Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia. June 2011

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moloch05

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In June, I visited the Maliau Basin Reserve in Sabah with a group of butterfly photographers from Malaysia and Singapore. I met the group on the net and they kindly invited me along to participate in a survey of the butterflies near the headquarters of the reserve.
map.jpg


I was happy to visit since it is difficult to gain access to the Maliau Basin. Reaching the reserve involved a five hour drive by 4x4 from the coastal city of Tawau. It was sad to see the extent of habitat loss in this part of Sabah. Nearly four hours of the journey passed through oil palm plantations and these stretched to the horizon in all directions. Sometimes, I saw the skeletons of old trees but the rainforest that once covered this area was completely gone. The last hour of the trip passed through selectively logged forest where all of the big trees had been removed. The forest canopy was broken so there were lots of vines and ferns in the understorey. Walking through this was impossible but I heard/saw quite a variety of birds including forest species such as pittas, trogons and hornbills. The headquarters was situated in selectively logged forest although it was in reasonable condition. The slopes and basin itself were never logged so the forest there was primary.

Here is a distant view of the Maliau Basin. The northern slopes are higher than those in the south. The headquarters is situated just below the southern slope of the reserve.
habitat1.jpg



...selectively logged forest near the headquarters:
habitat8.jpg

habitat13.jpg



Here is our accommodation at the headquarters of the reserve. It was a nice place with great views of the surrounding trees. At night, all sorts of interesting inverts and moths visited the lights.
habitat10.jpg



The forest was often "steamy" in the early mornings:
habitat3.jpg



We sat in the mornings and evenings and watched hornbills flying back and forth from these trees to a nearby fruiting Ficus. Hornbills were abundant and included many Rhinoceros, Helmeted, Wreathed, Black and Bushy-crested.
habitat12.jpg



It seems that access to the Maliau Basin is restricted to those who travel with a few tour companies (big $$$) or those who apply and are granted a permit that allows them to conduct biological research. My group arranged the later permit but we were restricted to the roads and a single nature trail near the headquarters. We were not allowed to venture along other trails that entered the basin.

The Maliau Basin was a fairly late discovery last century. The basin is surrounded by steep sided mountains and receives heavy rainfall. This is one of those locations in the world where there are still new animals to be discovered. One recent discovery that we heard about was a small frog that only lives in pitcher plants. I am sure that someone will find new species of butterflies in some of the remote, unusual habitats of the reserve. Our group added a number of species not previously recorded in this area and our total list after seven days of searching was about 140 species. Sabah is rich with butterflies.

Here is a topographical display of the reserve. The white marker (centre right) is the location of the headquarters.
maliau1.jpg



We were allowed on a nature trail across the Maliau River. The river marked the boundary of the primary forest.
habitat2.jpg



There also was a skywalk here. The walkway was built out from a ridge and allowed good views into the canopy and then to the treetops of the smaller trees. At times, it was a great place for birds and I was able to look down on species that I normally had a hard time seeing in the canopy. Helmeted Hornbills were particularly common here and I now understand why I always hear these but so rarely see them in the Asian rainforest.
habitt5.jpg



Here is a shot of the guys in action. Our party of eight was equally divided between macro photographers and butterfly photographers. Both groups were superb photographers and I learned lots from the guys.
group1.jpg



Tiger Leeches were one of the most common animals in the forest. These creatures were so affectionate. They just loved us.
tigerleech1.jpg

tigerleech2.jpg


One of the guys suggested that this shot would make a nice Valentine's Card.
tigerleech3.jpg


Blue-eyed Dragon (Gonocephalus liogaster)
dragon1.jpg

dragon2.jpg

dragon3.jpg



Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)?
gecko3.jpg



Any ideas about the identity of this little juvenile gecko? The webbed toes and colour pattern remind me of Ptychozoon sp. but it had an ordinary rather than elaborately lobed tail. The gecko scampered across the ceiling of the veranda one night while we were photographing the inverts.
gecko.jpg


Not certain but I think that this might be a Worm Gecko (Hemiphyllodactylus typus). Is that correct? I found this during the day on a pot plant at the headquarters.
gecko2.jpg



