Tag Archive: Rainforest Borneo


1-16-15 Cherry Barb from Ron’s Freshwater Series

Filed under: FRESH WATER FISHES, RAINFOREST BORNEO — Leave a comment
January 16, 2015

TAXONOMY:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Cypriniformes (Carps)
Family: Cyprinidae (Minnows or Carps)

Genus/species: Puntius titteya

3729700826_694a261026_b

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: An elongated fish with a compressed body, fawn-colored on top with a slight greenish sheen. Sides and belly have silver highlights with a horizontal stripe extending from the tip of the snout through the eye to the base of the caudal fin, with an iridescent, metallic line above it. Males are redder than females and attain a deeper red color at breeding time. Females are usually yellow and they are much lighter in color, usually just with some yellow and a light orange/black horizontal band. The female is also a lot plumper than the male. Cherry refers to the fish’s red color. Max. length: 5 cm (2 inches).

Male above and female below.

Cherry Barb (female) 3750942153_ca01fdd6c8_b

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Native to Sri Lanka with introduced populations established in Mexico
and Colombia. Found in heavily shaded streams and rivulets, preferring shallow, slow-moving water with silt substrate and leaf cover.

DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivorous, detritus, green algae, diatoms, dipterans and animal matter.

REPRODUCTION: Most small cyprinids Puntius spp. are egg-scattering free spawners exhibiting no parental care.

CONSERVATION IUCN: Least concern

BO09 Rainforest Borneo Southeast Asia Community

References

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/Puntius-titteya.html

Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/212437/details

Ron’s flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/3729700826/in/set-72157620567930293/

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-17f

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1-3-15 Moonlight Gourami from Ron’s Freshwater Fish Series

Filed under: FRESH WATER FISHES, RAINFOREST BORNEO — Leave a comment
January 3, 2015

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinoptergii
Order: Pecifomes
Family: Osphronemidae (Gouramis)

Genus/species: Trichogaster microlepis

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: It has a greenish hue similar to moonlight glow, hence its name, and a distinctive concave head. Males can be identified by the orange to red color of the pelvic fins and the long, pointed dorsal fins. The female’s pelvic fins are colorless to yellow, while the dorsal fins are shorter and rounder. Length: 12–15 cm  (4.66 – 6 inches)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Thailand and Cambodia. Found in ponds, lakes and swamps with shallow, sluggish or standing water and abundant vegetation.

DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivorous. Eats insects, crustaceans, and zooplankton.

REPRODUCTION: Oviparous; a bubble nest builder. The bubble nest does not contain much plant matter so the bubbles float around freely. The male performs a courtship dance beneath the nest, culminating with the male wrapping itself around the female and turning her on her back as she releases her eggs. Up to 2000 eggs may be laid during the spawning. The male fertilizes the eggs as they float up to the prepared bubble nest. Eggs incubate in the nest for 2–3 days before hatching.

CONSERVATION: IUCN: Least Concern (LC)  No major threats to this species have been reported, however, pollution in wetlands, infrastructure and draining water may impact the species.

REMARKS: Like all labyrinth fish, T. microlepis has a special lung-like organ that allows it to breathe air directly from above the water line. This allows gouramis to survive in pools with a low oxygen.

LOCATION: BO09 Rainforest Borneo, Southeast Asia Community 

References 

fishbase www.fishbase.org/summary/4729

 Encyclopedia of Life  eol.org/pages/203969/details

flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157627795872023/

WordPress shortlink   http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-dB


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12-18-14 File-eared Tree Frog from Ron’s Amphibian Series

Filed under: AMPHIBIANS, RAINFOREST BORNEO — Leave a comment
December 18, 2014

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura (frogs and toads)
Family: Rhacophoridae (shrub frogs including Asian flying frogs)

Genus/species: Polypedates otilophus

IMG_0389

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Dorsal color light brown to gray to yellowish brown or bright yellow. Head triangular and longer than broad; serrated bony ridge behind the eye. Pupils are horizontal, with yellowish gray irises. Thin black stripes run from the head down the back; thighs marked by black bars. Finger and toe tips expanded into large discs; toes webbed. Length from snout to vent: 6–8 cm (2.4- 3 inches) female 10 cm (4 inches).

Reinwardt's flying frog (Rhacophorus reinwardtii) MG_0098_2

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Islands of Borneo and Sumatra in lowland rainforest up to elevations of around 400 m (1300 feet). Found in trees, bushes and freshwater ponds.

DIET IN THE WILD: Insects, crickets and spiders .

REPRODUCTION: When ready to mate the male calls loudly then the pair builds a foam nest overhanging water which the tadpoles eventually drop into.

CONSERVATION: IUCN least concern. Though populations are declining somewhat, this frog’s wide distribution and ability to thrive under conditions modified by humans suggest a strong survivability quotient.

IMG_0231

REMARKS: Has a has an unpleasant musty smell, which people find irritating.

Borneo, B011

References

Encyclopedia of life  eol.org/pages/1048298/details

AmphibiaWeb  http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Polypedates&where-species=otilophus

flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608456457315/with/3766068513/

WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-11k

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12-1-14 Water Monitor from Ron’s Reptile Series

Filed under: RAINFOREST BORNEO, REPTILES — Leave a comment
December 1, 2014

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae

Genus/species: Varanus salvator (melanistic color form)

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Color is usually dark brown or blackish.  The neck is  long with an elongated snout and the nostrils close to the end of the nose. The tail is laterally compressed and has a dorsal keel. Scales on the top of the head are relatively large, while those on the back are smaller in size and are keeled. Length to 2 meters (6.6 ft), but most adults are 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) long. Average weight is 19.5 kg (43 lb). As of 2014 the Academy Water Monitor is aprox. 7 years old and 4 feet long (California Academy of Sciences, Eric Hupperts, Biologist)

Water Monitor

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Found throughout much of southern Asia, from India in the west to the Philippines and the Indo-Australian islands in the east. They are semi-aquatic and has a wide range of habitats. Also found on flat land, a typical burrow is in a river bank. The entrance starts on a downward slope but then increases forming a shallow pool of water.

DIET IN THE WILD: The lizard is very fast and is an ‘open pursuit’ hunter, rather than stalking and ambushing. V. salvator is an extreme carnivore: birds, eggs, mammals, fishes, other reptiles and carrion.
Academy diet: Rodents.

REPRODUCTION: Males are normally larger than the females, usually twice as large in mass.. Eggs are usually deposited along rotting logs or stumps.

LIFESPAN: 10.6 years in captivity.

Water Monitor

CONSERVATION: IUCN Redlist: Least Concern. CITES: appendix II. It is abundant in parts of its range, despite large levels of harvesting.

REMARKS:They are excellent swimmers known to cross large stretches of water, explaining its wide distribution. Known to dig up corpses of human and devour them.

Skins of  V. salvator are used for dietary protein, ceremonies, medicine, and leather goods. Annual trade in these skins may reach more than 1 million whole skins a year, mostly in Indonesia for the leather trade. Medium-sized individual are preferred because the skin of large animals is too tough and thick to shape.

References:

Encyclopedia of Life  http://eol.org/pages/1055072/details

Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Varanus_salvator/

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-TY

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157625194985646/with/5492305677/

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