The title says it all.
Hopper (nogondinidae) possibly Tonga spp.
Mimicry at its best. This adult hopper is a nogondinidae (possibly Tonga spp.) and does an amazing job of looking like a small leaf or thorn. He is also capable of propelling himself away from his branch and taking flight by using his powerful hind legs -- hence the name, hopper.
One of my favorite beetle photos! These are his natural colors and (like almost all of my photographs) this shot is pretty much straight out of the camera with minimal tweaks to the shadows and blacks in Lightroom. One reason I love the little Olympus and Zuiko lens combo for macro shots.
I believe Languria is the genus.
Longhorn indeed!
A convincing imitation of a leaf or thorn from Peninsular Malaysia.
Pleasing fungus beetle (Erotylidae), Sarawak, Borneo
It is truly remarkable to see the similarity between two species on different sides of the globe (globes don't really have sides, but you know what I mean). In Virginia, we have a pleasing fungus beetle that's very similar looking.
Tortoise beetle larva, Sarawak
Tortoise beetle larva. (Cassidinae). The dark tower is poop. Tortoise beetles pile the stuff up their backs. Penance, perhaps.
Properly known as a Bipalium and commonly known as a hammerhead worm, this lovely creature was about 3" long. These are predators and ooze about with their heads lifted slightly above the ground as they hunt tiny arthropods.
Given the long snout, articulated neck, and forward-mounted antenna, this seems likely to be a member of the Brentidae family. Whatever. Check out the beadwork outfit -- I can't decide if he filched it from a pearly queen or bought it in Zimbabwe.
Don't monkey with the durians. I found this as I was driving from Frazers Hill to Taman Negara. It has nothing to do with insects, but it made me think about the lack of real tigers in Malaysia. These are durian trees, and the tigers (there was one every 50 meters along the boundary of the plantation) are supposed to scare off marauding monkeys. Now back to insects...
This lovely and fairly large wasp has tiny but powerful-looking mandibles and was about 1.5" long.
Maybe a female judging by the ovipositor, but definitely a nymph. About 5mm and still growing into her legs and head.
There seem to be a good number of mantid species in peninsular Malaysia. This one has the most interesting eyes of those I've found.
This grasshopper has unusual antennae. I don't know why they have flared ends. Grasshopper antennae are also usually relatively short, so this one is definitely a bit special.
Words fail me.
Caterpillar of fruit piercing moth
Most caterpillars have some sort of defense. This guy will become a fruit-piercing moth and seems to have incorporated three forms of defense into his appearance: False eye patterns, a cryptic form that mimics a twig, and the "bird poop" pattern on his rear all have the potential to mislead a bird of a similar predator. Eudocima fullonia suspected.
Dark beauty here! Not an uncommon species but a lovely one. The shades are particularly cool.
A lovely beetle who posed like a pro!
This helicopter shot shows a little hopper who has spread out the filaments that emerge from his tail and covered himself with them. Perhaps this imitates the fungi or galls that one frequently sees on forest leaves. Or, they could just be unpalatable. I assume this is a defense of some kind.
Tiger beetles are insect predators and the fastest beetles on the planet. Most can fly, but they typically run down their prey. Researchers believe they run so fast that their brains cannot process the images relayed from their eyes. This renders them temporarily blind at times, and they need to stop to get their bearings. They are also exquisitely beautiful and often feature iridescent areas on their exoskeleton. I found this one at night in Sarawak. They will not sit still for a shot like this during the day.
Another lovely beetle from Taman Negara.
No idea of the species (or the family, for that matter) and no time to go down the identification rabbit hole. I was drawn to it by the unusual form.
This particularly lovely fly was perched on a fiddlehead and was licking it. I'm guessing there was some sort of sugar involved. A naturally occurring auto-composition. I somehow managed to shoot it off-centre.
I frequently see trap-jaw ants (the genus is Odontomachus) in Costa Rica, where they tend to be golden brown. This Malaysian beauty is much darker and sports some beautiful ornamentation on her head. Her jaws are in the relaxed "off" position. If she spreads them wide in the cocked position, tiny hairs on the jaw will cause them to slam shut if she bumps into a tiny insect.
Probably female. Love the cadmium red!
The colors on this larva are stunning, and I'm happy with the photo. An ID is another matter. I THINK it is a 'pillar, but it could be a sawfly larva.
Trilobites are one of the coolest beetles on the planet (IMHO). This is a female and she will remain in the nymph form for her entire life (meaning she will not grow wings). The adult male apparently resembles a netwing beetle.
A particularly lovely grasshopper sporting some cool headgear.
People sometimes call these "hand rubber" flies because they often wave their front legs about as if washing them. It is a curious behaviour.
This stunning beetle could be a Carabidae.
Caterpillar (Doleschallia bisaltide).
This is the caterpillar of the Autumn leaf butterfly (Doleschallia bisaltide) -- a species that is widespread in SE Asia, Australia, and elsewhere. Doleschallia bisaltide. Caterpillars sometimes allow you to get really close before they curl their heads under their bodies.
This is a caterpillar from the butterfly family Pieridae. Some caterpillars in this family have these odd droplet forms at the end of their spines in their early stages — their first to 4th instars. The purpose is not clear. Creatures like this are extremely thinly studied.
This mantis was happy to pose. I like the angles on this shot...
Caterpillar, peninsular Malaysia
Hair defense!
This is a darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) from Sarawak. Here's what I wrote about him when I posted him on Instagram: The coloration on the individual beetle varies depending on the viewing angle and the lighting direction. This happens because the beetle's “shell” (exoskeleton) has many extremely thin layers. These layers are refractive — meaning they split white light in a similar manner to a prism. In addition, the different layers reflect different wavelengths of light. In this beetle, the dominant reflected wavelengths are those that produce purple and green. How does this adaptation benefit the beetle? When you walk in a rainforest you’ll see droplets of water clinging to leaves and branches — they are just about everywhere and reflect the colors that surround them. Researchers believe that insects with refractive exoskeletons are likely imitating water droplets in order to confuse potential predators.
This katydid nymph has an unusual form that's different from the katydids I see elsewhere. And the color!!!
On Frazers Hill I stayed at a place where the owner felt it appropriate to put out a powerful moth light at night to entertain his guests. Idiotically, he left it on all night, and in the morning the ground was littered with dead and dying moths. This is one of the giant Atlas moths that came to the light.
Bronze? Copper? Some sort of mithril? This shield bug is a member of the family Pentatomidae and one of the thousands of beautiful shield bug species that can be found just about anywhere there are plants. Many (perhaps most) have not been described.
I got my party pants on. Also, check out the spines on the leaf.
Tortoise beetles are usually nervous subjects and fall off their leaf when you look at them. For reasons unknown, this one squared up with the leaf and peered at me. Look at those cute little feet!
I found this in Taman Negara and she squared up nicely and allowed this photo. A fuzzy body is unusual in ants and produces a lovely color.
The nymph has flared his tail and spread it over himself like an umbrella. It seems to mimic the scars left on leaves by miners. It will also make a good parachute if he needs to hop.
I suppose this could be a moth or butterfly larva but I'm going with scale insect.