Sphenomorphus sp. It resembles the shot of S. haasi in Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo but I am not certain of the species.
skink4.jpg



Sphenomorphus sp. It resembles the shot of S. multisquamatus in Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo but again, I am not certain of the species.
skink1.jpg



I think that the following two skinks are a juvenile and adult of the same species. They look much like Black-banded Skinks (Mabuya rudis) in the Borneo guide.
skink3.jpg

skink2.jpg




Water Monitors (Varanus salvator) were common in a pond at the headquarters. This one swam beneath a bridge where I was standing.
monitor1.jpg

monitor2.jpg

monitor3.jpg


I think that this little monitor was a juvenile V. salvator.
monitor4.jpg



Frog. Id? These were common on plants around the headquarters. I watched a Malay Civet eat one of these.
frog.jpg



Maliau Basin was great for mammals. I went out each night on a walk and ended up seeing four species of civets (Malay, Banded Palm, Small-toothed Palm and Binturong), Long-tailed Macaques, Bornean Gibbons, Slow Loris, Colugo, Giant Flying Squirrels, Leopard Cat, Mouse Deer, and Bearded Pigs. A Costa Rican ornithologist that I met found a Flat-headed Cat along the river at night.


I awakened to the territorial songs of Bornean Gibbons every morning. On one occasion, they came close to the accommodation buildings to feed in a fruiting tree.
gibbon1.jpg

gibbon2.jpg



Malay Civet: Saw these animals every night below the walkway of the accommodation. They seemed to be hunting frogs and inverts near the lights at night.
civet.jpg



Colugo: Saw two of these. One was found licking sap at night and the other was disturbed during the day and scampered up a tree.
colugo2.jpg

colugo1.jpg



Birds were good and included several species of trogons, Blue-headed/Black-crowned Pittas, 5 species of hornbills, many babblers, two species of broadbills, four species of kingfishers and on and on.

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher: a stunning bird.
ODK1.jpg


... asleep at night.
ODK2.jpg



Black Hornbills were a common sight and sound.
BlackHornbill3.jpg

BlackHornbill2.jpg



Rhinoceros Hornbill: These were a daily sight as were the big Helmeted Hornbills. They usually were seen flying from a giant tree near the accommodation to a fruiting fig.
rhinohornbill.jpg



Brown Wood Owl: seen most evening at lights along the walkways of the accommodation. It appeared to hunt the giant cicadas that would visit the lights at night.
brownwoodowl.jpg



Rufous-bellied Eagle
rufous-belliedeagle1.jpg



Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, a Bornean endemic.
Yellow-rumpedFlowerpecker.jpg



Whip Scorpions were seen a few times at night.
whipscorpion2.jpg



Bird-dropping mimic spider. One of the macro photographers pointed out this spider to me. It certainly looked like bird droppings so was easy to overlook.
spiderbirddropping1.jpg



huntsman?
spider1.jpg



This House Centipede was huge!
housecentipede2.jpg

housecentipede1.jpg



"Pill" Millipede. These are about the size of a golf ball when curled.
millipede1.jpg

millipede2.jpg



Stag Beetle: This beetle was one of my favourite finds on the trip. It was huge and had enormous almost tusk-like jaws.
stag1.jpg

stag2.jpg



Violin Beetle: Arrived at the lights on a rainy night. Another odd and fabulous beetle.
ViolinBeetle2.jpg

ViolinBeetle1.jpg



Rhinoceros Beetles of several species were common. The second species below had incredible horns.
Rhinobeetle1.jpg

rhinobeetle4.jpg

rhinobeetle5.jpg

rhinobeetle2.jpg

rhinobeetle3.jpg



Weevil
weevil2.jpg



Lantern Bugs are always a nice sight. One of the macro photographers loves to photograph these insects. He methodically searched the bases of trees and eventually found three species of these insects.
Pyropswhiteheadii1.jpg

