Smooth-scaled death adder, Acanthophis laevis Macleay, 1878 – of central Province / Papua New Guinea – around 800m ASL Acanthophis laevis Macleay, 1877, commonly known as the Smooth-scaled or New Guinea Death Adder, is a stout, terrestrial and highly venomous…
Coppery ringtail possum – Pseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897) – of Enga Province / Papua New Guinea – around 2800m ASL. Pseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897), the Coppery Ring-tailed Possum, is a large arboreal marsupial of the family Pseudocheiridae, endemic to the…
Efogi tree frog, Exochohyla prora (Menzies, 1969) of central Province / Papua New Guinea around 850m ASL. Exochohyla prora (Menzies, 1969), formerly classified as Hyla prora and later as Litoria prora, is a medium-sized arboreal tree frog of the family…
Gymnopholus mammifer Gressitt, 1966 of Western Highlands / Papua New Guinea – around 2500m ASL. Gymnopholus mammifer is a flightless true weevil described by J. L. Gressitt in 1966 and reliably recorded from Mount Shungol near Lae, Papua New Guinea,…
Male of Balanophora papuana Schltr. a parasitic flowering plant of the Balanophoraceae family – of Western Highlands / Papua New Guiniea – around 2500m ASL. Balanophora papuana is a dioecious, achlorophyllous perennial root holoparasite in the family Balanophoraceae. Most of the plant…
King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise – Pteridophora alberti Meyer, 1894 of Enga Province / Papua new guinea 2600m ASL. The King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise (Pteridophora alberti) is the only species in its genus and is endemic to the montane forests of New Guinea, occurring in…
Lankayan Island: Protected Paradise in the Sulu Sea Lankayan Island is a small, low-lying island off the northeast coast of Sabah (Malaysia) in the Sulu Sea, best known as a quiet, nature-focused stop for diving, snorkeling, and turtle watching. Reaching…
A visit to the Kundasang Market in Sabah at Mount Kinabalu. Kundasang Market is the everyday fresh-produce market of Kundasang, a highland town in Ranau District, Sabah, a few kilometres from Kinabalu National Park. Stalls line the main road through…
First ascent and biodiversity survey in a little-explored mountainous region of Sarawak (Borneo) – an expedition report In the spring of 2024, I was commissioned to join members of a Penan community in reaching an area in the interior of…
Eine längst überfällige Reise in ein Inselparadies. Kein Regenwaldabenteuer, sondern eine touristische Reise in den äußersten Osten Borneos. Nach vielen Jahren, die ich in Borneo verbracht habe, fällt es mir schwer zu glauben, dass ich nie die Gelegenheit hatte, die…
Die Rückreise während der SARS CoV2 Pandemie. Ein Virus aus China hat das alltägliche Leben weltweit lahmgelegt, auch Borneo blieb davon nicht verschont. Dieser Blogeintrag unterscheidet sich maßgeblich von allen anderen „Abenteuern“ die ich bisher schriftlich veröffentlicht habe. Das Reisen…
Wilden Orang Utans auf der Spur. Es war im Dezember 2019, als ich die Chance erhalten sollte, ein Regenwaldreservat zu besuchen. Dieses etwa 256km² große Gebiet an der Grenze zu Kalimantan, dem indonesischen Teil Borneos, ist zu 98% von Primärwald…
Efogi tree frog, Exochohyla prora (Menzies, 1969) of central Province / Papua New Guinea around 850m ASL. Exochohyla prora (Menzies, 1969), formerly classified as Hyla prora and later as Litoria prora, is a medium-sized arboreal tree frog of the family…
Malaysian flying frog or red-legged frog, Leptomantis rufipes (Inger, 1966) of Sarawak / Borneo around 1300m ASL Leptomantis rufipes is a species of frog (Anura) in the family Rhacophoridae and was originally described as Rhacophorus rufipes; the holotype is FMNH147699,…
Subadult of Rentapia everetti (Boulenger, 1896) (Everett’s Asian tree toad or marbled tree toad) of Sarawak / Borneo – around 1150m ASL Rentapia everetti is a species of toad (family Bufonidae) endemic to Borneo. It is reported to occur in…
This species could be Pelophryne murudensis Das, 2008 from a new location. Due to a lack of DNA evidence, I am provisionally listing this animal as Pelophryne cf. murudensis. I found the individual at approximately 1800 metres above sea level.…
Wallace’s flying frog, Rhacophorus nigropalmatus Boulenger, 1895 Rhacophorus nigropalmatus (Rhacophoridae) is a tree-dwelling ‘flying/gliding frog’. The type locality of the species is the Akar River in Sarawak. The genus name Rhacophorus is etymologically derived from the Greek rhakos (‘flap, shred’)…
