exploring microfauna since 2018
After years of trudging through forests and peering into the hidden lives of tiny creatures, the number of lifers I get should rightfully decline but 2025 proved to be remarkably defiant. This year delivered an extraordinary run of lifers — each one earned through planning, patience, persistence, luck, and lots of grit. This post highlights [ ] The post Macro Highlights – The Best of 2025 first…
Stag Beetles from the family Lucanidae are strikingly charismatic beetles, easily recognised by the males oversized, antler-like jaws that resemble a stag s horns. These impressive mandibles are used not for feeding, but for wrestling rivals during battles for mates or territory. Etymology The family name Lucanidae comes from the genus name Lucanus, which in Latin, [ ] The post Lucanidae…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have elevated the level of convenience in accomplishing some day-to-day tasks, but it has also become the scourge to professional photographers. In the past years, we ve been seeing examples of wildlife photographs being modified or regenerated by AI and getting posted on social media with incorrect and misleading captions, often generated [ ] The post AI Abuse to…
Pleasing Fungus Beetles from the family Erotylidae Latreille, 1802 are generally brightly coloured and hairless. Their antennae are clubbed, and tarsi (final leg segment) always 5-jointed. Although they are said to feed on fungus, I rarely see them in the vicinity of any fruiting fungi. Etymology The scientific family name Erotylidae was based on the [ ] The post Erotylidae Checklist: Pleasing…
2024 has been a very special year. For many of us, going to another country for macro photography is a huge endeavor which involves a myriad of work and family logistics planning while we are away. More importantly, it involves the approval and support of our partners to undertake all household maintenance and child-caring tasks [ ] The post Macro Highlights – The Best of 2024 first appeared on…
The Borneo Jungle Girl Camp or Trus Madi Entomology Camp sits deep in the lush forests of Gunung Trusmadi, Sabah — the northern-most state of Malaysian Borneo. It is a Class 1 Fully Protected Forestry Reserve on Mount Trusmadi, the second highest mountain in Malaysia, standing at 2642 meters (8668 feet) tall. The camp is [ ] The post Moths of Borneo: Gunung Trusmadi first appeared on Macro…
Lynx spiders of the family Oxyopidae got their name from their hunting behaviour, akin to that of the Lynx cats. They are adept at chasing after their prey from leaf to leaf and some are capable of leaping to catch their prey in flight. The taxonomy of the genera in Oxyopidae is unfortunately not very [ ] The post Lynx Spiders: Oxyopidae Checklist first appeared on Macro Photography by Nicky Bay .
2023 went by in a flash, but not without a bang. I managed to document lots of amazing lifers and did field trips in Borneo and Thailand as well. I ve finally launched Isopod Site which started as a photo compilation of terrestrial isopods and slowly adding in information on taxonomy and biology of isopods. Towards [ ] The post Macro Highlights – The Best of 2023 first appeared on Macro…
The new Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50X NA0.5 Supermicro APO is a beast that produces great images at a fraction of the cost of high end microscope objectives. While the end results may look mind-blowing to those new to microscopy, many are still clueless to how they can start using the entire Laowa Aurogon set effectively. [ ] The post A Photographer’s Guide to Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50X NA0.5 Supermicro…
Ladybirds from the family Coccinellidae Latreille, 1807 are also commonly known as Ladybugs in North America, but are actually not true bugs but beetles. That is why some prefer to use the name ladybird beetles rather than ladybugs to avoid any confusion caused by the misnomer. Ladybirds are one of the few insects that are [ ] The post Coccinellidae Checklist: Ladybird Beetles first appeared on…