Memoirs of a Light-Trapper: expeditions and experiments in light-trapping pt. 1

Hey ya'll

Chasing after butterflies and other flying insects with a net can be great fun during the day, but catching nocturnal insects is a totally different ball game altogether. It is, after all, not very practical for one to go traipsing about in the forests in pitch darkness while waving a net blindly around in hopes of accidentally catching something that flies by! As such many entomologists and lepidopterists have developed, over the years, a variety of techniques and methods that are quite reliable at attracting insects for the purposes of study or collection. The most efficient of all these, is probably light trapping. Light trapping is basically a method of attracting insects that involves the use of a light source (usually a mercury vapor bulb, or some other source that emits UV light). The light is often dispersed through the use of a white cloth (that can greatly increase the light's surface area) and functions as a veritable beacon that attracts moths, beetles, and any large number of flying insects to its surface. Think of a bug zapper, but on a larger scale. And minus the deadly electricity. Insects attached to the white cloth may then be studied in closer detail, photographed, or collected depending on its purpose.

Recently, I've had the opportunity of conducting one such expedition which took place in the form of a mini experiment. Two light traps were set with different bulbs, one emitting a specturm of UVA (orange/warm light), the other of UVB (white light). Through the course of the night we discovered that different insects were attracted to different spectrum of light. While the UVA bulb seemed to attract more insects on the initial stage, many of them eventually shifted their focus over to the UVB bulb where they proceeded to swarm and seethe in a writhing mass of antennae, legs, and wings. The diversity of insects which arrived was also, to say the least, quite astounding and we had (in addition to moths of just about every shape, size, and color) some very attractive looking beetles and cicadas. Below are some of the amazing insects that were attracted to our light traps that night.

These are some of the moths that were attracted to our light traps. Among all the insects that eventually came to the traps and stayed, I'd have to say that the moths were the most numerous. Most of them were small and brilliantly patterned, although we would eventually come across several sphingiids and saturniids as well. Geometriids were the most common and most of these came in various shades of yellow or green, many similarly patterned with geometrical map-like markings on both wings. 

We eventually nicknamed this moth "Hellboy" until a more concise definition
can be offered.

Aside from moths, the traps also attracted more than their fair share of cicadas! The large insects are clumsy fliers and, after slamming unceremoniously into the light bulbs and walls repeatedly, they would often crash onto the ground where they remained, seemingly in a state of stupor. They were so stunned by this I could even pick them up and place them side by side on my outstretched palm with little or no effect. 

Cicadas came in all shapes and sizes that night! We counted no less than 6 different species that were attracted to the traps. 

There were also an astounding diversity of beetles at our traps. Of all the insects, these were perhaps the worst! Beetles are clumsy fliers at best and when in a state of fright, have sharp claws that they can use to devastating effect. I had many bad experiences with beetles that fell down my color and proceeded to dig their claws into any portion of my skin they happened to come into contact with that the time! I shall take note to wear tighter fitting clothes when I try this again in the future! Most of the beetles weren't particularly remarkable, but we did find several of the long horn (Cerambycidae) and rhinoceros (Dynastidae) variety. Some of these, I ended up keeping, for virtue of their unique appearances! Second note to self: long horn beetles have fearsome jaws and can deliver quite a bite!!! 

The largest cerambycidae that was attracted to our traps that night. It measured several inches from head to tip of abdomen and eventually managed to bite hard enough to crack the flimsy plastic lid of the container.

Of all the other insects that were attracted, most were aletes, the winged generation of various ants and termite species whose identification simply goes beyond my capabilities. There was also a stick insect that somehow found its way there, and a rather opportunistic praying mantis. There really are a lot more pictures to go through, and I will upload them in the second part of this blog post when our photographer, Miss Joanne Tong, has sorted them out from her camera. Until then, Happy Monday.

Cheers, 

Cyren.

Bringin' the Bugs to the Ball

Hey ya'll 

The insect addict is at it again, and while many people may not be able to wrap their mind around the concept of live insect jewelry (yup, that's REAL LIVE insects used as adornments. Look it up on Google), I'm pretty sure that more than a few of you can come to terms with these adorable and realistic looking insect pins. 

