Jun 2010 Sightings

A pair of White-handed Flies (Family Micropezidae) mating. A Melon Fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae) feeding on an Araceae plant with its highly specialised mouthpiece.

Spent a morning at Buloh doing census and was lucky to witness a juvenile Oriental Whip Snake struggling to swallow up a Garden Supple Skink.

Took a picture of a Green Paddy Frog at the beginning of the boardwalk leading to the main bridge today during noon time after finishing my census.

While trekking into the deeper part of SBWR to look for rare gems, I tot I saw a large dead log on the shallow swampy water but it suddenly move. Its a large full grown Estaurine Crocodile (estimated to be around 12 - 14 foot long or 4 metres) and I swiftly took a record shot before it went deeper into the murky swamp upon sensing my presence.

I took this after the big rain this morning outside my office at Duxton Road, with a bunch of other snails and spotted this. Really unusual and rare.

I've just checked with our mollusc expert at the Raffles Museum. And this is what he said:

This white form is sold commercially as �white jade� variety or 白玉蝸牛 and as far as I know, first bred in Taiwan - possibly by selective breeding of a few mutant melanin deficient individuals. The white flesh besides being aesthetically pleasing is supposedly better tasting as well. There is no discernable difference in the shells of this the white jade forms and the normal forms. They have been commercially farmed since the early 2000s and a small number turns up in pet shops around the world from time to time. Probably illegal in the pet trade of most countries but well....

I have not been following the commercial trade of this, but there is available information on the web that commercial white jade snail farming has spread to China where the meat appears to be gaining popularity. Frozen and canned white jade snail meat is also available. There is however, no mention of this trade even in very recent reports on Achatina fulica! Maybe the western malacologists and scientists are not yet aware of all the activity because of their linguistic barrier...

This 8-cm-long Hierodula patellifera mantis stayed outside my flat for 2 nights! It is recognised by the two white spines on each of the inner arms.

Striped Albatross (Appias libythea olferna). Atlas Moth: the big brother among moths.

Blue Sprite (Pseudagrion microcephalum) mating: male is on top. Female Crimson Dropwing (Trithemis aurora)

A Swallowtail Moth (Lyssa zampa) landed in Woodlands where I work. At that time, the only thing that came to mind was "Oh, the annual migration of this large moth has reached town again". Only upon searching back my last year's record did I realise that it was on the same day 11 Jun!

There's a nice urban story that this moth has something to do with spirits. Coincidence? You decide!

A red version the female Agriocnemis femina; these fellas come in various colour forms. A pair of Blue Sprite (Pseudagrion microcephalum) damsel having sex on a leaf of the ginger plant.

A small little colourful jumper 6 mm in size. Unknown metallic-green beetle approx 7 mm in size.

Crab Spider (Family Thomisidae). A female hiding among the flowers. A very tame subject to shoot.

Unknown ladybird larvae. The ring flash had created some interesting glow patterns on this fly's body.

Female Yellow Featherlegs (Copera marginipes). Male Handsome Grenadier (Agrionoptera sexlineata)

Telephone Sylvan (Coeliccia octogesima). Singapore Shadow (Drepanosticta quadrata)