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…
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…
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.…
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-…
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’)…
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…
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…
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…
Saffron-bellied frog, Chaperina fusca Mocquard, 1892 – at an illegal waste dumping site in Kuching, south Sarawak / Borneo / Lowland 60m ASL Chaperina fusca is a small species of narrow-mouthed frog (family Microhylidae) and the only representative of the…
The western long-legged bush frog – Philautus kakipanjang Dehling and Dehling, 2013 of Sarawak / Borneo – around 1000m ASL Etymologically, the specific epithet kakipanjang is explicitly derived from two Malay words; kaki (“leg”) and panjang (“long”)—chosen to highlight the…
Rentapia everetti (Boulenger, 1896) (Everett’s Asian tree toad or marbled tree toad) of Sarawak / Borneo – around 950m ASL Rentapia everetti (Boulenger, 1896) is an arboreal toad (family Bufonidae) endemic to northern Borneo, where it occurs in Sarawak, Sabah,…
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…
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…
Common mock viper, Psammodynastes pulverulentus (F. Boie, 1827) of south Sarawak / Borneo around 1000m ASL. Psammodynastes pulverulentus (Boie, 1827) is a rear-fanged snake from the superfamily Elapoidea, widespread in South and Southeast Asia; based on phylogenomic data, the genus…
Juvenile Kuhl’s flying gecko or the common flying gecko – Gekko kuhli (Stejneger, 1902) of Sarawak / Borneo around 250m ASL. Gekko kuhli (Stejneger, 1902) is a species of gecko (family Gekkonidae). In the literature, it has appeared as Ptychozoon kuhli…
White-spotted cat snake, Boiga drapiezii (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827) of south-Sarawak / Borneo highland around 1050m ASL. Boiga drapiezii (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827) is an opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged), egg-laying snake from the Colubridae family; its type locality…
Asian vine snake, Ahaetulla prasina (Boie, 1827) from Sarawak/Borneo – around 1050m ASL Ahaetulla prasina (Boie, 1827) is a rear-fanged snake from the Colubridae family and is widespread throughout much of Southeast Asia; in Borneo, it has been documented in…
Termites of the Macrotermes genus – central Sarawak / Borneo around 500m ASL Macrotermes is a genus of so-called fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitinae). These animals live in large colonies with a strict division of labor, consisting of a queen and king…
Dragon Head Katydid Lesina blanchardi (Brongniart, 1890) the former Ellatodon blanchardi from Sarawak / Borneo Lesina blanchardi (Brongniart, 1890) is an exceptionally large-looking leafhopper from the Tettigoniidae family (long-horned grasshoppers), which is often referred to as the ‘dragon-headed katydid’ in…
Stag Beetle, Dorcus mirabilis (Parry, 1864) – of Sarawak / Borneo around 1060m ASL Adults primarily take liquid carbohydrates, typically tree sap and other sugary exudates, and are most active from dusk through the night; they are often encountered at…
Dark-based gliding hawkmoth, Ambulyx substrigilis Westwood, 1847 – Sarawak / Borneo – around 1000m ASL Ambulyx substrigilis occurs from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh east to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Hainan (China), Peninsular and Sarawak…
A very large female of Pharnacia borneensis Hennemann & Conle, 2008 Sarawak/Borneo – around 1300m ASL. Pharnacia borneensis is a stick insect (order Phasmatodea) in the family Phasmatidae, tribe Pharnaciini, genus Pharnacia. It was described in 2008 by Hennemann and…
Picasso moth, Baorisa hieroglyphica Moore, 1882 – Sarawak / Borneo – around 1100m ASL The Picasso moth (B. hieroglyphica), is a nocturnal lepidopteran of the family Erebidae, first described by Frederic Moore in 1882. With a wingspan of approximately 50…
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…
Net-casting spiders Deinopis sp. from Sarawak / Borneo around 100m ASL – Deinopis Macleay, 1839 – Deinopidae of Borneo, commonly known as Ogre-faced Spiders or Net-casting spiders, because of their ability to cast silken nets at their prey. The posterior…
