# Malaysia, Taman Negara



## moloch05 (Jun 15, 2010)

Greetings everyone,

This is the start of what will be a very large post with lots of photos. I will be adding to it every day or two for quite awhile so that the photos will span multiple pages. 

I spent six nights last week at Taman Negara, a huge national park that is located in the centre of peninsular Malaysia. This is one of my favourite places and I have visited it a number of times. Taman Negara protects the largest extent of untouched rainforest that remains on the peninsula. I had hoped to include photos of numerous species of reptiles but these proved to be difficult to locate. I did find what I think to be many interesting animals and I will post photos of these.

This region of Southeast Asia is thought to have someone of the oldest of all rainforests so it is not surprising that diversity of about everything is high. I photographed nearly 80 species of butterflies in those few days all within 9km of Kuala Tahan, the park headquarters. I saw another 30+ species that were not cooperative for photos. At night, I found many strange and beautiful moths at lights around the accommodation area. Invertebrates were abundant within the forest and I found many during both day and night walks.

June is a month that is about midway between the dry months of the start of the year and the monsoon of Oct-Dec. I experienced some rain each day and on a couple of days, there were heavy afternoon downpours. Trails were wet and slippery but I saw few frogs at night and also very few mosquitos. Leeches, though, were numerous and a nuisance. My socks were often dripping with blood after an all-day forest trek.

Taman Negara has an excellent infrastructure. Tracks were well marked so there was no need for a guide. I loved to walk many kms into the forest. Once I walked beyond 2-3 kms from the headquarters, I rarely saw any other humans on the track. If I remained quiet and listened, I could hear the special animals of the park. I loved to hear the beautiful melodic songs of the White-handed Gibbons that sang each morning. Sometimes, I heard the loud “whooping” of Siamang, the largest member of the Gibbons. Other sights and sounds included the calls of Great Argus, Banded/Garnet Pittas, Rhinoceros/Helmeted Hornbills and various mammals. Taman Negara has a healthy population of Tiger, Leopard, Asian Elephants, and a large forest buffalo, Malay Tapir, Sun Bear and others. Unfortunately, most of these are shy. Footprints or piles of dung (elephant) were usually the only indication that the large animals were in the area. I sometimes heard growls of unseen mammals and then heard them run deeper into the forest but rarely saw the source of the racket. Once I had a fright when I heard a loud grunt followed by the sight of a Bearded Pig that bolted across the trail a few meters in front of me.

My trip to Taman Negara began with a 3-hour bus trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Tahan. At Kuala Tahan, there was a break for an hour followed by a 3-hour boat trip up the Tembeling River to the park headquarters at Kuala Tahan. I stayed in a hostel at the Mutiara Resort that is situated on the border of the national park. This was excellent value and it included a buffet breakfast at the resort's restaurant. The hostel was air-conditioned so was comfortable for sleeping at night. Temperatures at Taman Negara ranged from a high in the mid-30s C to a low of mid-20s C at night. Humidity was always high so a walk in the park felt like a walk in a green house.

... now, the photos.

The best way to reach Taman Negara was by boat from the jetty at Kuala Tembeling.







The journey upriver initially passed through cleared pastures or areas with secondary growth:






After about an hour, hills with primary forest came into view:










After three hours, the boat arrived at Taman Negara:






These are views of the village that was situated on the opposite bank from the national park. A road has been built to this village but the trip by road is not nearly as scenic as the trip up the river. This village has grown massively since my last visit in 1998. There are a number of floating restaurants and shops on the opposite bank. Water taxis ferried the tourists back and forth between the park and the village.


















One morning, I climbed Bukit Teresik, a hill located not far from Kuala Tahan. The hill was only 400m in height but the climb was a steep and sweaty one. The view from the summit was superb. This is a photo into the centre of the park and of Gunning Tahan, the tallest mountain in peninsular Malaysia. The adventurous can trek to the summit of the mountain but this is a hard 6-7 day trek through the rainforest. Gunung Tahan is the distant peak on the left of this photo:






I often walked on a track along the Tahan River. This year, the river was muddy for a few days near the park headquarters. There had been heavy rain in the mountains that feed this river and there was obviously some soil erosion underway.


