The insect pins, which are 100% handmade are incredibly life-like and have been sculpted from clay and adorned with such things like plastic wings and fur to increase the illusion that they are in fact real! I think they make quite adorable embellishments for any summery outfit and I incidentally wore them quite recently myself for a Spring-time themed event. Indeed, what better way to capture the heart of Spring than the hustle and bustle of bright flower print shirts sparsely decorated with the brilliant hues of life-like insects! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Insect sketches (Goliath orientalis)

Sketching insects reminds me of a time when naturalists did not possess the means to photograph them, when drawing flora and fauna was really the only reliable way to document and publish their findings to the general public. As such, it was inevitably that many naturalists of the early age had no small skill with carbon and paper. I like to think sometimes, that in some small way I am keeping that tradition alive. 

Phenomenally Pahang

Hey ya'll 

As you may have surmised from my previous post, I just got back from Pahang, and if you're wondering why the chronicles weren't presented chronologically, well... I was so overwhelmed with Keric's molt that I just had to write about it first. You know what they say; when inspired, write! Because you won't know when that inspiration will come again!!! Anyway, treasure hunting with the familia in Pahang was rather fun, I must admit, and despite my suffering from a severe lack of sleep, mum's usual amount of incessant nagginess, and dad's inexplicable stubborness (shhh! Don't tell them I said that!!!) we actually managed to come out on top and win first place!!! Not too bad eh? On a separate note, however, I did not allow my parents to drag me half-way across the country just to take part in a treasure hunting competition, indeed I must admit that my agreeableness to taking part in such a fiasco in the first place was my significantly high hopes of bagging multiple insect specimens in the rainforests of Pahang (you may recall my previous post). As it turned out, it rained most of the trip, and although I did not manage to find as many insects as I might have liked, the excursion into the forest and later to Lake Chini was very well worth it. 

Some views of Lake Chini

I must say that the natural beauty and wonder of the place really did an impression on me, though I can't help but wonder if the only reason Lake Chini has remained so pristine and positively crawling with wildlife is that it still remains relatively unknown and out of the way. Indeed, the only people I met on my little sojourn to the supposed "Lake resort" were National Service trainees on their day off! Indeed, upon learning of the purpose of my visit, a very nice young lady recounted a story of how she was "attacked" early that morning by a blue cicada! Sadly, it was no longer in its supposed spot when she brought me to "see" it but I daresay we had a great time chatting with her friends, who seemed very interested to hear what I had to tell them about many of the insects I knew about. I suppose it must have dispelled some of their fears, but not all as was evident when I discovered three very large and robust female nephila spiders hanging from their enormous webs on the tree. A male was lurking nearby, too, and one might almost mistake him for a baby, or a spider of a different species altogether on account of his diminutive size! 

This particular spider was really as large as my palm! I would have caught it for better photographs and closer study but I had run out of containers for the day, and my spares were back at the resort, some one and a half hour's drive away.

I decided to treat myself to a boat ride then, and was quite delighted to learn that we would be visiting a nearby "Orang Asal" village. For the unfamiliar reader, the "Orang Asal" are the native aborigines of Malaysia. It was here that my trip took a rather unpleasant tone for a pair of foreign tourists told me off, upon my getting into the same boat as they, for catching cicadas. The young lady warned me in no uncertain terms that I was not to catch a single insect upon visiting the native village as it would be disrespectful to them and their culture. Needless to say, I was quite taken aback by this presumptive behavior but I neglected to say anything. I was significantly incensed however, to the point that I actually confronted the pair, when we reached the village. As our boat drifted languidly among the marshes, we happen to chance upon a young aborigine lady taking her bath by the riverside. As any gentleman might have done, I averted my eyes. 

However imagine, if you may, the audacity of the foreign couple. Instead of similarly lowering their gaze and giving the poor woman some privacy to at least protect for modesty and then scamper for cover, they instead brought out their fancy cameras and pointed those lenses in her direction. click, click, click they went as the lady lowered herself into the water until her neck and screamed at them to go away! Meanwhile the boatman paddled as fast as he could. Why, I simply could not stand it anymore I tapped the foreign man on his shoulder and told him most curtly, but as politely as I could manage that I found the two of them simply hypocritical and disgusting! Imagine that they would have an issue with me pinching a cicada or two from the forest because it was supposedly disrespectful to the natives, when they themselves had gone to the extent of  humiliating and objectifying a young lady simply because they have come to portray her through a particular mindset. Well I told them that they should very well review their own sense of ethics, before taking the orientalist stand and judging and questioning mine! Now, I'm pretty sure there would have been an issue about this but the boatman, being of that community himself, pretty much squared his chest and gave them a piercing look that broke no argument. Suffice to say I enjoyed the rest of my boat ride and the foreign couple gave us no further problems that day.  

