Personal Profile
Name: Chua Kian Wee
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Address: Singapore
Other interests: Outdoor sports like rockclimbing, hiking, canoeing, scuba diving.
Likes all forms of ball game but got no ball sense.
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Hey! That's me doing a dyno (climbing jargon for dynamic move) |
Other special interest: Computer games, Star Wars fan.
Occupation: Student in Dentistry (National University of Singapore)
When I started to seriously learn about animals: 5 years old
Personal research areas:
Electric fishes esp Malapterurus electricus
Scorpions
Venom and toxin
Breeding of scorpions, Ranatra sp, Betta splendens
Research work:
Once a member of Science Research Programme (SRP)
Presently doing some study on scorpions in Singapore with the kind assistance of
Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) of National University of Singapore (NUS).
Send specimen for DNA phylogeny (Lorenzo Prendini, South Cape Town)
Going through Lychas with help and coordination from Erich Volschenk (Australia) and Dr
Frantisek Kovarik (Czech Rep)
SNAPSHOTS
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What I kept or observed (up-close, personal encounter,
handled) before:
Pls understand that most of the species name stated are mostly based on outward
appearance, size and locality. Some take into consideration behaviours while only a few
are definite match based on specific anatomical features.
Especially for spiders, many are not measured or recorded accurately but based on my
memory (which says much about the inaccuracies)
For those who are accusing me of harming nature due to my interest, I must admit I am
remorseful about keeping (and indirectly killing) some of them in the past. However, I no
longer capture wild specimens unless it is for research. Even then, I usually release
them, at most, days after capture to the same area. Most times, I just observe and
appreciate them. I also avoid disrupting their environment while doing so in recent years.
Pets I keep nowadays generally only die of old age (and rarely, unknown cause) under my
care. I also realise the danger of releasing unwanted pets and does not do so except under
special consideration.
Scorpions:
1) Heterometrus spinifer
2) Pandinus imperator
3) Isometrus maculatus
4) Lychas sp.
5) Hadrurus arizonensis
6) Heterometrus laoticus
7) Heterometrus longimanus
8) Lioscheles sp.
9) Parabuthus transvaalicus
10) Vaejovis spinigerus
11) Buthus sp. (occitanus?)
12) Centruroides vittatus
Spiders :
1) Batik Golden web spider, Nephila antipodiana
2) Golden Web spider, Nephila maculata
3) Ornamental tree trunk spider, Herennia ornatissima
4) St Andrew's cross spider, Argiope versicolor
5) Oval st Andrew's cross spider, Argiope aemula
6) Curved spiny spider, Gasteracantha arcuata
7) Hasselt's Spiny spider, Gasteracantha hasseltii
8) Black and white spiny spider, Gasteracantha kuhlii
9) Kidney garden spider, Araneus mitificus
10)Laglaise's Garden spider, Eriovisia laglaisei
11)Common garden spider, (f) Parawixi dehaani
12)Long bellied cyclosa spider, Cyclosa bifida
13)Cyclosa insulana??
14)Arachnura sp? (Malaysia)
15)silver leucage, Leucauge argentina
16)Decorative leucage, Leucauge decorata
17)Striated Tylorida, Tylorida striata
18)Spit faced silver spider, Argyrodes fissifrons
19)Whip spider, Argyrodes flagellum
20)Pale daddy long leg, Smeringopu pallidus
21)twig like feather legged spider, Miagrammopes sp. ?
22)Common tiny house dweller, Oecobius sp.
23)Brown spitting spider, Scytodes fusca
24)Spotted ground spider, Storena cinctipes
25)Invisible ground spider, Crytothele sundaica
26)Burmese lynx spider, Oxyopes birmanicus
27)Wolf spider, Pardosa pseudoannulata
28)Nursery web spider, Eurychoera quadrimaculata
29)Singapore fishing spider (25mm!!), Dolomedes sp or Thalassius?
30)Brown grass spider, Polyboea vulpina
31)Elegant golden jumper, Chrysill lauta
32)Epeus flavobilineatus
33)Horned grass jumper, Evarcha flavocincta
34)Hairy armed jumper, Harmochirus brachiatus
35)Adanson's House Jumper, Hasariius adansoni
36)Heavy jumper, Hyllus diardi ?(15mm, brilliant coloration, same pattern)
37)Mangrove jumper, Ligurra latidens
38)Common house jumper, Menemerus bivittatus
39)Banded pintella, Phintella vittata
40)Larger housefly catcher, plexippus paykulli
41)Common housefly catcher, Plexippus petersi
42)Jolly Telamonia, Telamonia festiva
43)Fighting spider ;), Thiania bhamoensis
44)wide jawed Viciria,, Viciria praemeandibularis
45)Grey cocalus, Cocalus murinus
46)A few ant-mimicking spiders, Myrmarache sp like M.plataleoides
47)White stripped wandering spider, Anahita sp
48)Grainy Oedignata,Oedignata scrobculata
49) ant mimicking Apochinomma sp
50)Stoliczka's Crab spider, Thomisus stoliczka
51)Litter crab spider, Borboropactus sp (with eggs which later produce spiderlings)
52)A lot of other very colourful crab spiders (at least 4)which are not in guidebook.
54)Huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria (awesome!)
55)Singapore tarantula, Phlogiellus inermis (many in army training ground, trench)
56)Aphonopelma seemanni
57)Grammostola rosea
58)Avicularia versicolor
59)Hysterocrates sp.