After a few nice days at the end of the week, the water cleared and looked like tea due to tannins from the leaves. The river was full of fish of the Cyprinid family. Fish like Tiger Barbs and relatives were abundant. This area near Lata Berkoh (a small waterfall 9km from the headquarters) was particular nice.










Taman Negara is home to the tallest species of tree in Southeast Asia. These trees are called Tualangs (_Koompassia excelsa_) and they remind me a little of the giant redwoods of California.


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## moloch05 (Jun 15, 2010)

*Arachnids and unusual invertebrates*

Spider 1: This was an interesting little jumping spider.






Spider 2: I don't think that I have ever seen a yellow spider before. This was a big spider that was lowering itself from a tree. It was about at face height when I almost walked into it one night. Once disturbed, it turned and climbed back to the branches.






Spider 3: Spiders like this were numerous on the forest floor:






Spider 4: This one had an unusual pattern on the abdomen:






Whip Scorpion: I saw of few of these on the ground and on trees at night. These were wary and quick. They were hard to approach for photos.










Termites were abundant. I often came across trails like this:






This pentatomid was huge:










I don't know the family but these grasshoppers were shaped much like the monkey hoppers.











This bizarre fly was one of my favourite sightings. Unfortunately, I only saw this single individual and managed to take one quick photo before it vanished.







Caterpillar 1:






Caterpillar 2:






Caterpillar 3:






Caterpillar 4: This one appears to have met an unpleasant fate. 






Centipede:






Giant Millipede:






This is an Asian member of family Derbidae. What a strange face!










A big Reduviid:






Planthoppers:










Another really strange Hemipteroid:







Cerambycid?


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## Bushman (Jun 15, 2010)

That sure is great photography with well written narrative. Those bugs are amazing! 
I look forward to your next installment. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. 

By the way, what lens and flash did you use for the close-ups of the inverts?
They're awesome pics with extra-ordinary detail.


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## townsvillepython (Jun 15, 2010)

sounds and looks breathtaking just cant get over the colour and clearness of the water in image 16.


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## AUSHERP (Jun 16, 2010)

could you swim in the water or is that a no-no? looks beautiful over there!!


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## moloch05 (Jun 16, 2010)

Thanks very much, Bushman. At night, I normally used a Canon 100mm macro with a diffused 480EX flash. During the day, I mostly used a Tamron 18x250mm zoom lens. It is not as sharp for macros but it is much more versatile and it is easier to frame the animals.

Townsvillepython and Ausherps,
The water was clear and beautiful near the end of my trip. These rivers are draining from the uninhabited wilderness of the national park and are safe for swimming. I would love to go back again with an underwater camera. This fish diversity was great and many were colourful. Some of the species like Rasboras and Barbs are used as freshwater aquarium fish.


Regards,
David


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## moloch05 (Jun 16, 2010)

*Mantids, Katydids, Cockroach and Gingers*

I think the the following mantid was one of the most interesting insects that I encountered. I found this one on the night of my arrival. It was climbing up the wall of a cabin. If it had been in the leaf litter or on a dead branch of a shrub, I probably would not have spotted it at all. What amazing camouflage!


















Mantids were abundant and diverse. Most were either green or brown and rather typical in appearance.










Others had more usual shapes:













This one was a juvenile that stood with it abdomen curled up and forward. I think that it is a juvenile of the same species as the above mantid.

















... I love the eyes of this one. Oriental?






This mantid was tiny. When I first spotted it, it was standing upright in a normal mantid posture. When it realized that I was looking at it, it lay flat and looked much like a tiny stick on the leaf.