Juveniles of Rentapia everetti (Boulenger, 1896) (Everett’s Asian tree toad or marbled tree toad) of Sarawak / Borneo – around 950m ASL The species Rentapia everetti is not easy to observe: as a predominantly arboreal tree frog, it usually stays…
Smooth-scaled death adder, Acanthophis laevis Macleay, 1878 – of central Province / Papua New Guinea – around 800m ASL Acanthophis laevis Macleay, 1877, commonly known as the Smooth-scaled or New Guinea Death Adder, is a stout, terrestrial and highly venomous…
Sabah pit viper, Trimeresurus sabahi Regenass & Kramer, 1981 – of Kalimantan Barat / Borneo – around 700m ASL related posts:
Sumatran pitviper, Trimeresurus sumatranus (Raffles, 1822), Sarawak / Borneo 1100m ASL Borneo populations of Trimeresurus sumatranus are documented from Kalimantan and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak; the species is also recorded from Sumatra and parts of Peninsular Malaysia…
Xenodermine Snake, Java Tubercle Snak or Dragon snake, Xenodermus javanicus REINHARDT, 1836 – of Borneo – around 400m ASL Xenodermus javanicus belongs to the family Xenodermidae and is the type species of the genus Xenodermus (and thus also the type…
Common mock viper, Psammodynastes pulverulentus (F. Boie, 1827) of Sarawak / Borneo around 1100m ASL. Psammodynastes pulverulentus (Boie, 1827) is a small snake species found in Southeast Asia, including Borneo (Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak). It’s often found in leaf litter…
White-bellied Rat Snake, Ptyas fusca (Günther, 1858) of Sarawak / Borneo around 1100m ASL. Ptyas fusca (Günther, 1858) is a species of colubrid snake (Colubridae) that was originally described as Coryphodon fuscus; Borneo is given as the type locality. In…
Gymnopholus mammifer Gressitt, 1966 of Western Highlands / Papua New Guinea – around 2500m ASL. Gymnopholus mammifer is a flightless true weevil described by J. L. Gressitt in 1966 and reliably recorded from Mount Shungol near Lae, Papua New Guinea,…
Female of Tympanophyllum atroterminatum (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1895) of south Sarawak / Borneo The species Tympanophyllum atroterminatum belongs to the family of the Tettigoniidae, subfamily Pseudophyllinae, tribe Phyllomimini. It was originally described by Carl Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1895 as…
Adult katydid that has not yet been identified, Scambophyllum sp. – Borneo/Sarawak 1200m ASL The genus Scambophyllum belongs to the bush crickets (katydids) and is listed in the Orthoptera Species File within the Phaneropterinae (tribus Scambophyllini). It was established by Carl Brunner…
Swarm of giant stinging ants, Leptogenys chalybaea (Emery, 1887) with a millipede prey (Acanthodesmus sp.) – Sarawak / Borneo – around 1050m ASL Leptogenys chalybaea is an ant species in the subfamily Ponerinae (Formicidae). It was first described in 1887;…
Red-striped black bambootail, Prodasineura verticalis (Selys, 1860) of south Sarawak / Borneo – around 900m ASL. Prodasineura verticalis (Selys, 1860) is a small damselfly (Zygoptera) from the Platycnemididae family. The species was originally described by Edmond de Selys Longchamps in…
Probably an unidentified species of katydid, Mioacris sp. of central Sarawak / Borneo – around 800m ASL. The genus Mioacris was established in 1892 by Pictet & de Saussure and is currently treated as a genus of katydids (family Tettigoniidae),…
Mallinella spec. or Mallinella cf. myrmecophaga Koh & Dankittipakul, 2014 – of Sarawak/Borneo – around 20m ASL The spider genus Mallinella (Araneae: Zodariidae) was established in 1906 by Embrik Strand; Mallinella maculata is the type species. There are several published…
Giant orange Huntsman Spider – Heteropoda borneensis (Thorell, 1890) of south Sarawak / Borneo. Heteropoda borneensis (Thorell, 1890) is a giant huntsman spider (family Sparassidae) from the genus Heteropoda. The species was originally described as Urgulania borneensis and later listed…
Cyriopagopus doriae (Thorell, 1890) of central Sarawak, Borneo – around 400m ASL. Cyriopagopus doriae is a tarantula (family Theraphosidae) from Borneo. The species was originally described as Selenocosmia doriae, later placed by Eugène Simon in the genus Haplopelma, which he…
