Chien C. Lee

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  • Mangrove Jewel Bug (Calliphara nobilis). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A Giant Forest Ant (Dinomyrmex gigas) receives a droplet of sweet honeydew from the abdomen of a juvenile leaf-footed bug (Notobitus sp.). The bugs, which obtain more sugar than they need from the plant juices they feed on, are fiercely guarded by the ants in return. Mutually beneficial trophobiotic relationships such as this are very advantageous in the competitive ecosystem of the rainforest. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A juvenile Broad-headed Bug (family Alydidae) showing mimicry of a small ant. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • The gaudy colors of this iridescent shield bug (Chrysocoris sp.) warn predators of its ability to secrete a noxious odor when disturbed. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A female giant shield bug (Lyramorpha cf. maculifer) exhibiting maternal care of her young nymphs. Like other shield bugs, tessarotimids utilize chemical defenses and are capable of squirting a caustic liquid when disturbed. Highland Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • This seed bug (Metochus schultheissi) is the same size and color as the stinging Diacamma ant it shares its habitat with. Kubah National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Assassin bug (Zelurus sp.) which mimics a spider wasp. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Tessaratomid bug (Pygoplatys lancifer), female guarding eggs. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Ant assassin bug (Inara flavopicta), nymph with ant carcasses glued to its back for concealment. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lantern Bug (Pyrops candelarius) from Indochina.  Like other planthoppers, this insect feeds on tree sap by means of its piercing mouthparts.  The name refers to the erroneous belief that the snout-like projection emits light. Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam.
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  • Feather-legged Assassin Bug (Ptilocerus venosus). Members of this subfamily (Holoptilinae) are specialist predators on ants, some species even having a glandular trichome on their abdomens which serves to attract prey. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Newly hatched Red Stink Bugs (Pycanum alternatum) cluster together to amplify the effect of their aposematic warning coloration. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • With highly toxic chemical defenses ranging from benzoquinones to cyanide compounds, millipedes are generally avoided by most predators. However, in nature no matter how well protected you are, everyone has their Achilles' heel. In this case we have the Ectrichodiinid bugs, better known as ' Millipede Assassins'. These specialized hunters feed exclusively on millipedes, stabbing them with a stout proboscis, immobilizing them with venom, and are undeterred by their prey's thick armor and toxins. It is suspected that some species may actually be able to sequester the chemicals of the millipede to incorporate into their own defenses, but this remains to be studied. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lynx spider (Hamadruas superba) preying on plant bug (Alydidae). Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Broad-headed bugs (Riptortus sp.), juveniles showing mimicry of Oecophylla weaver ants. West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • The warning coloration of these juvenile Leaf-footed Bugs (Prionolomia sp.), which have a noxious taste to predators, is accentuated by their tightly grouped behavior. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Sap-feeding bugs such as this lanternfly (Pyrops whiteheadi) ingest large quantities of the nutrient-poor fluid, excreting the excess in the form of honeydew. Here a gecko (Gehyra mutilata) waits below the insect for an opportunistic meal of the sweet fluid. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Cantao ocellatus. Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam.
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops hobbyi). Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops cultellatus). Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Camouflaged fulgorid planthopper (Episcius sp.). Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops heringi), displaying its brightly colored hind wings when disturbed in an attempt to startle predators. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Few things exemplify the incredible complexity of rainforest ecosystems more than that of mutualisms between species. Here, a group of Giant Forest Ants (Dinomyrmex gigas) tend to a pair of lanternflies (Pyrops cultellatus), a relationship that has a net benefit for both species. The lanternflies, feeding directly from the phloem of the tree with their piercing straw-like mouthparts, harvest much more sugar-rich fluid than they actually need; the excess being excreted intermittently as a squirt of honeydew droplets from their abdomen. The ants position themselves directly behind and below the lanternflies and intercept these droplets with their heads, then consume the fluid and share it with their nestmates. In return, the ants guard the lanternflies and will ferociously attack any potential threat. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Four-clawed Gecko (Gehyra mutilata) attending a lanternfly (Pyrops whiteheadi) for secreted honeydew. Host tree is Pometia pinnata. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops intricatus) on Pometia pinnata tree. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Wax-tailed Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis). The waxy filaments may serve to mimic an insect that has been keeled by parasitoid fungi, and thus dispel a predator's interest. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Camouflaged fulgorid planthopper (Diareusa sp.). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Lanternfly (Saiva transversolineata). Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lanternfly (Scamandra rosea saturata). Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops sidereus), a rare species endemic to northern Borneo, here feeding on the sap of Garcinia sp. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A pair of blue fulgorid lanternflies (Pyrops maculatus) feed off the phloem of a tree in the lowland rainforest of Sinharaja National Park, Sri Lanka.
