Hi again, herbst.theresa, I have cut open a few of the Witches Hats. Before I started, I measured them as best I could (I should have mentioned the size in my spotting) and it is approximately as follows: The disc at the base is 0.5 mm thick and 4 mm in diameter. The bottom of the cone is 1.5 mm in diameter and the height from the substrate to the top of the cone is 5 mm. So, it is quite tiny, the measuring was the easy part. When it came to the dissecting (the nearest thing I have to a scalpel is a small "craft knife"), it was not exactly a work of precision, but I did manage to slice one vertically and another horizontally. The inside appeared to be a solid mass of grey/green plant material and I could not see an aphid or any other insect. When I spent a moment looking at it with a magnifying glass, I realized that working on such a small scale requires a proper scalpel and considerable practice. Since I don't have even a modest microscope, I resorted to taking a picture with my macro lens and zoomed in to get a better view, but there was nothing to be seen. I considered removing one of the photos from the spotting and replacing it with the photo I took of the “dissection” (butchery would be a more accurate description), but it is such an amateur effort that I think it would just be a distraction from what is, after all, a serious attempt to complete the identification. Thank you, again, for your help and encouragement. However, I think I have gone as far as I can with this one for now, but there always the possibility that I will stumble on something by chance and complete this difficult I.D. Happy Spotting. John B.

Yellow and Black Scoliidae wasp. Black legs black eyes and head. Light colored hairs all over. Antenna seem to be fairly long for a scoliid wasp. Wings, brown with purple sheen on transparent wings.

Also known as the Bornean Falconet, it is the world's smallest bird-of-prey! It grows up to 15cm tall only.

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is the most popular hornbill species of Borneo and Malaysia for its iconic appearance and cultural significance. Out of the 8 hornbill species found in Borneo, this one has the most curved "horn". This couple of hornbills are photographed on a wild fig tree (Ficus dubia) where they are enjoying feeding on the ripe fruits. The first photo shows a male with red eyes and the second photo is the female with white eyes.

Common name: Snowball Mealybug
Scientific name: Margarodidae Monophlebulus sp.

The snail live in freshwater and has gills. Adult females oviposit on the rice plant at night. The eggs are bright pink and are attached above the waterline. Their size varies from 2 to 3 mm in diameter and an average clutch contains 200 to 600 eggs. During dry season the snails bury themselves in moist soil. They can aestivate for 6 months. They become active again when the soil is flooded.