Marang Trail - The Dragonheads

Marang Trail
South, Singapore
February 2015

Blue-Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta)

Tiger beetles are a large group of beetles known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed. They have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles. All are predatory, both as adults and as larvae. Both Cicindela and Tetracha are often brightly colored, while the other genera mentioned are usually uniform black in color.

The fastest can sprint at up to 5 miles per hour, covering 120 of its body lengths in a single second. For comparison, Usain Bolt covers just 5 body lengths per second. To match the beetle, he’d have to run at 480 miles per hour.

Tiger beetles use this incredible speed to run down both prey and mates. But as they sprint, their environment becomes a blur because their eyes simply can’t gather enough light to form an image. They have extremely sharp vision for insects, but when they’re running, the world smears into a featureless smudge. To compensate, the beetle has to stop to spot its prey again, before resuming the chase.

After reading about how active they are at night, and how fast they can run... It does make it a "miracle" that this little one was stationary on this plant for the entire duration that Merlion Wayfarer was there at the Trail - First when she entered the Trail, and 3 hours later when she left the Trail...

Termites (Blattodea)

Instead of swarms of ants, the dampness of night allowed thousands of big-headed termites to roam around. Unlike ants, they don't bite. But not careful, and you will step into a swarm...

Slugs & Snails (Gastropoda)

This is a snail...

These are slugs...

These slugs look remarkably like snails without shells...

Snails and slugs are both part of the same class of creatures called gastropods. Gastropod comes from the Greek words gastros (stomach) and podos (foot). If you’ve ever seen a snail in an aquarium eating as it moves slowly along the glass, you probably understand why “stomach foot” is an appropriate name.

The most obvious difference between snails and slugs is the fact that snails have shells. A snail’s shell is like a home it carries around on its back. Slugs, on the other hand, have no shell. 

Snails and slugs make mucous so that they can move on the ground. The mucus keeps their bodies from losing moisture to the dry soil beneath them. It also protects them from being cut by sharp objects in the soil.

Hirudinea (Leech)

It is always creepy to see these slimy creatures. Looking like a black earthworm,
it slithers along from crevice to crevice...

What makes it a leech? 

Leeches differ from the oligochaetes (other worms) in significant ways. For example, leeches do not have bristles and the external segmentation of their bodies does not correspond with the internal segmentation of their organs. Their bodies are much more solid as the spaces in their coelom (main body cavity in a multi-cellular animals) are dense with connective tissues. They also have two suckers, one at each end.

As a point of interest, leeches are hermaphrodites, meaning each has both female and male reproductive organs (ovaries and testes, respectively). Leeches reproduce by reciprocal fertilization, and sperm transfer occurs during copulation. Similar to the earthworms, leeches also use a clitellum (a thickened glandular and non-segmented section of the body wall near the head) to hold their eggs and secrete the cocoon.

Caterpillars (Lepidoptera)

Tussock Moth caterpillars are known for their striking tufts of hair, or tussocks. Many species exhibit four characteristic clumps of bristles on their backs, giving them the appearance of a toothbrush. Some have longer pairs of tufts near the head and rear. Judged by looks alone, these fuzzy caterpillars seem harmless yet many people are allergic to the body hair of tussock moth caterpillars, especially if the hairs are brought into contact with eyes or sensitive areas of skin.

Tussock Moth adults are often dull brown or white. Females are usually flightless, and neither males or females feed as adults. They focus on mating and laying eggs, dying within days.

The beautiful cat here with dew on its spikes after the afternoon rainfall...

More caterpillars with those long "harmless-looking" bristles...

This is probably a pupa...

This is probably how an adult looks like...

Cockroaches (Blattodea)

In the dark of the night, these jungle roaches appear. Looking similar yet different to the cockroaches we often see at home...

If one each is not enough, there can always be two...

Whatever Are They?

These yet-to-be-identified Insecta were spotted too...

A hard-to-capture shiny black beetle against a dark background and an easier subject on a green leaf...

The Katydid (Tettigoniidae) with its beautiful lined eyes...

This is a beautiful albino Planthopper (Fulgoroidea) with beady red eyes and coconut husk-like tufts...

The Dragonheads

This is a 3rd instar Elymnias hypermnestra agina (Common Palmfly) Butterfly Caterpillar with its still blackish Masked Rider look. It will mature into a simple brown butterfly adult which is shade-loving, and usually sighted flying along the edge of vegetated area and in the vicinity of a clump of palm trees. The Palmfly adults have the habit of puddling and visiting flowers for mineral and energy intakes....

This stunning Polyura hebe plautus (Plain Nawab) Butterfly Caterpillar with its elaborate "headdress" will grow into an elegant beauty with a large, pale silvery-green median patch on each brown wing. At the 5th instar lasts for 10-13 days, this caterpillar can grow up to a body length of 48-50mm. Toward the end of this instar, the body gradually shortens in length. The fully grown caterpillar soon abandons its "base camp" and goes in hunt for a pupation site.

Sources

• "How Are Slugs and Snails Different?" by Clint Stone from Wonderopolis at http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-are-slugs-and-snails-different/ (17-Feb-2015).
  
