INSECTS

My Mantis

2011-04-29T11:07:00.007+07:00

While collecting beetles at white sheet, these two creature came to me, at first, this little white and beautiful that seems like walking flower to me at first sight, yes, it's Hymenopus Coronatus.

I think it's a newborn, because from it size, it's quite small for mantis.Here's another picture of how it camouflage.

Well, for the second mantis, it's Parablepharis Kuhlii, at first sight, I thought that it just a dried leaf who stuck on the sheet, then when I try to remove it, it's attacked me, I'm surprised, then I'm pull out my flash light from my pouch, try to know what exactly this thing, then I can see it 's head, well, definitely it's a mantis too.

This is my first time seeing this species, I didn't know it name, then I'm emailed my friend from Ireland who loves mantis, he told me it name, well, here you goes.Check the pictures for yourself.

And here's from the back.

See, how gorgeous their both, to me it's wonderful.

What species is this!!!!

2010-03-19T12:08:00.003+07:00

Here's an another unknown species, need identifications from anyone.I couldn't find the correct answer, but in my guess, maybe it's from Carabidae.

Here's the pictures:

Here's too:

Another:

Again:

I hope someone out there could help me describing this insect!!

My Trophy, The Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorferi

2009-12-17T21:07:00.005+07:00

Finally, after a very long-long time, my dream comes true, I have a pair of Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorferi, and the most impressive is, the size is big.I never imagined that this beetles, as one of my target for so long, already in my collections.

And the most interesting is, I caught this Allotopus in of season, there's no any beetles available, just some common beetles that I didn't interested.

Finally, the moment of glory has come.

The females size is 45 mm, and the male is 42 mm, I don't know why the female is bigger than the male, or maybe there is still a bigger male out there in the mountain.At least I have the specimen for future expeditions.

Well, that's all for now, starting February, I'll move again on top of the mountain for bigger male of Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorferi.

Cetoniidae identifications needed!!!

2009-10-24T16:22:00.010+07:00

At my last trips on collecting beetles at MT Bawang, I also caught this Cetoniidae beetles, without any information about it. This trips actually looking for Allotopus Moeelenkampi Fruhstorferi, but I have no luck.The weather on top of the mountain always changed, it's makes the jobs difficult.

Withaout any hesitations, I caught any beetles that were available, well at least I can study it further more.Here's the pictures of Cetoniidae that I had;

For your information, this beetles only available at top of this mountain, because on the summit, the flower available, and to find it, they all flies in the morning and evening.

Well, anyone out there maybe know and can classified this beetles for me, because when I search it on google, I'm not so sure about it.

Cyclommathus Tarandus Season

2009-08-18T22:02:00.007+07:00

Cyclommathus tarandus, a lucanidae. It is one of an exotic insect, and only available in the Sambas, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Living on the plains between 0 - 150 m above sea level, and breeding 4 times a year.

For the season itself, based on my experience, only 6-8 times a year, including the mating seasons, and usually they came out from their nest on the rain season only.

Right now the weather changed, it's rainy season, and guess what, it's hunting time!!

To catch this beetles, is quite different from the others, because this beetles always came out in the early morning, around 06.00 AM, and return to their nest at 11.00 AM.
Based on my experience in collecting stag beetles, this one is the only beetles that capable flying out in the day.

They flies and search for this special bushes, and in local we call it Cengkodok trees.As you can see the picture below, if you watched carefully, there's a mandible hided under the Cengkodok leaf.

They eat the nectar from Cengkodok flower, and usually the flowers it self blossoming 8 times a year, that's is why the seasons comes (I think !!).
This Cengkodok trees is an native trees and only can be found around South East Asia, and the habitat is around the river bank and a great plains.

To catch this stag beetles, I need some net, and to find where's the beetles colony hiding , sometimes I used my own methods, first; find a bush that has no farmers activity, because when there's farmers, sometimes they used insecticide, and guess what, absolutely there will be no more Cyclommathus Tarandus living there.

And the second method, I like to use a river path, the reason is, I don't have to spend much times on searching the beetles when they fall into the bushes.When they on river, it's so easy to caught it, because they can't swim!!!!ha,ha,ha,ha...(They should learned how to swim....)

The most difficult task in catching this Tarandus is to find where is the colony, sometimes it's takes a day, even a week, but the impossible thing for me until now is to find their nest. I don't know what and how, until now I can't find it.