Katydids were also abundant. I saw the largest katydid that I have ever encountered one morning near the reception of Mutiara Resort. It was green but had a standard sort of shape. The only thing odd was its enormus size.


This was the most common katydid that I saw around lights at night:






... another species:







... and another. I should have taken a dorsal shot since this one was much wider than most katydids.






... a different looking katydid:







This cockroach was huge. I found it and others on the trunks of trees within the rainforest.






In this humid forest, fungi was everywhere. Some of the fungi were colourful and large like these:







These lovely fungi remind be of wine goblets. 






... tiny red fungus growing next to some recently fallen fruits.






Various members of the ginger family were one of the dominant plant of the forest floor. Some of these were flowering.













... some ginger plants were tall and had broad leaves:


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## RedEyeGirl (Jun 16, 2010)

Wow they are beautiful shots...love them esp. the mantids...i used to have a few pets that were bright green like that!


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## Bushman (Jun 16, 2010)

Thank you David. I'll look into getting the Tamron lens, as it's compatible with my Nikon but unfortunately the Canon lens isn't. I've been seeing some great quality photos from Canon lenses lately, so I think it'll be my next choice of camera. Your photographs are amazingly crisp and your work is inspiring. 
What camera are you using?


moloch05 said:


> Thanks very much, Bushman. At night, I normally used a Canon 100mm macro with a diffused 480EX flash. During the day, I mostly used a Tamron 18x250mm zoom lens. It is not as sharp for macros but it is much more versatile and it is easier to frame the animals.
> ...
> Regards,
> David



This latest installment is awesome as well! I agree that the mantis shots are particularly good. The very low camera angle lends an intimacy to the images that is very engaging. Great work!


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## jordo (Jun 16, 2010)

Amazing photos Dave, you're lucky to see such a diverse array of inverts. Can't wait till we get to see the reptiles!


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## Nephrurus (Jun 17, 2010)

Ah fanastic! I can't wait for the rest of the photos. I'll be watching this thread intently. 

-H


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## moloch05 (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks, all.

Bushman, I use a Canon 40D body.

Jordo,
I am afraid that the herp photos from Taman Negara will be a little disappointing. I will have good shots of a few beauties from Fraser's Hill. I will post those once I finish with Taman Negara.

Thanks Henry.


I saw a variety of dragonflies and damselflies along the creeks and trails. Here are a few that I managed to photograph:






This one had a strange territorial(?) behaviour. Two would hove and face each other and then slowly ascent to a height of 5m or so.













This one had an odd body shape with wings much longer than the length of the abdomen:






I only saw these along small streams within the forest. These had lovely wings that were a shimmering green colour in flight:


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## rockstar_jones (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks for sharing, really enjoying the shots so far. Very interesting critters!


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## moloch05 (Jun 17, 2010)

Thanks, rockstar_jones.

... now, one of my favourite groups of animals. 

I had hoped to photograph a variety of reptiles while at Taman Negara but this proved to be not possible. I suppose that the snakes were waiting on the frogs to emerge and the frogs are awaiting the heavy rains of September. I decided to concentrate on the butterflies that were everywhere. I was just staggered by both the diversity and the numbers. Around noon, I sometimes walked to Lubok Simpon, a sandy bank and swimming area. Butterflies often landed there in large, mixed-species group. The colour was just amazing. Also, if I stood still, the butterflies would land on me and my equipment. It seems that they liked to lick salty things and my clothes, backpack and camera bag were perpetually wet and smelly with perspiration. It felt a little like walking through a butterfly house at a zoo with so many butterflies hovering around me.

I have many butterfly photos to post so will follow the family sequence.

Common Mormon (_Papilio polytes_) -- I saw a few of these lovely swallowtails everyday.











Banded Peacock (_Papilio palinurus_) -- I only saw a single individual of this species. It stopped for a drink by the river just as a boat passed by and produced a big wave. This frightened off the swallowtail and it never returned.






Common Rose (_Pachliopta aristolochiae_) -- these were common and beautiful swallowtails with a red body.









... mating pair:






Great Mormon (_Papilio memnon_) -- I saw a few of these each day.











Common Jay (_Graphium doson_) -- these were the most abundant swallowtail on sandbanks and rocks in the riverbed.






A Malay kid took his shoes off and left them near the water's edge. It was not long before the shoes were covered with several species of swallowtails and other butterflies. Swallowtails included a few Common Bluebottles (_Graphium sarpedon_), many Common Jay (_Graphium doson_) and one Five-bar Swallowtail (_Pathysa antiphates_). 










Tailed Jay (_Graphium agamemnon_) -- These were the least common of the _Graphium_ swallowtails.






Five-bar Swallowtail (_Pathysa antiphates_) -- I only saw one of these lovely swallowtails. It was cooperative and it returned over and over to lick the damp sand.







Green Dragontail (_Lamproptera meges_) -- What a bizarre swallowtail! It was shaped much like some of the metal marks and that was what I thought that it must be until I looked it up in my references.


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## Stevo2 (Jun 17, 2010)

Great pics Moloch  I also love the 40D+100mm macro combination. I use a 24-105mm for my walkaround, but usually also tote the 100-400mm for the birds. Versatile, but heavy combination..... lol.

I'd be interested in seeing some of the exif data if you have it readily available?


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## richoman_3 (Jun 17, 2010)

far out they are amazing mate !!! stunning photography, always a pleasure looking through your photos, never want them to end 
i absoloutely love the mantids ( espicially that leaf one ! ) and that pic of the butterflies on your shoes


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## Bushman (Jun 18, 2010)

moloch05 said:


> ...
> Bushman, I use a Canon 40D body.
> ...


Thanks for answering my camera spec questions. 
I know that competency and artistry in using the gear is more critical but knowing what equipment you used to get such great results will give me a fighting chance! 
Love your work!


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## ShnakeyGirl (Jun 18, 2010)

Amazing as always David!

Looking forward to the herp pics immensely!


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## moloch05 (Jun 19, 2010)

Thanks, all.

Chocolate Pansy (_Junonia iphita_) – These butterflies were common in open areas around the Mutiara Resort.














Common Lascar (_Pantoporia hordonia_) – a few seen around the Mutiara Resort and at light gaps in the forest.










There are a number of very similar “aeroplanes” that overlap in distribution. As you can see, they look almost identical. The main differences have to do with the spots and mid-stripe. I saw these butterflies often and probably encountered additional species. I only recognized the differences when I examined the photos on the computer.


Common Sergeant (_Athyma perius_) 





Lance Sergeant (_Athyma pravara_)





Colour Sergeant (_Athyma nefte_)






Jacintha Eggfly (_Hypolimnas bolina_) -- I saw males along the forest edge on a couple of occasions.











Wavy Maplet (_Chersonesia rahria_) – These small butterflies were common in the open areas near Mutiara Resort and at light gaps in the forest.










Malay Viscount (_Tanaecia pelea_) – I saw these occasionally within the forest. They often landed on leaves that were sunlit or on the bark of trees. They remind me a little of the (_Hamadryas_) from the neotropcis.















Straight-line Mapwing (_Cyrestis nivea_) – I rarely saw these butterflies except along the Tahan River. They dropped to the sandbars around noon each day. 










Little Map (_Cyrestis themire_) – This species was usually hard to photograph since it would normally land on the undersurface of leaves.










Black-tipped Archduke (_Lexias dirtea_) – I really enjoyed these beautiful butterflies. They seemed to be confined to the forest interior. I usually saw them on the ground or perched on the upper surface of leaves within a meter or two of the ground.














Archduke (_Lexias pardalis_) – I only saw these on a few occasions. They were invariably sighted on the forest floor.






Yellow Archduke (_Lexias canescens_) – Very similar to the preceding species. This one lacks the green pattern on the lower wings.






