A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Opiliones (harvestmen), an order of Arachnids. Malaysian Harvestmen / Daddy Longlegs are different from the western harvestmen. The harvestmen here are usually small-bodied with skinny long legs and short pedipalps, from the Sclerosomatidae family. This type of harvestmen are the "outdoor" type, not like the another type of harvestmen here that only stays inside tree barks. This species does not have a horn, which is rare. Most of the harvestmen species here are equipped with at least one horn / spike.
Plants under the shadow in Kinabalu National Park, Kundasang, Sabah, Malaysia.
Kinabalu National Park is the best place for Opiliones-hunters to be. Kinabalu National Park display a wide variety of Opiliones species. I've never been to other places in Malaysia that contains more harvestmen diversity than Kinabalu National Park. I believe that Opiliones can be used as a indicator. The more natural, greenery, wildlife, preserved, healthier an area is, the more harvestman species and population there are. For example, there are no harvestmen in the town I live in, I've found only one species in the oil palm plantation nearby, I've seen 2 species of Opiliones in the hill near my house, there are about 4 species I've discovered in the forest reserve further away, and as for Kinabalu Park, there are harvestmen everywhere and I've spotted more than 8 species here. >>>Map accuracy : 400m diameter.
Spotted on Dec 16, 2009
Submitted on Oct 23, 2011
2 Comments
Thanks.
Chun: this is an amazing shot. well done!