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops gunjii). East Kalimantan, Indonesia (Borneo).
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  • Lanternfly (Pyrops heringi). Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Giant Forest Ants (Dinomyrmex gigas) tending to fulgorid planthoppers (Scamandra polychroma) for honeydew secretions. Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Sometimes gregarious while feeding on the sap of trees, the whitish color of these lanternflies (Pyrops sultanus) is a waxy substance which serves to protect them from parasites, mildew, and predators. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Lanternfly (Saiva transversolineata). Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Treehoppers (Alchisme inermis), adult with nymphs. Parque Natural Chicaque, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
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  • Newly emerged cicada perched on its exuvia. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Cicadas (Huechys fusca), mating. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Dundubia vaginata, a common species of cicada from the Malay archipelago. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Under the cover of darkness, a cicada sheds its nymphal skin to emerge as a fully grown adult.  Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Jumping spider-mimicking planthopper (Rhotana hirashimai). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Mutualisms between ants and treehoppers are so effective that sometimes multiple species can occur together on the same plant without conflicts. Here, a Myrmecaria ant worker tends to a short-horned Tricentrus sp., while an extravagantly adorned Pyrgauchenia biuni feeds nearby. Both of these treehoppers feed on the plant phloem, tapping into the stem with their proboscis, and secrete excess sugary fluid which the ants gather. In return the ants not only fiercely protect the treehoppers from predators, but sometimes also assist in distributing the young hoppers to suitable branches on the host stem. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • A well-camouflaged Eurybrachid planthopper (Thessitus sp). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Ants (Dolichoderus beccarii) protecting treehoppers from which they harvest honeydew. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Planthopper (Rhotana marmorata), showing wings that mimic the appearance of a jumping spider which is one of their primary predators. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Planthopper (Flatidae), nymph. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • Emerald Cicada (Zammara smaragdula). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The bold patterns on the wings of this ricaniid planthopper bear a striking resemblance to the legs and body of a black spider. This mimicry may serve to ward off potential predators such as jumping spiders, which are highly visually-oriented hunters. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • The large tropical island of New Guinea hosts a high diversity of cicada species, such as this Baeturia sp., many of which are endemic to small regions. Batanta Island, West Papua, Indonesia.
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  • A cockroach (Allacta sp.) attending to a Cixiid planthopper (Singabenna praestans), waiting for honeydew secretions. Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Camouflage or a more cunning mimicry? Although cryptically patterned, this flatid planthopper from the Madagascan rainforest doesn't appear to blend particularly well against the tree bark on which it rests. However, a closer examination of its lace-like texture reveals that it is covered with filamentous white tufts, giving it a remarkable resemblance to an insect corpse that has been consumed by an entomopathogenic fungus. Given the abundance of such fungi in these wet forests, and their undesirability as food, this may be a clever strategy to deceive predators. Andasibe, Madagascar.
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  • Ryabov's Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma ryabovi), female. Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam.
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  • South-Vietnamese Bug-Eyed Frog (Theloderma vietnamense). Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam.
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  • Ryabov's Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma ryabovi), female. Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam.
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  • The Warted Frog is a rare species in Borneo, known from only a handful of sightings in the northwest. It is presumably a tree-hole breeder as in other Theloderma. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Borneo's orchid flora is estimated to comprise as many as 3000 species. Many remain unnamed and undescribed by science, including this tiny species (Bulbophyllum sp.). Although many Bulbophyllum flowers entice pollinators by unusual, often foul-smelling, odors, the bug-like appearance of this species' flowers may play a role in luring insects, a case of Pouyannian mimicry. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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