Pyropswhiteheadii2.jpg



Plant Hoppers
planthopper2.jpg

planthopper1.jpg



Dead-leaf Mantis: An amazing species! They were so well disguised when standing on leaf little.
dead-leafmantis1.jpg

dead-leafmantis3.jpg



Lace Mantis was a fast mover. It could race away when disturbed.
lacemantis1.jpg

lacemantis2.jpg



Katydids were diverse. They also included one of the largest insects that I have observed (first couple of shots below).
katydid3.jpg

katydid6.jpg


katydid7.jpg

katydid5.jpg


katydid4.jpg


katydid2a.jpg



Tessaratomidae: These are big, showy hemipterans.
bug1.jpg

Tesseratomeadia.jpg



Ichneumon wasp with an incredibly long ovipositer. It looked like a white ribbon was trailing behind the insect when in flight.
ichneu1.jpg



... more tomorrow
 
The dragon was awesome, so were the inverts.
 
Thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed that lot. Looking forward to more.
 
Hot images and awesome critters as always, That unidentified Juvi gecko is spectacular. Thank you so much for taking time to post for us all.

I just had a quick look, could it be Ptychozoon Lionotum or Kuhli ?
 
Last edited:
Thanks, all. I suppose either of those are possible, Smithers. I am not certain, though. I may try the Geckophiles forum to see if any comes back with a name and photos.

A few more before the leps.

Plain Pygmy Squirrel: cute little squirrel that was not much bigger than a mouse.
PlainPygmySquirrel.jpg



Earwigs feeding on a fungus at night:
earwigs.jpg



White-fronted Falconet: This is a Bornean endemic and only a little larger than a starling.
falconet1-1.jpg




LEPIDOPTERANS:
PIERIDAE


This butterfly hand an interesting pattern that can be seen through the wings. It looked much like a Dogface Butterfly in the States. We only saw it once along the Maliau River.
Orange Tip (Ixias pyrene)
orange-tip2.jpg

orange-tip1.jpg



Orange Emigrant (Catopsilia scylla): common puddler.
OrangeEmigrant1.jpg



Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilla pomona): even more common.
LemonEmigrant1.jpg



Saletara panda: only a few encountered.
pierid1.jpg



Bornean Sawtooth (Prioneris cornelia): a Borean endemic.
sawwing1a.jpg



One of the Jezebels (Delias singapura): Only seen once in deep shade.
sawwing2.jpg



One of the Gulls (Cepora iudith)
Cepora1.jpg

Cepora2.jpg



Grass Yellow (Eurema sp.)
grassyellowbath.jpg




NYMPHALIDAE

Black Rajah (Charaxes solon): We were happy to find this species since it is rare throughout its range.
blackRajah1a.jpg



Tawny Rajah (Charaxes bernadus): a common and widespread species.
TawnyRajah3.jpg

TawnyRajah2.jpg



Jewel Nawab (Polyura delphis): This lovely species was only seen once.
JewelNawab1.jpg



Yellow Indian Nawab (Polyura jalysus): widespread species only seen once.
IndianNawab1.jpg



Plain Nawab (Polyura hebe): widespread species only seen once.
Polyurahebeganymedes.jpg



Archduke (Lexia pardalis)
archduke1.jpg

archduke2.jpg



Unbroken Sargeant (Athyma pravara)
Athymapravara1a.jpg




Malay Staff Sargeant (Athyma reta)
Athymareta1.jpg



Neptis ilura
sailor2.jpg




Clipper (Parthenos sylvia)
clipper1.jpg



Commodore (Moduza procris)
commander1.jpg



Brown Pansy (Junonia iphita): common in open areas.
ChocolatePansy1.jpg



Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites): common in open areas.
GreyPansy1.jpg

GreyPansy2.jpg



Glorius Began (Agatasa calydonia): I found one of these gorgeous butterflies as it sat next to pig excrement on a dirt road. Unfortunately, it flushed and I was only able to get this highly cropped shot of it as it perched on the side of a tree. This is a rare species. Wallace only recorded it once on his voyage of discovery in the 1800s.
Gloriousegan1.jpg



Malay Yeoman (Cirrochroa malaya)
MalayYeoman1.jpg

MalayYeoman2.jpg




Cirrochroa satellita
yeoman1.jpg


Paduca fasciata with a Tiger Beetle
Paducafasciata2a.jpg




One of the Barons (Tanaecia munda):
Tanaciapalguna1.jpg



Wizzard (Rhinopalpa polynice)
Wizzard1.jpg
 
Awesome post as usuall. The butterflys are incredible.
We also have a couple of species of Bird Poo Mimicking spiders in Australia
 
That Glorious Began is almost psychedelic well done on the capture, Thanks for sharing
 
An excellent account of a great assortment of critters. You've done very well to see so many species and to have photographed as many as did is no mean feat.
Well done and thanks for sharing.

