# Guilin Yaoshan Excursion 2



## MaartenSFS (May 11, 2008)

Well, last time we found out that they area was quite alive and so promptly returned - better prepared this time. On Saturday we visited the summit of Yaoshan, the tallest peak within Guilin city limits, at over 900 metres. It was a good opportunity to take some habit photos and I found some interesting things. I also verified that some restaurants are indeed using wild-caught cobras and pythons to make soup, which really pisses me off.

On Sunday I returned to collect specimens with my mate John and here are the results of a successful trip:







A huge stree growing out of a boulder on the side of a low peak near the street.













I released the specimens I had IDed from the last trip.













And so, off into the bush we were..







This is the biggest larvae that I have ever seen. It was nearly the size of the one in the image. It will probably grow into a rhinocerous beetle or some other large scarab.

Right after that we found a MASSIVE web with a funnel that was about as wide as my hand with my fingers outstretched going under a large, very ancient-looking, fallen (At an angle) tombstone. We tried prodding the web with a fern, pretending to be prey, but failed to lure anything out. Neither of us dared to get too close. 

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the web, as we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The strange thing about it was that the funnel was facing downwards, not upwards like the countless ones I've seen before.













Chinese girls are so afraid of ze Mao Mao Chong!!! (Hairy Hairy Bug) Fortunately, my wife didn't come with us.













Some kind of Chinese firefly.













The vegatation is a lot thicker than it looks.













Finally, we joined my wife and our other friends at the summit for some spectacular views.













The sound of cicadas was deafening.

























On the way home I wanted to check out an area on a small island on the Lijiang, the main river that passes through the city.













I found this small spider and several mole crickets under some rocks near the "beach". Mole crickets are a great prey animal, as they are big enough and can't jump. The spider is some type of non-mygalomorph funnelweb.







A large crane-type and another strange, but beautiful, bird flew out from the reeds as we approached. We were too busy looking to attempt to photograph them.







These toads are bigger in person. One jumped at John and scared the hell out of him. 







With this look from my wife it seemed like it was time to go home, after a long day.







Back at home, it was time to put the substrate that I had collected into the terrariums and put the specimens we had brought with us into their new homes..













Definetely a type of mygalomorph (My first!  ) and probably a Macrothele because of the long spinnerets and the overal look. We found many silk-lined holes under rocks in the forest, but only one APPEARED to be inhabited. I must return to find more! I am curious whether or not it is an adult specimen.













Another good find - an adult Scolopendra multidens. Not as big as the last one, but possinly a good mate for the smaller one I have. It is now clear that the juveniles are more orange, while the adults are crimson red. I actually found another good-sized one, but lost it, as I was surprised to find it under a tiny red brick. Both specimens were found in a PINE forest (Yes, you heard right).

The one I took home is nervous and VERY aggressive. Any time that I open the cage it strikes at anything that I put in, including plastic spoons and straws.

We also found saw many beautiful butterflies, birds, and some other things that we were unable to photograph or were just too lazy to. And that's about it...


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## josh_r (May 11, 2008)

very cool finds! you should go back and find out what that funnel web spider is. that cicada is friggin rad! i would love to get out to that part of the world some day.


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## MaartenSFS (May 11, 2008)

I would, but there is really no way to lift that huge tombstone and it is quite disrespectful. We found two such webs, but it wasn't clear where the funnel in the other one was or if there even was one. I will, however, take a photo next time.  

Although it's not as cool here as, say, Suriname there are still a lot of interesting things to find. Moving here was one of the easiest things I've ever done and traveling in China is cheap after you get here. You're welcome any time if you need help.


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## josh_r (May 11, 2008)

if i ever have the chance to go there, i will definitely get a hold of you. 

you dont have to flip the tombstone to see the spider. the 2 best things to do is either go back at night and spot it with a flashlight or catch an insect and toss it on the web and she will run out to grab it and you'll see your spider. i would LOVE to see pics of the animal. they are amazing. you do have some really neat stuff found around your area. i look forward to seeing pics of your future hunts. good luck and take care!

-josh


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## MaartenSFS (May 12, 2008)

Sounds good. 

The first thing that we did was throw a catepillar in there. Nothing worked. Perhaps no one was home. :wall:

We also wanted to see what was in thar!!! I also look forward to future hunts and will definitely share the results. It's exciting because nothing is well documented here so I have no ideas what I'll find. ;P


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## Randolph XX() (May 12, 2008)

not to justify ur collection and intention, but do u think take eveything u seen on the road trip home is right?
i don't see ppl in other thread of this section do that without proper knowledge of how they are gonna keep the animals
I m not a flammer, just don't used to see all the critters are kept in the small boxes


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## MaartenSFS (May 12, 2008)

Randolph XX() said:


> not to justify ur collection and intention, but do u think take eveything u seen on the road trip home is right?
> i don't see ppl in other thread of this section do that without proper knowledge of how they are gonna keep the animals
> I m not a flammer, just don't used to see all the critters are kept in the small boxes


No, far from everything. I have been taking adult Scolopendra multidens (There were HEAPS of juveniles that I didn't take) and I took some millipedes home for IDying, which I subsequently also released. I will also be taking spiders of the suborder mygalomorphae to study more about their life cycles and will attempt to breed the centipedes and these. I am undecided on other species like Otostigmus scaber, but I want to focus on select few species to achieve better results. Those species will be the ones that are the most interesting to me. ;P

Also, I will not take all of my specimens from one location so that I impact the population as little as I can and to mix up the gene pool.


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## Randolph XX() (May 13, 2008)

then there comes the delima of whether or not inter breeding individuals from different locality is good or not. Funny thing is they may or may not cross over the range wherea you collect another speciments


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## MaartenSFS (May 13, 2008)

Randolph XX() said:


> then there comes the delima of whether or not inter breeding individuals from different locality is good or not. Funny thing is they may or may not cross over the range wherea you collect another speciments


There's only one way to find out..


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## MaartenSFS (May 14, 2008)

Hoi Josh,

I went back tonight, with my mate John, and we saw a spider in one of those webs. It was *very* big, but not a mygalomorph. :8o


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