Citharognathus hosei Pocock, 1895 of central Sarawak, Borneo – around 800m ASL. Citharognathus hosei is the type species of the theraphosid genus Citharognathus within the subfamily Ornithoctoninae, described from Baram in Sarawak on Borneo from material collected by Charles Hose.…
Giant orange Huntsman Spider – Rhitymna pinangensis (Thorell, 1891) of Sarawak / Borneo – around 900m ASL. Rhitymna pinangensis (Thorell, 1891) is a huntsman spider (family Sparassidae) and the type species of the genus Rhitymna Simon, 1897. It was originally…
Brushed trapdoor spider, Barychelidae family of Sarawak / Borneo around 200m ASL – probably Rhianodes sp. – I only discovered this trapdoor spider by accident on the edge of a cliff in the forest, as it only looked out of…
Undescribed vampire crab, Geosesarma sp. – of Sarawak & Kalimantan / Borneo around 1000m ASL. Note: This Geosesarma will be described shortly. Geosesarma De Man, 1892 (Sesarmidae) is a genus of small, semi-terrestrial freshwater crabs occurring primarily in Southeast Asia, where…
Arachnothelphusa cf. merarapensis from central Sarawak / Borneo – around 1600m ASL We already knew from the crab genus Arachnothelphusa that they must have a direct development. This in-situ photo now clearly shows for the first time that this is…
Arachnothelphusa sp. lowland from Sabah / Borneo I found an Arachnothelphusa species in Tawau almost 6 years ago, but it was in the highlands at a altitude of over 1000 m. Either there are two species here, or this Arachnothelphusa…
Sabah vampire crab, Geosesarma sabanus Ng, 1992 – of Sabah / Borneo around 100m ASL. related posts:
Lars’s vampire crab, Geosesarma larsi Ng & Grinang, 2018 – of south Sarawak around 715m ASL. Since I last visited the habitat of G. larsi in 2017, I have now made my way back to the habitat over five years…
Vampire crab, Geosesarma gracillimum (De Man, 1902) – of central Sarawak, 30m ASL related posts:
Tree-Snail of the Amphidromus (Linnaeus, 1758) genus from Sarawak / Borneo around 1100m ASL. The genus name is derived from the ancient Greek words amphí (‘on both sides’) and drómos (‘running’) and refers to the unusual occurrence of both right-…
Damayantia carinata Collinge, 1901 – Sarawak/Borneo – around 950m ASL Its an arboreal semislug in the order Stylommatophora and the family Ariophantidae, endemic to Borneo. The species was described from the Kuching area of Sarawak, including Mount Penrissen and Mount…
Leptopoma vitreum, Leptopoma sericatum or related species of the family Cyclophoridae – Sarawak/Borneo All Leptopoma snails have gills and an operculum. related posts:
Stomacosmethis hosei (Godwin-Austen, 1889) of south-Sarawak Borneo. The specimen in the photo has a shell length of 5mm. These small snails appear to be adapted primarily to Limestone Hills. related posts:
Plectostoma everetti (E. A. Smith, 1893) of South-Sarawak Borneo. The specimen in the photo has a shell length of 1.5mm. Plectostoma everetti within the Plectostoma genus of air-breathing land snails in the family Diplommatinidae which is a family of small…
Ariophantid Snail, Vitrinula glutinosa (Metcalfe, 1852) of Central-Sarawak / Borneo Vitrinula glutinosa was described as Helix glutinosa in 1852 by William Metcalfe, who had received the snail shells in November 1850 from the British geologist William John Hamilton. Clearly visible…
Male of Balanophora papuana Schltr. a parasitic flowering plant of the Balanophoraceae family – of Western Highlands / Papua New Guiniea – around 2500m ASL. Balanophora papuana is a dioecious, achlorophyllous perennial root holoparasite in the family Balanophoraceae. Most of the plant…
In situ Macaranga umbrosa S.J.Davies – Sarawak/Borneo – around 400m ASL. Macaranga umbrosa is endemic to Borneo; documented records exist from Brunei, Sarawak, Sabah and Central Kalimantan. It is a shade-tolerant tree found in relatively intact forests, mainly primary forests,…
In situ Licuala cordata Becc. of Sarawak/Borneo – around 600m ASL. Licuala cordata Becc. (Arecaceae, Arecales) was first described by Odoardo Beccari; it was first published in Malesia 3: 84 (1886). According to Plants of the World Online, the species…
Balanophora sp. is a parasitic flowering plant of the Balanophoraceae family – of Kalimantan/Borneo – around 900m ASL. Balanophora is a genus of fully parasitic flowering plants (family Balanophoraceae, order Santalales) whose range includes parts of Southeast Asia, including Borneo. The…