By the way, I reckon that the following gecko is Ptychozoon horsfieldii

gecko.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks very much, everyone.

frogboy, I wish that I had more herps but they were difficult in the forest. Only one guy in our group found a snake even though we were all out everyday on the trails and I also went out at night.


Elapidae1, I did not realize that we had spiders like that in Australia. I hope to see one someday.


Bushman, you may be correct with the identification. I hope that you are since it will be a new one to me.



Someone on another forum asked about the Neptis and Athyma. Athyma and Neptis are large genera with similar species. Identification is based on the the stripes/spots on the wings but it can be difficult to separate the species. Here are examples of the two genera and you can get an idea how similar the they are in appearance.

1. Neptis duryodama
2. Neptis leucoporos
3. Neptis soma
4. Athyma pravara
5. Athyma pravara
6. Athyma reta
7. Athyma cama
8. Athyma nefte
9. Neptis ilura
10. Neptis miah
sailor.jpg
Neptisleucoporos.jpg

butterfly14_400Neptissoma.jpg
Athymapravara1.jpg

butterfly14a_400Athymapravara.jpg
Athymaretakresna.jpg

Athymacama1.jpg
butterfly14b_400Athymanefte.jpg

Neptisilura.jpg
Neptismiah.jpg



PAPILIONIDAE
Graphium evemon: Common on the sand flats along the river.
graphiuum3.jpg



Tailed Jay (Graphium agememnon) Common on the sand flats along the river.
TailedJay1.jpg




Five-bar Swallowtail (Pathysa antiphates) Only seen once.
graphiumfirv-bar.jpg



Black and White Helen (Papilio nephelus): Common swallowtail.
PapilionephelusalbolineatablackandwhiteHelen.jpg




LYCAENIDAE
Common Imperial (Cheritra freja): several seen along the river or within the forest.
CommonImperial1.jpg


Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra): Common in the forest.
Drupadiaravindra1.jpg

Drupadiaravindra2.jpg



Acytolepis lambi: a few puddling after a rain on a dirt road through the forest.
Acytolepislambi1.jpg



Elbowed Pierrot (Caleta elna): fairly common puddler.
ElbowedPierrot1.jpg



Silver Royal (Ancema blanka): A gorgeous species seen along a dirt road through the forest.
SilverRoyal3.jpg



HESPERIDAE
This skipper is a mimic of bird droppings. I only saw it once when it responded to the bait and dropped to the sand briefly from the surrounding forest. Odontoptilum pygela
flat1.jpg




Moths were interesting at night. They were the best on our first two nights after a heavy shower.
Moth 1: One of the luna moths.
moth8luna.jpg


Moth 2.
moth10.jpg


Moth 3.
moth11.jpg


Moth 4.
moth1a.jpg


Moth 5.
moth4Trabalaspindet.jpg


Moth 6.
moth5.jpg


Moth 7.
moth7.jpg


Moth 8.
moth9.jpg


Moth 9. Bizzare creature that was hard to recognize as a moth.
moth14.jpg



That is it for my photos from Malaysia for this year.

Regards,
David

Thanks very much, everyone.

frogboy, I wish that I had more herps but they were difficult in the forest. Only one guy in our group found a snake even though we were all out everyday on the trails and I also went out at night.


Elapidae1, I did not realize that we had spiders like that in Australia. I hope to see one someday.


Bushman, you may be correct with the identification. I hope that you are since it will be a new one to me.