Horsefield’s Baron (_Tanaecia iapis_) – Isn’t the first one below stunning? It was an absolutely gorgeous individual that must have just emerged since its wings were in perfect condition. The second photo was more typical of the butterflies that I encountered. This species would either land on trunks or on the upper surface of leaves. It invariably held its wings open when resting.










Commander (_Moduza procris_) – I only saw these along the Tahan River when they joined the mixed-species flocks to sip moisture and dissolved salts.










Tawny Rajah (_Charaxes bernardus_) – this was a big, fast flying butterfly. I saw it occasionally in the forest where it was hard to photograph. It was much more cooperative when it joined the mixed-species flocks along the Tahan River.














Cruiser (_Vindula dejone_) – These were big and beautiful butterflies. They were common at noon on sandbars along the Tahan River.















Banded Yeoman (_Cirrochroa orissa_) – I only saw a few of these. The first one below was licking my sweaty camera bag.














Malay Yeoman (_Cirrochroa malaya_) – I only saw this species once. It landed on a wet camera bag.






Rustic (_Cupha erymanthis_) – I initially thought that this and (_C. orrisa_) were the same species. They were quite similar and found in the same habitats.






Jewelled Nawab (_Polyura delphis_) – I was only able to photograph this tattered individual. I did see a couple of others racing by. This was a big butterfly that was a powerful flier. 






Plain Nawab (_Polyura hebe_) – I saw a few along the Tahan River and sometimes at flowers near the Mutiara Resort. It was another fast flying species.


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## moloch05 (Jun 20, 2010)

Royal Assyrian (_Terinos terpander_) -- these were gorgeous butterflies but they tended to remain in shaddy areas within the forest where they just looked to be darkly coloured. If they landed in light gaps, the beautiful colours could be seen.














Vagrant (_Vagrans egista_) -- I only saw this species on a few occasions. These photos were taken on a rocky outcrop at the summit of Bukit Teresik.














Malaysian Leaf Butterfly (_Kallima limborgii_) -- What an incredibly cryptic butterfly! It was huge and about the size of an Owl Butterfly in the neotropics. When it settled on leaf litter, it was nearly invisible. I only saw these big butterflies on two occasions. They seemed to be the most active at dawn and dusk, just like Owl Butterflies.














Grey Pansy (_Junonia atlites_) -- this was a species of open areas. It had a nice pattern on the upper wings but would not cooperate for photos. I spent most of my time inside the forest so only saw Grey Pansies on a couple of occasions.







Purple Duke (_Eulaceura osteria_) -- I only saw this species twice. On both occasions, it was perched like this a few meters above the ground. I never saw the upper surface of the wings. On the web, it looks like it would be quite similar to the Commander.







Mystery 1 -- I saw this butterfly once when I was climbing Bukit Teresik. It has distinctive shape and the upper surface was a lovely blue in flight. I cannot find it on any of the Asian butterfly websites. Seems strange since it was so distinctive.






Malay Lacewing (_Cethosia hypsea_) -- I only saw this pretty butterfly once. Its outer wings were more attractive than its inner wings.










Black-veined Tiger (_Danaus melanippus_) -- I only saw this in disturbed areas near the Kuala Tembeling Jetty.










Magpie Crow (_Euploea radamanthus_) -- many of the crows had beautiful patches of purple on their inner wings.


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## moloch05 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Nymphalidae, part 3, Lycaenidae*

*more Nymphalids:*


Common Palmfly (_Elymnias hypermnestra_) -- numerous along the edge of the forest. The upper wings of this species were irridescent violet.







Horsfield's Six-ring (_Ypthima horsfieldi_) -- only a few sighted along the forest edge.






_Mycalesis patiana_ -- I only saw a single individual of this species.







Purple Bush Brown (_Mycalesis orseis_) -- a very common butterfly along the edge of the forest.







_Coelites epiminthia_ -- these butterflies remained in the shadows of the forest interior.












