Nature in Singapore: Rediscovery of a snake, more about Lantern bugs and a hawkmoth

For the first time in more than a century, the White-spotted cat snake (Boiga drapiezii) has been spotted in our Central Catchment Nature Reserve!
The rediscovery of this elegant snake emphasises the importance of continued protection of Nee Soon Swamp Forest, say the authors reporting this encounter in Nature in Singapore by the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

This beautiful slender snake comes in two different colour forms. It can grow to 2m long and lives in trees. The snake is said to lay its eggs inside termite nests high up in the trees! It feeds on large insects, frogs and lizards as well as birds and their eggs.

The paper about this fascinating snake is among the latest updates on Nature in Singapore: Rediscovery of the white-spotted cat snake, Boiga drapiezii in Singapore (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae). Tzi Ming Leong, Kelvin K. P. Lim and Nick Baker. Pp. 487–493. [PDF, 735 KB]

There's also a fabulous paper about our intriguing Lantern bugs.
Find out why they are called Lantern bugs and more in: Records of the lantern bug, Laternaria oculata (Westwood, 1839), (Homoptera: Fulgoridae: Fulgorinae) in Singapore, with notes on Zanna nobilis (Westwood, 1839). Tzi Ming Leong, Dennis Hugh Murphy and Laurence Leong. Pp. 495–501. [PDF, 1.20 MB]

And also a paper about this metamorphosis of this gorgeous hawkmoth.
It is equally handsome as a caterpillar! Read more in: Final instar caterpillar and metamorphosis of the hawkmoth, Theretra nessus (Drury) in Singapore (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Macroglossinae). Tzi Ming Leong and Kelvin K. P. Lim. Pp. 503–510. [PDF, 1.67 MB]