Pond Wolf Spider

While in the midst of spot lightning for the Barn Owl, I can’t helped but noticed the many Wolf Spiders’ eye shine on the grassy field. They seemed to be calling out for my attention.

Zeroing on an individual, I was pleasantly surprised to see a female spider carrying her spiderlings on her back. There are so many spiderlings that I could hardly see the mother at all. A study has concluded that mothers with spiderlings are more mobile with greater directional movement compared to other females. This higher mobility together with the gradual dismounting of spiderlings will aid in spreading the young throughout their habitat and thus avoid kin competition.

We noticed a male nearby following the mother. Yixiong tried to catch it and was promptly bitten. Ha-ha…. the spider lived up to his name.

Pond Wolf Spiders (Pardosa pseudoannulata) are fast running predators and can be found on the ground near water bodies. These spiders from the family Lycosidae has their eight eyes arranged in three rows of 4, 2, 2.



Pictures taken at: Pierce Road, May 2007.


References:

Bonte, D., S. Van Belle & J-P. Maelfait, 2006. ‘Maternal care and reproductive state-dependent mobility determine natal dispersal in a wolf spider’, Animal Behaviour, doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.06.021

Koh, K. H. J., 1989. A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders. Singapore Science Centre.

Murphy, F. & J. Murphy, 2000. An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia, Malaysian Nature Society. United Selangor Press Sdn. Bhd, Kuala Lumpur.

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

Sometimes nature will present its intimate moment at the most unexpected time. You just have to be lucky and ever ready to capture it.

We were hiking along Macritchie Reservoir when a pair of Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma) made an unannounced appearance. They fleeted among the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) bushes feeding on its fruits. The birds were only about two metres away and were uninhabited by our presence. As I took the pictures, Weiling’s nature guiding instinct kicked in and she promptly pointed the birds to a couple of passing tourist hikers. I hope the birds made the tourist’s day.



Male Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers have a beautiful orange breast and back with yellowish vent and coverts while the females are duller. They are our common resident. They can be seen flying energetically among the tree tops feeding on nectar, small fruits and insects.

The birds we saw sure looked like a loving couple.










Pictures taken at: Macritchie Reservoir, May 2007.


References:

Robson, C., 2000. A Field Guide to the Birds of South-east Asia, New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, London.