Natural History Notes

Plant and Animal Life in Southeast Asia

Forest snail

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- January 17, 2011

Snails belong to a group of animals known as gastropod which literally means "stomach-foot". I found this one on the forest floor, releasing a tranparent mucus as it crawls.

gastropod snail

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Types of Insect Antennas

- May 18, 2012

The antennas or commonly called feelers are one of the most characteristics features of insects’ parts. They are elongated appendages in various length and shape projected from the insect’s head. Essentially a sensory organ, the insect antennas give them the ability to detect chemical and movement. The simplest type of antenna is the filiform which consist of many more or less the same sized subunits. This beetle of the Anobiidae family displays a pectinate antenna A wide array of antenna forms is found as a result of different modification of the subunits. A pectinate antenna, for example, has each subunit prolonged at one side, giving rise to a comb like appearance. In many insects of the order Lepidoptera which include moths and butterflies, the antenna gradually becomes broader at the tip making it looks like a club or knob ( clavate ). The clavate antenna of a butterfly ended in a knob

Compound Eyes of Insects

- March 30, 2014

Compound eyes consist of numerous ommatidia. Most insects have compound eyes, which upon closer inspection have many an array tiny lenses. They are the most visible part of the subunits of the compound eyes known as ommatidia. Each ommatidium comprises of the lens, light gathering unit and light absorbing cells. A dragonfly's compound eyes can have thousands of ommatidia. Because the lens is not flexible like ours, an insect cannot focus properly resulting in less detailed view of their surroundings. However, an insect vision is very efficient when it comes to detecting movement. As an object moves across their field of vision, it turns each corresponding ommatidia on and off making them highly sensitive to movement. This adaptation of the insect eyes is important because it helps insects evade predators, hunt potential prey and avoid collision when flying. Compound eyes help this fly catches its prey. The numbers of ommatidia varies among insects. General

Poisonous Plant: Lantana camara

- January 25, 2018

Flowers of Lantana camara . Originally brought from South America to this region for decorative purposes, Lantana camara has escaped into the wild where it thrived at clearings around villages, cultivation and forested areas. Owing to its toxicity, this shrubby plant belonging to the verbena family has become a cause of concern to the extent that it is categorized as an invasive species in some countries. Some ripe and unripe fruits of Lantana camara . The fruits, for instance, although appear edible, can cause serious implication if consumed. Indeed, fatal cases have been recorded especially among children. Ingestion of the leaves by ruminants such as cows and goats will lead to liver damage followed by death in a few days. Arrangement of leaves and flower clusters of Lantana camara . The unmistakable flower clusters are held on erect stalk from the leaf axil near the top. Most of the flowers are orange and yellow, but variations occur in which the flowers

Cat's Eye Fruit

- May 22, 2011

A bunch of Cat's Eye fruits The Cat's Eye fruit is one of the most popular fruits in Southeast Asia. It is related to the Longan or Dragon's Eye ( Dimocarpus longan ). Taxonomically it is a variety of the Longan. The scientific name of Cat's Eye plant is Dimocarpus longan var malesianus , but this particular variety is widely grown only in Southeast Asia. The small fruit contain a shiny black and smooth seed, surrounded by translucent pulp. It tastes sweet, and slightly juicy. The inflorescence of Cat's Eye fruit tree The tree itself is quite attractive with light brown bark, dark-green pinnate leaves and small, white flowers held in terminal panicles. The flower is visited by numerous flies and butterflies. It then become the fruit which is covered by thin brown and somewhat woody skin that can be easily peel off by hand. Not only people like the fruits, but many kind of animal such as treeshrew and squirrels too.

Figs and Cauliflory

- February 16, 2011

Cauliflorous fig This fig tree exhibits cauliflory, that is the flowers and fruits are borned on the trunk instead on branches or twigs. Such plants are referred as cauliflorous and figs are most notable in this botanical feature. Not all fig plant ( Ficus spp. ), however, is cauliflorous for some bear flowers and fruits on twigs or even on the ground. Other species of plants that are not part of the fig family also show cauliflory such as Brownea macrophylla .

