Mating fly

(Jurong Woods - 9 Oct 2008)

A dewy black ant

(Wild Wild West - 4 Oct 2010)

A strange bug

(2 Oct 2010)

Fresh Water Forest Crab

(Upper Peirce Forest - 20 Sep 2010)

Leaf Insect (Phyllium sp.)

The Leaf Insect, as its name implies, is a green insect with a leaflike appearance.  They are also referred to as the "Walking Leaf". They are about 2 to 4 inches long and feed on the leaves of plants and trees.  I have not seen the adult leaf insect but my friend, Allan Lee, spotted one at Pasir Ris Park not too long ago (see below).

(Image taken by my friend, Allan Lee - May 2010 )

The eggs of the leaf insect are normally just scattered on the ground.  They resemble various types of seeds to prevent the eggs from being eaten. When the eggs are first hatched, the baby insects are a deep red colour.  After about 2 days, they would change to brownish yellow.  Subsequently, about 2 weeks later, the nymphs would start to turn green after they started feeding on leaves.

(Upper Peirce - 20 Sep 2010)

I was fortunately to have spotted this nymph leaf insect at Upper Peirce.    It was about 2 cm long with a very nice leaf-liked abdomen.   This has to be one of the most ususual insects that I have seen so far!

(Side View)

Long Horned Grasshopper

Family : Tettigonidae

A nymph of a Long-horned Grasshopper (1.5cm)

(Jurong Woods II - 15 Aug 2010)

An unusual Praying Mantis

(Tagore Forest - 6 Sep 2010)

Tiger Beetle

Tiger Beetle has been on my wishlist for a long time.  During my previous macro outing to Upper Seletar Reservior where we found quite a no. of tiger beetles at a sandy playground, I did not get any nice shots as they are very active.  Tiger beetles are not called the "fastest land insect in the world" for nothing!

(Front View - Upper Seletar Reservior, 18 Aug 2010)

Accordingly to Yan Leong, it is best to prone down flat on the ground to have nice eye-level shots.  Also, to have a higher success rate of capturing this super active insect, it is necessary to fix a 1.4TC so that you do not need to go too near to scare away the sensitive tiger beetle.  I followed this advice and was rewarded with a decent frontal and side view of this beauty.

(Side view - Upper Seletar Reservior, 18 Aug 2010)

(YL demonstrating how to shoot a tiger beetle)

ID Required!

(Venus Drive - 27 Dec 2009)

ID Required

(Upper Peirce - 23 Dec 2009)

Mosquitoes

(Dairy Farm - 23 Sep 2009)

Wasp? ID required!

(Choa Chu Kang Ave 5 - 19 Sep 2009)

Unusual Insect - ID required!

This is my first encounter of this strange insect spotted at Jurong Woods II.  A cooperative bug that allowed me to take many shots of it.  If you know the ID, please let me know.

(Jurong Woods II - 31 July 2010) 

Bee - ID required

(Kranji Nature Trail - 16 May 10)

Molting - ID required

(Wild Wild West - 25 Oct 09)

Black Ant

This was an ant that had just woken up and was doing some stretching exercise.

(Wild Wild West - 21 Mar 10)

True Bugs

(Diary Farm Nature Reserve - 27 Feb 10)

Metallic Wood-boring Beetle

Family : Buprestidae
Name : Belionota Prasina

The Metallic Wood-boring beetles are among the most handsome insects in the world. The beauty of their metallic hard chitin has inspired artists and provides a constant inspiration for designers of jewelery and embroidery!

Based on the coloration, it could be Belionota prasina, a very common jewel beetle,frequently seen on the bark of kapok and casuarina trees. This is a small beetle that measures about 2.5cm.

(Dorsal View - Upper Pierce Forest)


(Side view - Upper Pierce Forest)

A species of the Shield or Stink Bug?

(Mandai Orchid Garden - 17 Apr 10)

Soldier Fly