• "Meet The Predator That Becomes Blind When It Runs After Prey" (04-Feb-2014) by Ed Yong from National Geographic at http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/04/tiger-beetles-become-blind-when-they-run/.
  
• "Leech" at Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech (16-Feb-2015).
  
• "Tiger beetle" at Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_beetle (12-Feb-2015).
  
• "Tussock Moth Caterpillars" by Debbie Hadley from About Education at http://insects.about.com/od/photography/ig/Tussock-Moth-Caterpillars/ (16-Feb-2015).
     

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Sungei Buloh - The Lizard Chomping Spider

Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve
North, Singapore
January 2015

Spiders Galore!

It seems to be the spider season now. At the new portion of Sungei Buloh, hundreds of  Araneidae spiders (orb-weavers) were spotted. It was almost as plentiful as at least one web every 2-5 steps!

The mangroves provide an abundant supply of food, as many of the occupants are being having their breakfasts/brunches/lunches...

Argiope versicolor (Multi-Coloured St Andrew's Cross Spider) with their "cross" legs (4 pairs of 2 legs each)...

Criss-cross webs (see the squares within  the web) of these spiders...

Nephila pilipes (Golden Web Spider) Female on its radial web with some gold strands...

The Lizard Meal

The most gastronomical experience Merlion Wayfarer spotted today was a hungry Fishing Spider (genus Dolomedes, family Pisauridae) well-hidden among the multiple layers of a fern. If not for a sharp-eyed fellow photographer who spotted the contrast of the light tan of the wiggling lizard tail, it will have remain hidden.

Almost all Dolomedes species are semi-aquatic, and hunt by waiting at the edge of a pool or stream. Upon subduing their prey, they inject venom with their hollow jaws to kill and digest the prey. 

One hour after the initial spotting of the spider, when Merlion Wayfarer came back to the same spot, only about 1.5 cm of the lizard had been consumed.

The Birds

Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis) got their name from the two silvery white circular patches on each underwing, that flash as they fly. These look like shining American silver dollar coins. Feeding alone or in pairs, they are frequently seen perching on high vantage points like dead trees or telephone wires, keeping a lookout for a passing meal...

The Mudflats

Waders or shorebirds are so-called because they wade in the shallow water in search of food. Plovers and sandpipers are common waders found in the reserve. With their different bill length and feeding habits, they are able to tap on different food sources found in the mudflats. This enables them to co-exist in the same habitat.

Egrets at the reserve are white and more slender than herons in appearance. They are frequent visitors during the migratory season. The Little Egret is often seen dashing about, chasing after its prey in the shallows.

 

An Egret keeping a lookout at the edge of a shallow pool created by a mudskipper...

The Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Free-ranging from the Jurong Bird Park, the pair here can often be spotted in the mudflats feeding on fish and amphibians.

Others

Arhopala athada (Vinous Oakblue) resting on a leaf. The "blue" in its name refers to a shimmering blue patch at the bottom of its wings.

Weaver Ants' nests are among the most complex ants' nests. The ants choose living leaves to build nests. These provide well camouflaged protection from predators and the elements. To create their neat nest, chains of worker ants form along the edge and pull the edges together by shortening the chain by one ant at a time. Once the edges are in place, an ant holds one of their larvae in its mandibles and gently squeezes it so the larvae produces silk. The silk is used to glue the leaf edges together. The larvae have special glands to produce lots of strong silk. 

Grasshoppers have antennae that are generally shorter than their body and short ovipositors. They also have pinchers or mandibles that cut and tear off food. Known as long-horned grasshoppers, many katydids exhibit mimicry and camouflage, commonly with shapes and colors similar to leaves...

The crab looks at the really HUGE mudskippers basking in the shade. Many crabs here in the mangroves are burrowers, digging holes at the base of mangrove trees and in mud lobster mounds. At high tide during the day, tree-climbing varieties are often seen clinging to tree trunks just above the water line. They remain motionless to avoid both aquatic predators in the water, and airborne predators such as birds.

The Callosciurus notatus (Plantain Squirrel) is extremely adaptable, occurring in a wide range of habitats including secondary and coastal forest, mangrove, plantations, parklands and semi-urban areas. It is easily identified by the two cream and black stripes on the sides, and the orange belly.

Like all members of the reptile class, lizards are cold-blooded. That means their bodies do not generate stable internal temperatures like those of birds and mammals, warm-blooded animals. Cold-blooded creatures depend on the environment around them to control their body temperature. Lizards bask in the morning sun to raise their internal body temperature and stimulate their metabolism. They position their body to soak up maximum sunlight, spreading themselves to create more surface area. As their internal temperature warms up, their muscles become limber, which is crucial for hunting and escaping predators. If a lizard becomes too warm, it will move into a shady spot or burrow into cool soil.

The Varanus salvator (Malayan Water Monitor) can be found in many parts of South East Asia. Often found near water, it is known for its good swimming abilities and agile speed when moving along land.

Both males and females of the Calotes versicolor (Crested Tree Lizard) have a crest from the head to nearly the tail. Usually a dull brown, grey or olive with speckles or bands, but these lizards can can be seen in other colours such as bright green. These colour changes reflect readiness to mate and defend their territories.

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