Assassin Bug

- July 22, 2015

Assassin bugs (Family Heteroptera) are aptly named because they are predatory insects, feeding mainly on other insects. This hemipteran of the order Reduviidae has a relatively small and longish head with large compound eyes and a distinct sucking mouthparts. Their legs are fairly large and they effectively use it to grasp their prey. They puncture their victim with their elongated mouthparts and inject poisonous saliva which will dissolves tissues, before eventually suck their prey body fluid. Assassin bug with prey. Interestingly, assassin bugs are known to use chemical bait to catch their prey. Some species collect plant sap on their leg that attract other insects. Others secrete chemical that not only attract ants but also kill them. And one species spits poisonous chemical to paralyze its prey. Assassin bug uses its long mouthparts to feed on other insects. Except for those species that cause Chagas disease in South America, assassin bugs are not harmful to ma

Mangosteen Tree and Fruit

- July 17, 2012

Ripe Mangosteen fruits ready to serve. The Mangosteen, like the Durian and Rambutan, has its origin in Southeast Asia. Mangosteen fruit is round and crowned with several woody lobes. The rind of a ripe fruit is dark purple. It is rather thick, but soft. If you squeeze lightly each side of the fruit, it would split open, revealing segments of white flesh covering some seeds arranged in a circle. The taste of Mangosteen fruit is sweet but acidic. Mangosteen trees Botanically, the Mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana ) belongs to the family Guttiferae, and the genus Garcinia in particular consist of hundreds of species found in the tropics. It is a small tree with oppositely arranged thick, dark green leaves. It is not an easy task to grow the Mangosteen tree in large scale for it may takes up to 15 years before fruiting began. Related Post Hairy Rambutan Fruit

Hairy Rambutan Fruit

- February 14, 2012

Bunches of ripe Rambutan fruits Rambutan trees ( Nephelium lappaceum ) are common sight in rural areas in the region as they are grown in orchards and gardens. The Rambutan tree can reach up to 10 m in height. They are planted primarily for the fruit, easily identified by its ellipsoid shape, red colour and characteristically hairy appearance. The name Rambutan is derived from the word rambut which means hair in the Indo-Malayan region in particular. In Vietnam, however, it is known as Hairy Cherry. The outer skin is thin can be readily peel off by hands, and it encloses the white pulp that surrounds the woody seed. It is this pulp with its juicy and sweet taste that is consumed. In terms of nutrition, Rambutan fruit rich in vitamin C. There are many varieties of Rambutan, the most favourable are the ones with the pulp does not adheres to the seed so tightly. Seedless varieties also existed but they are not common.

Insect Mouthparts

- September 23, 2012

Basically, insect mouthparts consist of four modified appendages: labrum (upper lip), mandibles (jaws), maxillae (second jaws) and labium (lower lip). Mouthparts are categorized into two main groups: biting mouthparts and sucking mouthparts. A damselfly has biting mouthparts. Insects with biting mouthparts are usually those that eat vegetation or other insects. These insects use their muscle powered mandibles to chew and tear their food. Damselflies and grasshoppers are examples of this group of insects. The butterflies are insects with sucking mouthparts. What appear to be a tube are two elongated maxilla fused together. In butterflies, it is known as proboscis and it can curl inward. Proboscis of a butterfly. The mouthparts are adaptation of insects for different diet. Therefore, you can guess what type of mouthpart an insect possesses by observing its feeding behavior. Even within the same species, the mouthparts may differ depending on life stage. Take the

Uses of the Madagascar Periwinkle

- January 10, 2013

Despite its name, the Madagascar periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus madagascariensis ) is believed to be native to Central America, specifically the Caribbean. A widely used garden plant, the Madagascar periwinkle is especially useful as covering plant by growing them in large numbers around other plants, particularly those with larger flowers. Periwinkle flowers However, it is in medicine that the Madagascar periwinkle as been proven highly beneficial. In many tropical countries including those in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, this plant is utilized in traditional medicine to cure various ailments like heart condition, diabetes, indigestion and toothache. More importantly, modern medicine has been using the alkaloids extracted from the Madagascar periwinkle to treat certain types of cancer. It is so effective to the extent that the chance of surviving some form of cancer such as pediatric leukemia has increased dramatically. The Madagascar periwinkle is