Common Faun (_Faunis gracilis_) -- I only saw this species on my final day at Taman Negara. It was found in the forest interior.








Common Duffer (_Discophora sondaica_) -- this was a lovely butterfly with blue bands on the upper wing. It was a larger species and acted much like the new world Owl Butterflies (_Calligo sp_.).
Butterflies.







Dark Blue Jungle Glory (_Thaumantis klugius_) -- These butterflies seemed to be crepuscular. I saw them active along trails only around sunrise. In flight, their upper wings were a lovely blue/purple, again somewhat like the neotropical Owl Butterflies.












*Blues, Family Lycaenidae*

This family was one of the big ones in the southeast Asian rainforests. I saw many individuals of many species. A number of these had elongated projections on their lower wings.


Elbowed Pierrot (_Caleta roxus_) -- I saw these occasionally on sandbanks along the Tahan River or in light gaps on trails.





... with an Orange Albatross







Common Pierrot (_Castalius rosimon_) -- these would sometimes associate with the previous species on the damp sand of the river bank.















Yamfly (_Loxura atymnus_) -- another Lycaenid with elongated lower wings. The undersurface of the wings was a dull orange in colour.







Common Posy (_Drupadia ravindra_) -- beautiful and common little butterflies. The were usually seen along trails or the forest edge.



















Dark Posy (_Drupadia theda_) -- I never was able to photograph the underwings. The pattern was similar to that of the Common Posy.







Long Silverline (_Spindasis lohita_) -- These were lovely butterflies that were the most common in lantana or other flowers in open areas.







Common Cerulean (_Jamides celeno_) -- seen in the forest interior.







Leaf Blue (_Amblypodia anita_) -- only one found and this was in the garden of Mutiara Resort.







Common Tit (_Hypolycaena erylus_)















Fluffly Tit (_Zeltus amasa_) -- I only saw this single individual on grass along the Tahan River.







Mystery Blue -- I saw these blues on three occasions. They are distinctive but I cannot find an image of these on the Singapore/Malaysia butterfly websites.






Unknown











Aberrant Oakblue (_Arhopala abseus_) -- only a few were sighted in the understorey of the forest.







Miscellaneous blues near water. Mixed flocks of small blues were abundant along the river.


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## thals (Jun 25, 2010)

Absolutely remarkable images! Am glad my net is back upto speed enabling me to view your threads once again :lol:

Cannot get enough of all those awesome animals and their gorgeous surroundings, almost makes me feel as if I'm there sort of hehe

Cheers for sharing n keep those pics a coming!


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## moloch05 (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks, thals. I am glad that you like these.

Taman Negara was home to several lovely Metalmarks (Riodinidae).

Malay Tailed Judy (_Abisara neophron_)






Orange Harlequin (_Taxila haquinus_)














Malay Red Harlequin (_Paralaxita damajanti_)














_Zemeros emesoides_





Pieridae was a conspicuous family at Taman Negara. I saw these the most often on sandbars along the Tahan River.

Chocolate Albatross (_Appias lyncida_)






Mixed group of Albatross (Appias sp.)






Striped Albatross (_Appias libythea_)






Orange Albatross (_Appias nero_) -- This was a beautiful species. I rarely saw more than one or two together. They would associate with flocks of other Pierids and Nymphalids.










Cruisers (left) with a Lemon Migrant (_Catopsilia pomona_)






More Migrants. I think that both Lemon (_Catopsilia pomona_) and Orange Migrants (_Catopsilia scylla_) were included in this photo:






After examining the following photo, I realized that there were two more _Graphium_ swallowtails here that I had not previously recognized. Spotted Jays (_Graphium arycles_) were the larger, greener swallowtails. Blue Jays (_Graphium evemon_) were the slightly smaller swallowtail that lacked a red bar near the front of the wing (as in _G. doson_).






Mixed flocks of Grass Yellows (_Eurema sp_.). I saw at least 4 species but there may have been more. The differences between the species were subtle.