Schoenorchis buddleiflora, (Schltr. & J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. 1912 (Kew) – of Sarawak/Borneo – around 1010m ASL. Schoenorchis buddleiflora is a species of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It was published by Johannes Jacobus Smith in the journal Natuurk. Tijdschr. Ned.-Indië, volume 72,…
Coelogyne pholidotoides, J.J.Sm. 1903 (Kew) – of Sarawak/Borneo – around 1020m ASL. Coelogyne pholidotoides is a species of orchid in the family Orchidaceae. Taxonomic literature lists it as native to Borneo, with evidence cited for Sabah, Sarawak and West Kalimantan.…
Yaoshania pachychilus (Chen, 1980) related posts:
Corydoras hastatus Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1888 related posts:
Spotted metynnis – Metynnis maculatus (Kner, 1858) related posts:
Amblyomma is a genus of hard ticks (Ixodidae). It is found worldwide, with most species occurring in the New World. Some species can transmit infectious diseases as a vector, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever to humans and tularaemia, anaplasmosis and…
Gnomulus sp.a harvestman from the genus Gnomulus Thorell, 1890, of south Sarawak Borneo – around 150m ASL. related posts:
A harvestman from the genus Epedanidae Sørensen, in L. Koch 1886, of south Sarawak Borneo. related posts:
Dwarf Wood Scorpion Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775), of central Sarawak Borneo, under UV-light. Most scorpions glow a blue-green color when illuminated by ultraviolet light with a wavelength of around 380nm. related posts:
Whip-Scorpion, Thelyphonus borneensis Kraepelin, 1897 – of Sarawak / Borneo Have a look at this in situ shot of Thelyphonus borneensis, whip scorpions or vinegaroons are members of the Uropygi order and the foreplay is not that easy like in the…
Bark Scorpion Lychas sp., from east Sarawak Borneo probably Spelaeolychas hosei (Pocock, 1891) related posts:
Coppery ringtail possum – Pseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897) – of Enga Province / Papua New Guinea – around 2800m ASL. Pseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897), the Coppery Ring-tailed Possum, is a large arboreal marsupial of the family Pseudocheiridae, endemic to the…
Mountain cuscus – Phalanger carmelitae Thomas, 1898 – of central Province / Papua New Guinea. The mountain cuscus (Phalanger carmelitae) is an arboreal marsupial native to the montane forests of New Guinea, including Papua New Guinea. It is a nocturnal…
Sunda leopard cat – Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus (Horsfield, 1821) – of Borneo. Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus is a taxonomically recognized subspecies of the Sunda leopard cat (Prionailurus javanensis). In the revised felid taxonomy, two subspecies are distinguished: P. j. javanensis (Java…
An early morning birth of a proboscis monkey – Nasalis larvatus Wurmb, 1787 – of Sabah / Borneo. Births of proboscis monkeys have rarely been documented, especially during the daytime. Nasalis larvatus reproduction is polygynous, with groups of males in…
Philippine slow lori, Nycticebus menagensis (Lydekker, 1893) of Borneo, around 800m ASL. Nycticebus menagensis (Philippine slow loris) is a nocturnal, arboreal strepsirrhine primate of the family Lorisidae, distributed in northern and eastern Borneo and parts of the southern Philippine archipelago.…
Philippine slow lori, Nycticebus menagensis (Lydekker, 1893) of south Sarawak, around 950m ASL. Nycticebus menagensis (Philippine slow loris) is a nocturnal, arboreal strepsirrhine primate of the family Lorisidae, distributed in northern and eastern Borneo and parts of the southern Philippine archipelago.…
Cyptotrama sp. (Cyptotrama asprata (Berk.) Redhead & Ginns (1980)) of Sarawak / Borneo – around 900m ASL. The genus Cyptotrama (Agaricales, Physalacriaceae) was validly described by Rolf Singer in 1960; Cyptotrama macrobasidium is given as the type species. In the…
Xylaria sp. of Sarawak / Borneo – around 950m ASL. The ascomycete genus Xylaria (family Xylariaceae, order Xylariales, class Sordariomycetes, phylum Ascomycota) comprises fungi commonly referred to in German as “Holzkeulen” (“wood clubs”). In nomenclatural databases, the genus is cited…
This Borneo moth is infected by a Cordyceps fungus, probably Cordyceps tuberculata(?). The parasitic fungi grow through the host and first form a subiculum, from which aggregate fruiting bodies, so-called stromata, then grow. All Cordyceps species are parasitic on arthropods…
Unknown fungi species from Sout-Sarawak / Borneo, Comatoderma ssp.(?) or Podoscypha ssp.(?) related posts:
Bioluminescent mushrooms like this Mycena sp., of central Sarawak, begins to glow at night. With their own light they can attract insects, which could pick up spores on their bodies. With this behavior the Mushroom spread the spores over a…
buffalo eye fungus or indonesian stalked puffball, Calostoma sp. of Borneo (Sarawak / Kalimantan) The Iban-tribe called them Kulat Mata Babi (Boar-Eye-Mushroom) or in Bahasa Kulat Mata Pelanduk (Mouse-Deer-Eye-Mushroom) (another local names: kulat mata lembu, mata kerbau), is an edible…
Hammerhead-Worm, probably Umbotectum boehmigi genus of the Geoplanidae Stimpson, 1857 family. Found in Sabah / Danum Valley / Borneo. related posts:
Onychophora commonly known as Velvet Worm, Eoperipatus sp. nov. of Sarawak / Borneo Velvet worms are hardly known from Borneo, there are only a handful of documented animals and even fewer animals that have been photographed. Most animals were labeled…
An unspecified slime mold from Sarawak / Borneo. The slime molds (Mycetozoa or Eumycetozoa) are a taxon of unicellular organisms that combine characteristics of both animals and fungi in their way of life, but do not belong to either group.…
Hammerhead-Worm black&orange, Diversibipalium everetti (Moseley, 1875) of central Sarawak / Borneo related posts:
Hammerhead-Worm black&white, probably Bipalium genus of the Geoplanidae Stimpson, 1857 family. Found in south Sarawak near Kuching, 1100m ASL. related posts:
Hammerhead-Worm black&white, probably Bipalium genus of the Geoplanidae Stimpson, 1857 family. Found in Sarawak near Kuching, 20m ASL. related posts:
King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise – Pteridophora alberti Meyer, 1894 of Enga Province / Papua new guinea 2600m ASL. The King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise (Pteridophora alberti) is the only species in its genus and is endemic to the montane forests of New Guinea, occurring in…
Papuan frogmouth – Podargus papuensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 of Central Province / Papua new guinea 750m ASL. The Papuan Frogmouth (Podargus papuensis) is a large, nocturnal member of the frogmouth family (Podargidae), distributed across New Guinea and several adjacent…
Growling Riflebird – Ptiloris intercedens Sharpe, 1882 of Central Province / Papua new guinea 800m ASL. Ptiloris intercedens, the Growling Riflebird, is a medium-sized bird-of-paradise measuring approximately 28–34 centimetres in length. It occurs in lowland, hill and lower montane forests…
Temminck’s sunbird, Aethopyga temminckii (Müller, 1843) of Sarawak / Borneo around 600m ASL. Aethopyga temminckii (Müller, 1843) is a species of sunbird (family Nectariniidae) found in Sundaland and recorded in Borneo in evergreen broadleaf forests, forest edges and secondary vegetation.…
Oriental darter, Anhinga melanogaster Pennant, 1769 of Borneo. Anhinga melanogaster is a large water bird of the Anhingidae family and was scientifically described by Thomas Pennant in 1769. On Borneo, the species is listed as a resident bird on inland…
Crested serpent eagle, Spilornis cheela (Latham, 1790) of Borneo. Spilornis cheela (English: Crested Serpent Eagle) is a bird of prey from the Accipitridae family and is classified within the serpent eagles (Circaetinae). The species is recorded on Borneo according to IOC-based…
Great Lakes Bush Viper, Atheris nitschei TORNIER, 1902 of the Rwenzori Mountains / Uganda related posts:
Mountains of the Moon pygmy chameleon, Rhampholeon monteslunae HUGHES, BEHANGANA, TILBURY, DEHLING, KUSAMBA & GREENBAUM in HUGHES et al. 2024 of the Rwenzori Mountains / Uganda related posts:
Strange-horned chameleon, Kinyongia xenorhina (Boulenger, 1901) of the Rwenzori Mountains / Uganda related posts:
Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus aureus (Zimmermann, 1783) of the Lake Mburo / Uganda related posts:
The tree pangolin or also known as the white-bellied pangolin, Phataginus tricuspis mabirae (Rafinesque, 1821) of Uganda – Bwindi The white-bellied pangolin is rare because it is severely threatened by illegal trade and habitat loss. Its scales are used in…
Mountain Gorilla, Gorilla beringei beringei Matschie, 1903 of the Rushegura family in Uganda – Bwindi Encountering mountain gorillas in Uganda is an extraordinary experience, offering a glimpse into the lives of one of the world’s most endangered species. Found primarily…