At the jetty of the "Orang Asal" village

The day then ended with a quick trip to the beach, which was another 2 hours drive from Lake Chini, and even though I was not dressed to take a swim (the ocean was quite rough, and there were jellyfish warning signs up anyway) I did spend a good time digging through the sand for crabs. And there were many! I found one, for example, that made a quick getaway not by scuttling but by hopping briskly so that it would be carried forward a few feet each time by the strong winds. 

One such "hopping crustacean"

Chilling by the beach

Anyway, the insects that have been spreading since Genting should have dried out sufficiently by now, so stay tuned for those. In the meantime, Summer Holidays are almost over so good luck to all of you who are going back to college/uni, and to those of you new and returning students whom I will be teaching next week, I certainly hope we will have an amazing year ahead of us!!!

Cheers,
Cyren

Pins and Needles 29 ~ OH Rhinoceros!!!

Hey ya'll

it's been quite a while hasn't it? Since my last update... but really I've been so immersed with everything that's been going on the past few days I ... I just really don't have as much time for insects as I used to. Meanwhile here I was thinking I would be done with my thesis on time and now it seems like I've hit a snag in the road instead. It is really quite demotivating, but I know it will all work out for the better. Like I always say, quitting is never an option! Meanwhile the OTHER thing that's going on has only reminded me why people should agree to disagree more often... would solve a lot of global conflicts it would .What's it to you if someone doesn't share your belief. Now you could be a bigot, a racist, a sexist or an ethnic supremacist for all I care... just keep those horrible things deep down... hidden, where it can fester as a mental illness and leave everyone else the heck alone. It is really quite annoying when I can't pick up the newspaper and not flip through a dozen things going wrong with the world before I can get to the comics. But enough of the depressing stuff... check out this gorgeous guy

He is some kind of a rhinoceros beetle (O. rhinoceros) , I think. You can't really tell from here but if you tip him sideways you can see his cute little horn. I'm... really not that good with beetles.

Also, laying out to dry, currently are a motley collection of butterflies waiting to be boxed and displayed. Will update you all on that the moment I have the time to take them all out and identify them one by one. In the meantime, wish me luck for my thesis yo!!!! 

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.

And Fireflies



I found Mayonaisse bottles and poked holes on top to capture Tinkerbell,
but they were just fireflies to the untrained eye though I could always tell.



The worst thing about growing up was being alone. Unfortunately for me, being a kid that was different... the Other... being alone was something I just had to deal with. I found my ways to cope of course, I made friends out of the little creatures around me, the living beings that thrive in the darkest corners and crevices of our gardens and homes, unnoticed by most, hated by others. I felt like they understood what I was going through, you see. I felt like they'd know, and so the little beetles and snails of the garden, the insects that walk unnoticed or hated beneath the feet of our human oppressors, they became my first friends. My closest companions.

For that reason I never liked sleeping in the dark. It is not some childish thing, not some fear of monsters in the shadows or boogeymen in the closets. I just don't like the feeling, of being alone, deep in the darkness, unable to see anything, only blackness. I remember this one time I was alone in the forest... oh was I ever so scared. Now, the forest may seem like a beautiful, colourful place well enough during the day, but at night it is a scary place... well, for children at least. There are all kinds of sounds the forest makes that reminds you of all kinds of strange and horrible things. A leaf falling could sound like the sudden approach of a creature, a frog hopping herald some impending doom... and worse were those dry flapping noises which, till this day I have no idea what caused. Worst of all, it is dark. Think of the darkest place you've ever been in the world and then multiply it by ten! That's how dark it is!

I remember curling up in a foetal position, smaller than ever, never feeling more alone when all of a sudden (and I swear they appeared out of nowhere)... fireflies. Fireflies in their hundreds, maybe even thousands all over the forest. In the treest, under the roots, in the shrubs. Fireflies as far as the eye can see. And suddenly it was clear to me, the falling of the leaves, the hopping of the little frogs. Suddenly I wasn't so scared. Suddenly I  wasn't alone.

But of course, those days have passed. These days I'm not afraid of sleeping in the dark anymore. I'm not afraid of being "alone". Because I know, nearby, there will always be someone thinking of me. Someone loving me. Someone, who cherishes my presence as much as I cherish theirs. Someone. Just, a special someone. And while we were talking, and a pair of fireflies flew right on by, I realised that I no longer needed to worry, I no longer needed to be afraid, because whenever I look at you. It's like I'm seeing a billion fireflies.

And I believe in fairy tales and dreamers dreams like bedsheet sails,
and I believe in Peter Pan and miracles and anything i can to get them.
And fireflies.

Strange Caterpillars, Butterfly Releases, and Jewel Beetles.

