odd red spider, sentosa...

[pai]

hmm. still haven't gotten round to buying books on insects, so in the meantime, can anyone kindly help ID this fella? it used its web to make some kind of "hammock" out of a leaf about the same size and colour itself, so i almost couldn't see it. when i got too near, it would spin the entire leaf, so that it turned 180 degrees, and the spider was hidden underneath. very interesting behaviour. sorry for the harsh flash and black background, was under the canopy, simply too dark to handhold...



ok lah, a few more bugs just for fun. suggestions for improvement are welcome! all shots with km 5D, tamron 90mm, built-in flash.

[melvynyeo]

#1 Should be a Red Tent Spider. Nice catch! I didn't know it'll flip the leaf to avoid attention. Thanks for sharing

[pai]

yep. sometimes it would also crawl behind the leaf, then crawl back out again. very quick movements. not sure if it's hiding, or trying to scare me off.

thanks for the ID!

[Jayson_Ang]

is the red spider edible?
looks like satay ... yummy

[Incastasman]

wow..very nice n sharp

[pai]

Originally Posted by Incastasman wow..very nice n sharp

thanks... actually i'm quite frustrated, the shots are all overflashed except maybe the grasshopper. and as for that, i think i missed the focus on the eyes a little

the red spider shot is very poor, but i posted it cos wanted the id, and also thought it was interesting and less commonly seen, so put up this record shot for ppl to see.

will keep trying!

[Denosha]

I'm curious to know what's #3. I've got a shot of the same insect but have no idea what it is called - http://denosha.shutterchance.com/photoblog/283.htm

[tchuanye]

Originally Posted by Denosha I'm curious to know what's #3. I've got a shot of the same insect but have no idea what it is called - http://denosha.shutterchance.com/photoblog/283.htm

I think they are called
Name : Stilt Flies
(Diptera:Micropezidae)

Pai, nice pics. Quite like the GH shot. The BG could be better though if not for the brown thing behind its back.

[pai]

thx tchuanye. yeah, pity about the background. i guess when shooting natural things, we have to take what we get. still learning.

[tchuanye]

Originally Posted by pai thx tchuanye. yeah, pity about the background. i guess when shooting natural things, we have to take what we get. still learning.

Agree...but sometimes, you be surprised, by just changing the angle of the camera, the BG can be totally different! Of course, that does not work all the time, but its a good practice to move a little here and there to check out the BG. E.g the shots here of the Lynx. Its the same lynx in the same posture, but taken at different angles, and the BG can change colour.

[pai]

Originally Posted by tchuanye Agree...but sometimes, you be surprised, by just changing the angle of the camera, the BG can be totally different! Of course, that does not work all the time, but its a good practice to move a little here and there to check out the BG.

yes boss! hee