60)Haplopelma minax
Insects:
Just looking at my spider list should deter anyone from looking at my insect list,
suffice to say I handled many intentionally or otherwise. The more interesting ones are
below:
1) At least 5 different species of stick insects named ones may be Lonchodes geniculatus,
Prisomera malaya ?(Mandai). Actually I can't differentiate.......
2) At least 2 different species of leaf insects.
3) At least 4 different species of mantis (some are very unique) juveniles are ant like
and can't be identified.
4) God know how many kinds of beetles. Interesting ones are stag beetles and diving beetle
Dsycticus marginalis
5) Ants........
6) Water stick insect, Ranatra sp. successful inbreeding for 5 generations!
Just to show what aquatic insects I keep.
7) waterskater Limnogonus fossarum
8) Pondskater, Rhagadotarsus kraeoelini
9) Pondskater,Ventinus sp.
10)water crickets Microvelia sp
11) water measurer, Hydrometra sp.
12)Backswimmer, Enithares sp.
13)Backswimmer, Anisops sp.
14)water boatman, Micronecta sp.
15)Giant water bug, Sphaerodema sp.
16) Whirligig beetles, Orectochilus sp
17) Adult and Larva of diving beetle, Cybister sp
18) Water scavenger beetle, Amphiops sp?
19) Nymph of dragonfly (unknown sp)
20) Nymph of damselfly (unknown sp)
21) Nymph of mayfly (unknown sp)
Centipedes
1) Scolenpendra morsitans or S. subspinipes? (about 20 cm)
2) A smaller species I do not know the name.
3) Tiny juvenile centipedes of unknown species (may well be the above)
Fish
Kept before so many fish species that I lost count. More memorable or unique ones are
1) Chaca bankenesis
2) Australian lungfish undetermined species
3) Freshwater sole, forgot the species
4) Agamyxis sp
5) Numerous snakeheads
6) A few kinds of weird catfish
7) at least 3 species of pufferfish
8) Loaches (several species)
9) Corydoras (many species)
10)Electric catfish, Malapterurus electricus (subspecies undetermined) kept before from
juvenile to adult (at least 10 specimens)
12)Knifefishes (some supposedly navigate by electric as well)
13)cardinal tetra
14)Pencilfish
I only realise my memory is so bad when typing this. Use to remember most of their
scientific names.
Crab and lobster/shrimps
1) pistol shrimp, Alpheus sp.
2) Glass shrimp, Palaemon sp
3) Prawn, Penaeus sp.
4) Fiddler crab (at least 2 species) think is Uca vocans and U.annulipes
5) Ghost crab, Oxypode ceratophalma
6) Soldier crab, Dotilla wichmanni
7) Soldier crab, D. myctyroides
8) Sand bubbler crab, Scopimera sp.
9) Baruna sp.
10) Mud feeder crab, Llyogonis sp.
11) Varuna sp
12) Metopograpsus sp
13) Flower crab, Portunus pelagicus
14) Epixanthus dentatus
15) 4 other species of crabs available in aquarium trade.
16) 2 species of freshwater crayfish of aquarium
17) 2 species of shrimps of aquarium.
18) 2 other species of crab not shown in guidebook.
Jellyfish/sponges/coral
Never kept any as pet before.
1) Observe diverse such lifeforms when scuba diving in Malaysia
2) Special note for jellyfish. Seen, catch and then release beautiful greenish, bluish or
reddish specimens before. Most common is the orangish type. Got stung by Hydroids before
Snails and annelids
Kept some of different species before but not impressionable. Fireworms forms the
deepest impression due to their venomous setaes......
Amphibians
1) Oriental fire frog
2) American horned frog, Ceratophyrs ornata
3) American Bullfrog
4) Tree frog
5) Dwarf clawed frog, Xenopus laevis
6) Crab eating frog
7) 3 types of salamanders
Turtles
1) Common snapping turtle
2) Soft shell turtle, Trionyx sinensis
3) Red ear terrapin
4) common side necked turtle
5) unknown snapping or musk turtle
6) Mata mata
7) Ornamental box tortoise
8) Seen while diving undetermined sp of sea turtle up close.......
Snakes/lizards
1) Kukri snake, Oligodon octolinetus
2) House snake, Lycodon aulicus
3) Oriental whipsnake, Ahaetulla prasina
4) Python recticulatus
5) Naja naja (sputnix?)
6) Garter snake, Thamnophis (sirtalis?). Skim thru a whole book just on garters and all
look similar. Scale counting is too stressful on snake and myself.
7) Asian monitor lizard
8) unidentified sp. of monitor in Batam
9) Another sp of monitor from Indonesia (Jakarta)
10)Chameleon ,cute....... :)
11)Changeable lizard
12)tree lizard
13)At least 3 types of Geckos including Tokay gecko
14)Common skink
15)Iguana, hell it stinks......
16)Blind snake, Ramphotyhlops braminus
17) Bronzeback, Dendrelaphis pictus
Birds
1) Budgerigars
2) Canary
3) Chicken
Mammals
1) Rabbit
2) Hamster
3) White mouse
4) Bat
Micro-organism
1) Culture of many rotifers sp including Rotaria sp, Brachionus sp
2) Cutlture of Vorticella sp
3) Culture of Cyclops sp
4) Culture of Paramecium sp
5) Lots of unidentified microscopic worms, planarian
6) Hydra
7) Water mites
8) Mussel shrimp, Order Ostracoda
9) Clam shrimp, Order Conchostraca
10)Amoeba (unknown sp)