This skipper was quite odd. It was big and mainly bright orange with patches of blue.






Giant Redeye (_Gangara thyrsis_). This was a huge skipper.






_Tagiades sp._


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## cement (Jun 25, 2010)

Fantastic photos, thanks for posting.
Can i ask, Do you research the biodiversity of an area before you go and target certain species, or shoot first and then research them later?
Love the first mantis. Incredible.


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## moloch05 (Jun 26, 2010)

Thanks, cement. Before a trip, I do as much research as possible. I find it more enjoyable if I have an idea of species that I might see. Also, if there is something particularly interesting, I will try to find out more about it so that I have an idea where to look. Once on a trip, I take lots of photos and then try to sort out the identities once I am home.

Regards,
David


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## moloch05 (Jun 26, 2010)

*Moths*

These moths were all seen while I walked the trails at night searching for herps:


















I also checked lights at the resort and came across other species. 

This would have to be one of the most cryptic moths that I have ever seen. I think that it would be nearly invisible if it was on dead leaves or branches.
_Tarsolepis sommeri_






Dog Paw Moth (_Plutodes sp_.)







This is the first moth that I have ever seen with "horn".












This one held its wings in a peculiar manner. I thought at first that there might have been two moths here.
_Trabala viridana_






This moth had a satin like colour and sheen:






Weird shapes:


















I saw a number of species that were small and predominantly green. Here are photos of three:

_Agathia largita_
















Saturniid










Sphinx










Killed by fungus?






This disposable nappy proved to be excellent lepidopteran bait. I saw many butterflies on it by day. In the early morning, it was covered with a couple of species of day-flying moths.






_Dysphania sagana_










... and a similarly marked but smaller species:










Regards,
David


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## moloch05 (Jul 2, 2010)

Here are a Here are a few herps that I encountered. It was odd but on the first few days, I was only seeing one of two lizards in an entire day of walking. The weather was wet but it was hot and humid. At the end of the week, the sun was out and so were the lizards. I saw many individuals of a few species on the final day before departure.

I saw Many-lined Sun Skinks (_Mabuya multifasciata_) on a few occasions. These were big, colourful skinks.










I am not certain of the following identification but I think that these are juvenile Long-tailed Sun Skinks (_Mabuya longicauda_).










I found a single Rough-scaled Skink (_Mabuya rugifera_) on a fallen log.











Dracos were not nearly as conspicuous as they are in the hotter months of Feb and Mar when I usually visit the park. On this trip, I only saw dracos twice. On prior trips, I saw many more and they often confused me. I would see something sail by and I would initially think that it must be a strange bird only to then observe the "bird" smack into a trunk of a tree and vanish.

I am reasonably certain that the following is a Black-bearded Gliding Lizard (_Draco melanopogon_) due to the black dewlap.










I am not certain of the id of this draco. It was larger than the above animal. There are a number of possibilities at Taman Negara:






I found two Clouded Monitors (_Varanus bengalensis_). One was in a tree right in the accommodation area of the Mutiara Resort. The other came swaggering along a trail near the Tembeling River one morning. 














Here are some rather boring geckos and frog. I am not certain of the identity of any of these. Does anyone else recognize them?

gecko 1 -- these were big and usually seen on the sides of buildings. I did observe a few in the forest.





gecko 2 -- observed in the forest.





gecko 3 -- on a building at the resort






frog







Mammals were numerous at Taman Negara but I only saw a few. Bearded Pigs would venture into the accommodation area at night. Soon after sunrise, there were still a few on the resort grounds.






Long-tailed Macaques were common both along the Tahan River as well as at Mutiara Resort.






The larger mammals don't like people much. Once I walked beyond two or three kms from the resort, I saw plenty of sign. Elephant dung as well as damage to bamboo was obvious.






