Image Copyright BB Divers
Observed: Koh Chang Reefs, 2015
Observed By: BB Divers
Giant Gorgonian Fan Coral is a striking and very attractive species of fan coral that has a distictive network of branch-like filaments that are typically red in colour.
They live on tropical reefs to depths of up to 40 metres and can grow up to 2 metres in width.
Annella Mollis Florent’s Guide to the Tropical Reefs
Image Copyright BB Divers
Observed: Koh Chang Reefs, 2015
Observed By: BB Divers
The Delicate Sea Whip is much different to the more robust reef-building coral species. The living polyps of this species instead extand outward in long fragile-looking filaments. they live on tropical reefs to depths of up to 50 metres and can frow up to 2 metres in length.
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Observed: Koh Chang Reefs, 2015
Observed By: Jonathan Milnes
It seems that corals have all kinds of vernacular names. This one is know as Compact Coral, Honeycomb Coral and Diploastrea Brain Coral. Pick one you like and go with it.
It is an intricately patterned hard coral that is widespread throughout tropical waters all across the Indo-West Pacific, including the Gulf of Thailand.
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Observed: Koh Chang Reefs, 2015
Observed By: Jonathan Milnes
Acropora is a genus of small polyp-corals that include table corals such as this Solid table coral as well as elkhorn and staghorn corals.
These are some of the major reef-building corals since they create huge calcium carbonate structures that support the very thin living coral exterior.
Observed: Koh Chang, 2015
Observed By: Jonathan Milnes
Phyllidia are a family of sea slugs that include the specimen pictured and its close relative the Varicose Wart Slug. This example lacks the bright yellow colour of the Varicose wart slug but is very similar in size and morphology. We’re not sure which species of Phyllidia it actually is.
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Observed: Koh Chang, 2015
Observed By: Jonathan Milnes
Surely no creature deserves to be christened with a name as repulsive as “varicose wart slug”? Especially not something as brightly coloured, weird and wonderful as this marine mollusc.
The varicose wart slug is found in the tropical marine environment of koh Chang and also all across the Indian and pacific ocean region.
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Image Copyright Perry Stevens
Observed: Koh Chang, October 2015
Observed By: Perry Stevens, David Vinot
You wouldn’t think it to see them crawling slowly around Koh Chang but the giant African land snail is one of the top 100 invasive species of the world.
They carry disease to native plants (and also humans!) and are also voracious and destructive feeders.
I guess you can’t blame them for being successful but they’re big (up to 20cm long), disease ridden, slimy, oh and on occasion they resort to cannibalism.
Image: David Vinot
Image: David Vinot
Image: David Vinot
Image: David Vinot
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Last Observed: December 2015 – Koh Chang
Observed By: สุธนัย ครุพานิช
The marvellous trapdoor spiders are a family of arichnids that have developed a supremely sneaky and effective system for trapping their prey.
They inhabit holes in the ground that are covered by a hinged lid that is attached to series of warning threads of web. When an unwitting victim disturbs one of these triggers the trapdoor spider leaps out with shocking speed – grabs its prey – and drops back into its hole to dine.
You’ve got to hand it to evolution, that’s a pretty good system! these spiders thrive in the forest environment of Koh Chang.
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Observed: December 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: สุธนัย ครุพานิช
The Crab Spider Misumessis Oblongus is a very small, almost transparent spider of the Thomasidae family.
Commonly members of this family live by ambush hunting in flowers.
crab spider collin hutton photography
Image Copyright Loukpud Shinkhem
Image Copyright Loukpud Shinkhem
2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: Loukpud Shunkhem,
The King Crow is a butterfly with an amazing life cycle. It’s appearance changes constantly through its caterpillar stage culminating in the weird and striking final stage pictured.
Then the caterpillar turns into a pupa of a striking shiny gold colour.
And so when it emerges as a butterfly it is… brown-winged with white spots – a very respectable looking insect but not quite as bright as you would have expected.
There’s an excellent write up below.
King Crow Life History at Butterflycircle
A note on Instars
I keep reading about instars in relation to insect growth. Here’s what they are. Insects develop through a series of stages known as instars. Each instar usually culminates in the shedding of a layer of skin, and often, as in the case of the King Crow – by very dramatic changes in appearance.