Hey guys!

Check out what I found on one of the trees today.

caterpillar and ant

Now, what looks like an ant kidnapping a caterpillar to its nest is actually a very strange, and unique form of symbiosis between two separate insect species. I cannot be sure but I believe this is the larvae of a lycaenid or "blue" butterfly, a lepidoptera species known for employing ANTS as their dutiful caretakers. With these particular caterpillars, it seems that the ants remove the caterpillars from their nests to feed on the leaves of plants on a daily basis. As the caterpillar chomps on its vegetation meal, the ants stand guard, ever watchful, ever vigilant. In fact, a simple wave of my hand was enough to send the soldiers into a frenzy, poised only on both their hind legs as they wave their menacing mandibles in the air. So in actual fact, one might even think of the ants and the caterpillars as a farmer, grazing his lifestock with the ants playing the role of the former and the caterpillar the role of the latter. In return the caterpillars secret a sweet liquid called honeydew which, the ants feed upon. Something else that's interesting and of note, I helped someone release his first butterfly today! 

Ray meets butterfly

It was Ray's first time, I think, being touched by a butterfly and he told me it was a magnificent moment when it crawled up his fingers and slowly spread its wings. In fact, it was so obedient I even had the time to snap a few pictures of the two of them before the butterfly flew away, but NOT (of course) before making a wish! Meanwhile, Ray had a bug to introduce me to as well! It seems last night was quite a scare! A large "bee" came hurtling out of nowhere and into his room. Poor thing got struck against the fan and found itself perched on the flourescent lights. It "dissappeared" though, the following morning but upon closer inspection it was in actual fact hiding underneath the bed. Also, it wasn't a bee at all but rather, a large and beautiful jewel beetle. From the scarab family, I surmised earlier though (after a little wikipediaing) I managed to identify it specifically as a fig-eater beetle which probably explains the "loud buzzing sound" Ray heard when it was flying. It is actually quite tame though, once you get used to it and it sits now, on my shelf eating old apple skins.

such a beauty isn't it? Although I quite dislike the loud sound she makes when she starts to fly!

Size Matters!

You know how they say that size doesn't matter? Well, I guess when you're an insect, size DOES matter! After all, when you're about just two inches in length, a centimeter or two can be a lot! On the other hand though, size certainly doesn't seem to be the problem for some of these creepy creatures!

World's Largest Spider

Goliath bird-eating Spider

This, my friends is a goliath bird-eating spider! As its name suggests, it is one of the largest spider species in the world and is big enough to prey on lizards, snakes, small mammals and even, you guessed it, birds! Native to the damp rainforests of South America, the goliath bird-eating spider is a whopper and can reach over 12inches in length! That's the size of two 15cm rulers and MUCH bigger than my palm! Fortunately though, like most tarantulas the bite of the Goliath bird eater is more painful, than it is poisonous and its effects can be comparable to say, a wasp's sting.

World's Largest Beetle



Titan Beetle



This monster here is the Titan beetle and no, it does not look big just because it is in the hands of a child, some specimens of these beetles have been known to reach up to 17 centimeters long! Named after the fearsome Titans of greek mythology, these beetles posses no mouthparts with which to feed but that doesn't stop them from using their fearsome mandibles in self defense which are strong enough, reportedly to snap a wooden pencil clean in half! One mysterious fact about these insects though, their eggs, larvae and pupal stage have never been found and only the adults, which are attracted to lights make their appearances.

World's Largest Centipede



Amazonian Giant Centipede

Scolopendra Gigantea, or the Amazonian Giant Centipede is, as its name suggests the world's largest centipede. This scary looking animal measures up to thirty centimeters long and posseses a body that consists of 21-23 segments. To hunt, the Amazonian Giant Centipede is known to hang from the roof of caves to catch passing bats that fly out in their hundreds every night to feed. Their front two claws operate as weapons that inject a highly potent venom that paralyses smaller creatures but can cause intense pain, swelling, chills, fever and weakness in humans! Unlikely to be fatal, but not something I would care to chance!

World's Largest Butterfly/Moth



Atlas Moth

And now perhaps for a giant that's a little less scary. Of all the lepidoptera species in the world, it is the magnificent Atlas Moth that boasts the largest wing area. Measuring up to 30cm long in some specimens the Atlas Moth is also the heaviest moth in the world. Not possesing mouth parts as adults, these gigantic silk moths do not feed and instead rely on the large ammounts of fat stored within their furry bodies from when they were caterpillars. As such their lifespans are brief and their sole purposes are to fly in search of a mate.