Other mammals included a tiny Mouse Deer, White-handed Gibbons (singing only), Siamang (singing only), a large deer, many squirrels and a few tree shrews. On prior trips, I have seen Small-clawed Otter in the river and a Malay Tapir at one of the hides in the forest.


The Great Argus had just completed one of its amazingly loud "OH-WOW!" calls.















This was an incredibly tame Crested Fireback. These usually are wary and hard to see well.
















As will other tropical forests, there was a huge ant here. These giant forest ants were real monsters.







Here are a few more butterfly shots. I just loved seeing the variety at Taman Negara. Many of the photos were taken on this sandbar:






















Here are a few unusual fruiting trees:






























Regards,
David


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## Sock Puppet (Jul 3, 2010)

Great pics, some wicked spurs on the crested fireback!


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## JasonL (Jul 4, 2010)

Looks like you spent way too much time looking for bugs and not herps :lol: Great pics David, keep them coming please...


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## moloch05 (Jul 4, 2010)

Thanks, guys.



> Looks like you spent way too much time looking for bugs and not herps


haha! Yes, I probably did. After not seeing anything after 3 nights of walking, I decided to concentrate on the butterflies. I love to see these anyway so they were a good alternative.

Regards,
David


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## Bushman (Jul 4, 2010)

moloch05 said:


> Here are some rather boring geckos and frog. I am not certain of the identity of any of these. Does anyone else recognize them?
> 
> gecko 1 -- these were big and usually seen on the sides of buildings. I did observe a few in the forest.
> 
> ...


My guess for 'gecko 1' is the Spotted House Gecko (_Gekko monarchus_). Although I can't see if the rostral is contacting the nostril or not, which is a determining feature. Have a look at your high res version to confirm this.

'gecko 2' and the pair ('gecko 3') look like _Hemidactylus frenatus_ or possibly _H. garnotii_. I don't have enough body and tail to be sure about 'gecko 2' but the 'gecko 3' pair look more like _H. frenatus_. 

_H. garnotii_ has a more pointed snout and a strongly depressed tail and is yellow ventrally, otherwise they're very similar. Based on what I can see in the pics, I'm confident that the 'gecko 3' pair is _H. frenatus_ and I'm leaning towards _H. frenatus_ for 'gecko 2' as well. I'm basing this on the pale dashes rather than pale spots, which seems to be an _H. garnotii_ characteristic (pers.obs) from the little I can see of the back in the 'gecko 2' pic. Also the ventral surfaces seem to be white or cream at most, rather than yellow. 

Cheers


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## moloch05 (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks very much for this information, Bushman. I looked back at the Gecko 1 photo and it is already heavily cropped. I cannot see if the rostral is in contact with the nostril. On another forum, a guy from Singapore called these Spotted House Geckos. He said that he sees them often.

Sorry for the delay in responding ... other commitments!

Regards,
David


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## porkosta (Jul 7, 2010)

They are fantasic photos. Well done.
Sounds like you enjoyed yourself.


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## bluereptile (Jul 7, 2010)

great work


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## Bushman (Aug 5, 2010)

moloch05 said:


> Thanks very much for this information, Bushman. I looked back at the Gecko 1 photo and it is already heavily cropped. I cannot see if the rostral is in contact with the nostril. On another forum, a guy from Singapore called these Spotted House Geckos. He said that he sees them often.
> 
> Sorry for the delay in responding ... other commitments!
> 
> ...


My pleasure David. I'm happy to help. It sounds like that's your beast then. I showed the pics to a herp mate of mine that lives over there and he was confident that it's _Gekko monarchus _as well_.
_He reckons that they grow to about 220 mm. I've seen other members of the genus in Malaysian rainforests e.g _Gekko gecko_ and their very impressive size (300-400 mm) dwarfs most of our Aussie geckos.

P.S - He thought that your photos were nothing short of brilliant, as do I. Not so much the gecko pics in question (I hope you don't mind me saying this) but generally the standard of your wildlife photography is absolutely first class!


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