Ray's Catch

Hey ya'll

It's been quite awhile since I actually let Ray on my team, requesting that he keep and eye out for me for little creepy-crawlies and six-legged critters and the rewards of his participation in my attempts have already begun to pay off in leaps and bounds! Anything strange, anything unusual that he's not seen before he bags and brings to me. "Catch first, ask questions later!" seems to be his motto and his help in identifying and locating the various insectia that inhabit these parts (he stays there so it's more convenient for him to spot stuffs as well!) has been really quite invaluable. Why, just this month alone he's manage to get me...

One butterfly and one moth (the bottom two, still unidentified)

And two, rather amazing beetles.

The (as of yet unidentified mesosa longipennis *childish chortle*) longhorn beetle

And what must be a most impressive catch, the male of the rhinoceros beetle (orytes rhinoceros) which, I belatedly found out, was actually a significant pest in oil-palm plantations where their larvae wreak havoc on tree trunks. However recent research has pointed out that the rhinoceros beetle may not be as prolific as other pest species and the trees picked out by female beetles to lay their eggs tend to be suffering from various rot and/or illnesses to begin with. It lives now in a tupperware on our study table. We have affectionately named it Beedy and - before returning from the mall - made our way to the supermarket to pick up a colorful assortment of fruit-flavored jellies upon which it will feed for the rest of it's life.