The season itself only takes a couple of 3 weeks.After that, I need to wait until the other seasons.Sometimes for 1 season, I can't catch even a single beetle.

To unable catch some nice and big Tarandus, I need to wait for the mating season, because in this times, the superb and beautiful males is out for mating.I hope this is the times, because I don't have any idea when they will come.

The biggest Cyclommathus Tarandus that I ever had is 70 mm, and that's really rare, only 1 in a million, 8 years ago.But, to catch that size again, I don't think so, it's like almost impossible for this times.The largest that I ever catched since that day is only 69 mm, about 2 years ago.

I hope for this season, I can find those giant male of Cyclommathus Tarandus again.

In mating

Eating the nectar

Male and female

Fighting for their territory

Unknown and Unique Spider

2009-06-04T17:37:00.010+07:00

This tiny yellow spider is like a fake ones, even I can't believed it's a spider.The color is so beautiful, with yellow bright and a black spot covered the bodies.I found it in Paddi Field, but unfortunately this kind of spider is rare, hard to find.Until now, i didn't know it names, maybe someone out there could figure it out for me.

And this one is quite unique too, you see it has a mandible, but it's not a mandible, it's just looks like a mandible.I found it in a forest, near a bamboo trees, until now i don't have the name yet, and maybe someone out there could identified it.

Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorferi from West Kalimantan

2009-03-16T00:23:00.011+07:00

Allotopus moellenkampi is considered exotic and beautiful with its golden color. They spread along in Sumatra and Borneo with subspecies moellenkampi for Sumatra species and subspecies moseri for Borneo species. The size varied from 3 cm to 6 cm and they live in high level area with altitude over 1200m and temperature 16-22 degree celcius.

Most Collectors from around the world are looking for this kind of species, because it's the only species with two sub species in a world, like Allotopus Rosenbergi from West Java, and Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorfer from Borneo/ Kalimantan.
About the price, well, don't ask me, everybody knows about it's prices, the highest prices in Lucanidae species.

Here's some of my collections, I catch it with my own hand, it's wonderful.

Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorfer from West Borneo / Mt. Bawang.

( This Picture is the first time we have it, it's colour still golden )
( After we put it in a Jar )

It's Female, and the size is 2,6 cm, until now, the male is still out there in Mt Bawang/Kalimantan Barat,Indonesia, when the times is come, I will catch the male.

Now, here's the second one, Allotopus Rosenbergi from Ciwidey/ West Java, this one is larger then Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorfer, it size is 6,3 cm, female too.

Allotopus Rosenbergi ( First Catch )

Here's in home

Well, that's it, my rare collections, I will hunt more, especially Allotopus Moellenkampi Fruhstorfer.
My Next Target is Cyclommathus Magnificus, and Hexarthrius Mandibularis, all from Mt Bawang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia.

My Stag Beetles Collections

2009-01-19T21:43:00.004+07:00

Stag beetles ( Lucanidae ), or in Japanese they call it Kuwagata, a well known insect from around the world, with it's unique and great looking type of insect, most are came from Indonesia.Peoples from around the world are looking for it and turn it into the most luxurious collections.The only reasons is because this beetles has a hard shell that cover it's entire body, so, it doesn't matters if the beetles is dead, because we can still turn it into a nice and rare dried collections for a very long time periode ( hundred years old).
The another reasons is this kind of insect is not like all the insect that can be easily found in our lifes, like grass hopper, flies,dragonfly and so manymore, we have to struggle with the nature to capture this kind of insect, such as climb on a top of mountains for a high quality ones/ species, or searching in a deep dark forest or well known with all kind of trees.

Well, for that kind of searching, i think i know why their prices in a market or online shops is very expensive, because for that kind of jobs, you didn't only have a lots of money, but you must have some experiences, knowledges, and a good team for this kind of jobs.

After the entire 7 years expriences ( since 2002), here's my collections from West Borneo ( Kalimantan Barat ):

From Sambas County

Cyclommathus Tarandus

Trichogomphus Bronchus

(Other photos will be updated)

From Singkawang City

Cyclommathus Titanus

From Mt. Bawang

Gnaphaloryx Perforatus

Novonigidius fujitai

Dorcus Mirabilis

Dorcus Taurus
Eulepidius Luridus ( Pair )

Prosopocoilus Flavidus

Prosopocoilus Buddha (male and female)

Odontolabis latipennis

Does anyones know's it names ??!!!

Well, i guess thats it, in another times i'll upload more from my own collections.