Birupes simoroxigorum (Theraphosidae), of south Sarawak, Borneo. I haven’t seen this Birupes simoroxigorum in a while. But since Chien, Pearl and I discovered and first photographed this species we have been able to record this beautiful blue tarantula at more…
Giant orange Huntsman Spider – Heteropoda sp. of south Sarawak. This Heteropoda sp. is quite widespread in Borneo’s lowland rainforests and is a typical inhabitant of deciduous litter, it is very rare to find this species on trees. As you…
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…
Lobb’s bulbophyllum, Bulbophyllum lobbii Lindl. (1847) – of Sarawak/Borneo – around 1320m ASL. Bulbophyllum lobbii Lindl. (Orchidaceae) is an epiphytic species of sect. Sestochilus, distributed from NE India, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines in lowland–montane forests. Plants bear discrete pseudobulbs,…
Kinabalu mountain banana, Musa monticola M.Hotta ex Argent – of Sabah/Borneo – around 1620m ASL. Musa monticola is a wild banana endemic to the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo, where it is confined to montane habitats around Mount Kinabalu…
Glory Bower, Clerodendrum sp., of central Sarawak / Borneo around 400m ASL related posts:
Low’s pitcher-plant, Nepenthes lowii, of north Sarawak / Borneo around 2100m ASL Upper pitchers of Nepenthes lowii, which is a carnivorous plant from the genus pitcher plants (Nepenthes). It was first described around 1859 by botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker. The…
Amorphophallus pendulus Bogn. & Mayo – in situ – south Sarawak / Borneo. related posts:
Begonia acidulenta S.Julia & Kiew – in situ – central Sarawak / Borneo. related posts:
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:
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.…
Bornean sun bear, Helarctos malayanus euryspilus Horsfield, 1825 – of Sabah / Borneo at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre Helarctos malayanus euryspilus is the Bornean subspecies of the sun bear confined to the forests of Borneo and belonging to a…
Bornean sun bear, Helarctos malayanus euryspilus Horsfield, 1825 of Borneo The sun bear is the smallest and best adapted to a tree-dwelling lifestyle within the Ursidae. Sun bears are nocturnal, during the day they sleep in the trees, around 2…
Horsfield’s tarsier, also known as the western tarsier, Cephalopachus bancanus (Horsfield, 1821) of south Sarawak / Borneo I don’t know which animals are my favourites, but these little creatures of the rainforest definitely occupy a top place in my personal…
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…
Cicada infected by a Cordyceps-fungus(?) of South-Sarawak/Borneo. related posts:
Infected by a Cordyceps-fungus of Central-Sarawak/Borneo – probably Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) related posts:
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:
Stork-billed kingfisher – Pelargopsis capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) – P. c. innominata (van Oort, 1910) – of Borneo (200m ASL) Pelargopsis capensis is a large tree kingfisher of the family Alcedinidae that is widely but patchily distributed from the Indian subcontinent…
Rhinoceros hornbill – Buceros rhinoceros Linnaeus, 1758 (B. r. borneoensis Schlegel & Müller, S, 1845) – of Borneo (300m ASL) Buceros rhinoceros Linnaeus 1758, the rhinoceros hornbill, is a large canopy dwelling hornbill of the Sundaic region where it inhabits…
Wrinkled hornbill or Sunda wrinkled hornbill – Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus (Temminck, 1832) – of Borneo (100m ASL) Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus, the wrinkled hornbill, is a canopy frugivore of the Sunda region, occurring in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and nearby islands,…
Crested serpent eagle, Spilornis cheela (Latham, 1790) of Borneo. The Crested Serpent Eagle is a medium sized raptor of tropical Asia that favors forests and edges and is often seen soaring above the canopy; adults are dark brown with a small…
Rhinoceros hornbill – Buceros rhinoceros Linnaeus, 1758 (B. r. borneoensis Schlegel & Müller, S, 1845) – of Borneo (300m ASL) Buceros rhinoceros Linnaeus 1758, the rhinoceros hornbill, is a large canopy dwelling hornbill of the Sundaic region where it inhabits…
Male of the black hornbill – Anthracoceros malayanus (Raffles, 1822) – of Borneo (400m ASL) Anthracoceros malayanus is a Sundaic lowland hornbill of the family Bucerotidae that occurs from southern Thailand through Peninsular Malaysia Sumatra and Borneo where it inhabits…
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…