Someone on another forum asked about the Neptis and Athyma. Athyma and Neptis are large genera with similar species. Identification is based on the the stripes/spots on the wings but it can be difficult to separate the species. Here are examples of the two genera and you can get an idea how similar the they are in appearance.

1. Neptis duryodama
2. Neptis leucoporos
3. Neptis soma
4. Athyma pravara
5. Athyma pravara
6. Athyma reta
7. Athyma cama
8. Athyma nefte
9. Neptis ilura
10. Neptis miah
sailor.jpg
Neptisleucoporos.jpg

butterfly14_400Neptissoma.jpg
Athymapravara1.jpg

butterfly14a_400Athymapravara.jpg
Athymaretakresna.jpg

Athymacama1.jpg
butterfly14b_400Athymanefte.jpg

Neptisilura.jpg
Neptismiah.jpg



PAPILIONIDAE
Graphium evemon: Common on the sand flats along the river.
graphiuum3.jpg



Tailed Jay (Graphium agememnon) Common on the sand flats along the river.
TailedJay1.jpg




Five-bar Swallowtail (Pathysa antiphates) Only seen once.
graphiumfirv-bar.jpg



Black and White Helen (Papilio nephelus): Common swallowtail.
PapilionephelusalbolineatablackandwhiteHelen.jpg




LYCAENIDAE
Common Imperial (Cheritra freja): several seen along the river or within the forest.
CommonImperial1.jpg


Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra): Common in the forest.
Drupadiaravindra1.jpg

Drupadiaravindra2.jpg



Acytolepis lambi: a few puddling after a rain on a dirt road through the forest.
Acytolepislambi1.jpg



Elbowed Pierrot (Caleta elna): fairly common puddler.
ElbowedPierrot1.jpg



Silver Royal (Ancema blanka): A gorgeous species seen along a dirt road through the forest.
SilverRoyal3.jpg



HESPERIDAE
This skipper is a mimic of bird droppings. I only saw it once when it responded to the bait and dropped to the sand briefly from the surrounding forest. Odontoptilum pygela
flat1.jpg




Moths were interesting at night. They were the best on our first two nights after a heavy shower.
Moth 1: One of the luna moths.
moth8luna.jpg


Moth 2.
moth10.jpg


Moth 3.
moth11.jpg


Moth 4.
moth1a.jpg


Moth 5.
moth4Trabalaspindet.jpg


Moth 6.
moth5.jpg


Moth 7.
moth7.jpg


Moth 8.
moth9.jpg


Moth 9. Bizzare creature that was hard to recognize as a moth.
moth14.jpg



That is it for my photos from Malaysia for this year.

Regards,
David

Bushman,
I think that the gecko may well be Ptychozoon horsfieldi. I highly cropped a couple of other shots and now can see what looks like a gliding membrane along the abdomen and also a few denticulate tail lobes. I had not noticed either feature before.
geckoA.jpg

geckoB.jpg



Still don't know about this little gecko.
gecko2b.jpg

gecko2a.jpg



A colourful stinging caterpillar:
caterpillar1.jpg




These crickets were common:
cricket1-1.jpg



Another colourful moth:
moth4ATrabalaspindet.jpg





If anyone is interested in butterflies from southeast Asia the have a look at the following forum at:
Butterfly Discussion Forums - Powered by vBulletin

The participants post the most amazing photos of butterflies and other inverts. They also are helpful with advice about photo techniques and attracting butterflies.


Regards,
David
 
Last edited:
Great Pics! Love the Gonocephalus liogaster, so unusual but cool, the Colugo reminds me (in colouration) of the Green Ringtail Possum, and that Stag Beetle is amazing, would love one as a pet. Also the Lantern Bugs and Luna Moth grabbed my attention.
I think that the little grey gecko just above that hasnt been unidentifed could be Luperosaurus browni or another sp in the same genus, not sure whether any more sp of that genus have been described from Malaysia. Looking at the feet they do not look like Hemiphyllodactylus and one of the generic names for Luperosaurus is Flap-footed Geckos, which resembles the feet on your photos. Also the fringe to the tail remind me of other pics i've seen of Luperosaurus.
 
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