Coming to a moss covered log, I found dozen of this 5mm size Darkling Beetles having a party on the mosses.
Moving along the bone dry trail, a Chafer Beetle (Apogonia expeditionis) was seen munching happily on a leaf. Notice the big hole it made on the leaf.
On a white color mushroom was this lonely female Darkling Beetle (Cryphaeus gazelle).
Just a stone's throw away was this Fungus Beetle (Platydema ribbei) munching on a white fungus. This should be a female as it is lacking the horn-like protrusion on the head.
An old friend decided to come out to greet me. Interestingly, this is the only Eumorphus politus Fungus Beetle that I encounter on this trip. You would usually find them in large numbers at night.
On a nearby tree branch was this big Darkling Beetle (~12 mm). They were out in force tonight and can be seen all over the place.
On a dry tree log was this metallic sheen beetle (~5 mm). Like the previous Darkling Beetle, there were about 15 others on the same log as this one.
About 2 meter up a tree trunk was this beetle (~5 mm). It really was a test of endurance as I stretched out fully to get close to it. Thankfully, it was pretty cooperative and didn't move too much.
I initially thought that it is a Ground Beetle but it also looked like a Checkered Beetle.
The night was pretty interesting as I encountered 5 of this Ground Beetle (Catascopus dalbertisi). I don't usually encounter them that frequently, at least not 5 on the same trip. This is one of my favorite Ground Beetle. The color of this beetle is simply stunning.
Most people would miss this little beetle (~2 mm) when they walk pass it. Even though they are very common, they were seldom noticed because of their small size.
On a rotting tree trunk nearby, I found at least twenty of this super hyper-active Rove Beetle. Please pardon the blurry shot as it is very difficult to photograph them as they move about very quickly and tend to avoid the lights.
The next beetle is about 5 mm and it always remind me of a mole for whatever reasons. Cute little fella.
Moving past a tree, I found this lovely Fungus Beetle (~4 mm) at the base of the tree. Due to its odd position, I was not able to get a very clear shot of it. This is a different Fungus Beetle that I have encountered as the thorax looked to be brownish-red in color.
Another surprise find - an interestingly patterned Fungus Weevil Beetle. It remained very still when I photographed it. It must be sleeping as getting so close to this beetle in the day time would seem impossible as it is a hyper-sensitive beetle.
On some low bushes was this Tiger Beetle (Cicindela aurulenta). This is a wonderful surprise as I have not encountered this beetle in the night before. Even if it is in the day, they would be hyper-active and would fly off when it senses movements.
On another tree trunk was this 5 mm Weevil Beetle. It is super sensitive to movements and it was almost running away from my illumination light. Do note that when photographing this beetle is NOT to get too close as it would usually fall to the leaf litters below when it senses danger.
Another Ground Beetle was found on another tree trunk. From a short distance away, it looked like a jungle cockroach.
This Fungus Weevil was found clinging motionlessly on a tree trunk. Interestingly it didn't move during the entire "photo session".
Another Fungus Beetle was found on a dried tree trunk. This is the fourth Fungus Beetle that I come across for the night, and interestingly these are the only Fungus Beetle that I found during the trip.
Walking further deeper into the path, I found this highlight of the day. It was a Long Horned Beetle (Epepeotes luscus). It's been a while that I encountered any Long Horned Beetle at Venus Drive.
The last beetle was a Darkling Beetle. Although it is not as flashy as others in the same family, it is still an interesting beetle to photograph.
The trip was interesting as I was still able to photograph 21 different type of beetles despite that the dry condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment