One of my biggest targets in the Bornean rainforest was the Bornean Horned Toad (𝘗𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘴), but despite many night walks after the rain nothing turned up. Plus with power cutting off at 11 our searches were quite limited and brief. Luckily as we were returning from our last night walk in Danum, a guide notified us of an individual he found with his group, and generously brought us to see this frog.
This species was much larger than what I expected, growing to the size of an apple. Sitting on a small perch it has made for itself using forest debris, it remained motionless as we were photographing it. At long last I had found one of the coolest amphibians in Borneo, coupled with the shot I had envisioned. This truly was one of the highlights of my week-long stay in Danum, and to have this majestic toad finish off my nocturnal searches there was the cherry on top to what was already a great trip.
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
#worldrainforestday #borneo #danumvalley #cygnustechdiffuser #omsystem #amphibian #amphibiansofinstagram #insituherps #herpingtheglobe #wildlife_perfection #raw_herpetology #raw_wildlife #nuts_about_wildlife #nuts_about_nature #nuts_about_macro #macroworld_tr #macro_highlight #macro_freaks #macrolympus #passion_in_macro #soulmademacro #universal_macro #galeri_makro #niffeature @unbiodiversity@bbcearth #earthcapture #bbcwildlifepotd
When I first came across this spider after a participant during an event showed it to me, I initially thought that it was a six-spined bolas spider (𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘴), which would complete my bolas spider list in Hong Kong, but the shape of the abdomen, which to me looked a bit like a cello, kept bothering me. In my mind, something just didn't feel right. Fast forward to a couple of weeks later, I was searching for bolas spider photos online for no reason, when I stumbled across a photo of a specimen with the exact same look as the one I saw. I then contacted the owner of the photo, which just so happens to be an arachnologist in China, and soon gave me confirmation of my suspicions.
Here I present to you the Liyuanba bolas spider (𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘺𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘢) (8-shot stack), a new species of bolas spider located in China and was only described during the summer of 2022. To my knowledge, this is the first photo of a live individual of this species on the internet and easily a new species record for Hong Kong, which makes this encounter all the more monumental. I was over the moon when the researcher confirmed the ID of this individual with the specimen in his publication. Truly one of the best moments of 2022, and I couldn't be more grateful for the participants of the event informing my group and I about the spider.
Shot with Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II with M.ZUIKO Digital ED 60mm f2.8 macro
Finally a redemption shot of one of my favourite moths: a golden emperor moth (𝘓𝘰𝘦𝘱𝘢 𝘴𝘱.). In 2020 I only got to spend 2 minutes and had some crappy record shots. This time, the moth flew to a lower spot and barely budged, hence allowing me around 10 minutes with this beauty, and getting the wide angle shot I always dreamt of. Definitely one of my best shots this year.
Never bored of seeing a Scorpion-tailed Orb Weaver (𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘧. 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘢) in the wild! One of the coolest-looking orb weavers out there, with a body shaped like a slender dead leaf, a "tail" tipped with several tubercules, and with vibrant colour morphs at different life stages. The subadults are always the most impressive, sporting a colour gradient between the orange-coloured juveniles and the yellow-coloured adults. The males of this species continue to elude me in Hong Kong, as I have only ever come across a subadult male specimen after 5 years of searching. Maybe one day, but seeing this colourful subadult female is always a win in my books!
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.ZUIKO ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
#omsystemhk #omsystem #hkwildlife #spider #orbweaver
Short-legged Horned Toads (𝘉𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘬𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘴) were some of the first frogs I saw in Hong Kong. I still remember seeing them on my first night walk during secondary school and being astonished that we had something like this residing in the city's wilderness. The species also had this stoicness and calmess about them that really set them apart from most other local species. Recently, researchers have found genetic and acoustic differences between local populations, suggesting that one of them might be a case of speciation happening before our eyes (and ears), though this is a slow process (Sung et al, 2026). Even now, the species has managed to surprise naturalists and researchers alike, even me, when my friends and I discovered this froglet last night with its tadpole tail still very visible. Despite its age the subtle "horns" above its eyes gave its identity away. I have never observed this species at this life stage before, making this one of the most memorable encounters I have had with this common species.
For more information on the recent research on the Short-legged Horned Toads populations in Hong Kong, you can check out the paper here:
Sung, Y. H., Leung, F. K. W., Chan, H. M. H., & Fong, J. J. (2026). Intraspecific Diversity of Short-Legged Horned Toad (Boulenophrys brachykolos) in Hong Kong: Identification of a Distinct Conservation Unit on Lantau Island. Current Herpetology, 45(1), 33-43.
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO
#hkwildife #omsystemhk #omsystem #cygnustechdiffuser #worldfrogday
I've had terrible luck with Atlas Moths (𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘴) over the years - it had been 6 years since I last saw an adult moth, and I was not able to take any photos of it during the time, continuing to extend my dry streak for a good adult moth photo. Thankfully, a recent night outing near my friend's home produced this monstrosity of a caterpillar with a girth wider than my thumb, which is probably the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen even for Atlas Moths. You know a caterpillar is big when you have to resort to using your wide angle to photograph it rather than your usual macro lens! And maneuvering the plant downwards and trying not to break it was a challenge in itself too.
All in all, while it took some effort, this is probably one of my favorite caterpillar images to date, and I'm happy that it was awarded second place in the recent competition organized by @hkbiodiversitymuseum . Thank you to all the judges and staff for your hard work, and congratulations to all the other awardees on their stunning images!
