dive in the UAE in about 4 years. A few Nudibranch were around which makes it nice. Here is the first one - an undescribed Phyllodesmium down at 21m.

We might possibly be in for some slugs in the near future

Hug?

My trail cam encountered a spiky customer the other night - I think I will call this one Stripe.

Here is a lovely Comma Butterfly from yesterday. I also managed to spot a Purple Emperor during a walk around the village with Mike Slater from @bcwarwickshire.bsky.social

I have so many Peacock butterflies in the garden at the moment all over my Buddleia bushes. @bcwarwickshire.bsky.social