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
#hkwildlife #caterpillar #omsystem #omsystemhk #omsystemambassador
Australia is home to incredible endemic wildlife found nowhere else, but numerous exotic species have been introduced to its wilderness and have wreaked havoc on native species. During my trip to Perth last October, @ant__frank told me about a lesser-known invasive species to Australia - the Portuguese Millipede (𝘖𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘪𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘪). @wa_peacock_jumping_spiders , we saw them everywhere on every night walk we took, and we saw them everywhere during every night walk we went on, and it was quite a sight (not a good one) to see them blanketing the bark of trees and congregating in decaying wood. One day, while waiting for Franc's car to arrive at my accomodation I noticed a colony of Green-headed Pony Ants (𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢) tackling one of these millepedes on the pavement. It brings immense joy to my heart to witness native wildlife fighting back against these invaders to protect their home.
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.ZUIKO ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
#australia #omsystemhk #omsystem #cygnustechdiffuser #insect
My recent trip to South Korea not only had beautiful jumping spiders, but also had a surprise spider that I was not expecting to see: a Spider-hunting Orb Weaver (𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴). Despite being part of the web-building family Araneidae, these spiders are the odd cousin in that they don't build webs to catch their prey. Instead, they actively wander around to look for other spiders to eat - a unique feature of these spiders, along with their instantly recognizable huge head. I was very shocked to find this big female in a chestnut plantation when we were doing fieldwork, and seeing her massive head gave me great excitement, adding to what was already quite a fruitful and productive field trip. She was actually staying quite still, so I decided to do a good ol' focus stack of 44 images. There's something about arthropods in temperate regions that make them easier to focus stack than those in the tropics it seems...
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.ZUIKO ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
#omsystemhk #omsystem #focusstacking #spider #orbweaver
One of my favorite images from last year was this Big-headed Ant (𝘗𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢) carrying the pupae of an unborn queen. We actually found a trail of Raider Ants (𝘈𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱.) first before we noticed that they were attacking another group of ants that were potentially relocating their colony. Admist the chaos this soldier appeared out of nowhere hastily carrying the unborn queen away from the attackers to somewhere safe. This image was captured during my first ever photography retreat back in May and I'm really looking forward to organizing one again sometime soon!
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.ZUIKO ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
#hkwildlife #omsystemhk #omsystem #cygnustechdiffuser #insect
A juvenile Hong Kong Warty Newt (𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴) with a leech (Haemadipsidae) attached to its neck was the last thing I expected to see after flipping a rock during a cold winter night. I was even more astonished when the little newt began to show signs of life, moving its body ever so slightly and twitching its legs and tail despite having the life drained by the minute. Both of them were under a large rock where every single animal, including two large centipedes were already squished and flattened, yet both the newt and the leech managed to cling on and survive. Goes to show how tenacious and cruel life can be.
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
#hkwildlife #omsystemhk #omsystem #amphibian #amphibiansofinstagram #newt #insituherps #herpingtheglobe #wildlife_perfection #raw_herpetology #raw_wildlife #nuts_about_wildlife #nuts_about_nature #nuts_about_macro #macroworld_tr #macro_highlight #macro_freaks #macrolympus #passion_in_macro #soulmademacro #universal_macro #galeri_makro #niffeature @unbiodiversity@bbcearth #earthcapture #bbcwildlifepotd
This Dull Swirled Hawkmoth Caterpillar (𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘺𝘢𝘴) is looking quite like a Christmas tree - a perfect subject for the holiday season! Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.ZUIKO ED 90mm F3.5 Macro PRO
#hkwildlife #caterpillar #omsystem #earthcapture #natgeoyourshot
You're now looking at this ant, and seeing all the weird spots on its body. If I told you that the spots were actually its hair, you'd probably think I was nonsensical.
Yesterday I met up with @nvolpe.wild , @lucynak.wild , and @hkfishdiary358 for a quick lunch. Whilst we were going crazy about all the crazy species we've seen, I pulled out this photo and all three of them collectively lost their minds. Nick asked why I hadn't posted this yet, so here I am showing it to you guys!
This species has been high on my list since I started studying ants last year, so big thanks to @carlos_with_myrmecology for showing me this incredible ant! 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢 is a small predatory ant that lives in the soil, using its sharp teeth and mandibles to capture small invertebrate prey. They are normally found in Japan and Korea but have now been introduced to Mainland Asia and even in The United States. Going back to the very beginning about its hair, it is quite remarkable that even within a specialized genus such as 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘴 some species have managed to evolve these specialized hairs on its body, where it is thought that they can better trap soil between the round hairs and better camouflage and ambush their prey. How cool is that honestly?
Shot with OM SYSTEM OM-1 with M.ZUIKO ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
#hkwildlife #omsystemhk #omsystem #cygnustechdiffuser #insect #ant #leaflitter #invert_macro #wholelottabugs #arthropod_perfection #beautiful_insects_japan #insectguru #snagbug #raw_insects #ip_insects #king_insects #nuts_about_wildlife #nuts_about_nature #nuts_about_macro #macroworld_tr #macrolympus #passion_in_macro #soulmademacro #universal_macro #your_macro #cupoty #niffeature RAWR SZN @unbiodiversity@bbcearth #earthcapture #bbcwildlifepotd
