Otherworldly: from another planet

Bornean Bristlehead
Pityriasis gymnocephala (Temminck, 1836)

This strikingly coloured bird, with a glossy black body and crimson head with a yellow crown is only found in Borneo. The black beak is large and hooked while the legs are pink. It also has grey ear-coverts that look like ear muffs! It is an uncommon insectivore appears to be nomadic and travels in flocks of up to ten individual members in the forest canopy. It makes a variety of whistles and screeches. This species of bird is currently placed in a family all on its own (the Pityriaseidae). Sadly, unregulated logging is threatening this species and its population is declining. It is only found in ASEAN, on the island of Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia).

By-the-wind Sailor
Velella velella (Linnaeus, 1758)

The tautonymic scientific name of this species is derived from the Latin word for sail (“velum”). The common name also refers to the presence of the stiff translucent sail that allows this species to ‘shoot the breeze’ on the surface of the sea. It floats using gas-filled chambers. The blue pigment in the body acts as a kind of sunscreen when it is floating on the surface.

They are known to become stranded by the millions on beaches, propelled by inclement wind currents. Like all jellyfish relatives, this species does contain stinging cells with toxin and can cause varying reactions in humans. Some have no reaction while other suffer from a mild sting. The area of the body that comes into contact with the toxin appears to matter too.

Bargibanti’s Seahorse
Hippocampus bargibanti Whitley, 1970

This well-camouflaged species is among the smallest of the seahorses. It is also well known among scuba divers who flock to the Lembeh Strait (in Sulawesi, Indonesia), which is one of the best places in the world to see this diminutive fish in the wild.

This species has large red knobs on its body that resemble the polyps of the host sea fan making it extremely hard to see. It appears to spend its life clinging to and creeping about the branches of its host sea fan.

Some species of seahorses are able to change colour when they change host sea fan, but scientists are not sure if Bargibanti’s Seahorse is able to do this. This species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, and outside of ASEAN is found in Australia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Taiwan R.O.C. Within ASEAN, it is only found in Indonesia.

Fluted Bird’s Nest Fungus
Cyathus striatus (Huds.) Willd.

The genus name Cyathus means “cup” in Greek and while the species name refers to the striations on the wall of the cup. It gets its common name from the nest-like appearance of the cup and the egg-like structures inside. This species of fungus is found growing on dead wood and detritus on the forest floor, on mulch and even compost in flower beds or concrete planters. It is not uncommon but is usually overlooked as the ‘nest’ is just seven to ten millimetres tall and four to eight millimetres wide.

Each ‘nest’ contains a handful of ‘eggs’, thus its common name. The ‘eggs’ (called “peridoles”) are each shaped like a convex lens. Scientists have found that this species harnesses the energy of raindrops and concentrates it using the ‘nest’ in order to propel the ‘eggs’ out of the ‘nest’. Each ‘egg’ has an elastic (when wet) tail-like funicular cord with a sticky pad at the end. These cords help to tether the ‘eggs’ as they land on nearby vegetation. Over time, the ‘eggs’ dry up and release the spores which give rise to the next generation of fungi. The exact geographical range of this species is not known but it is likely that it is very widespread globally and also found throughout the ASEAN region.

Platerodrilus wongi Masek & Bocak, 2014

With their oversized head structures and spiny bodies, larval Platerodrilus are commonly referred to as “trilobite larvae”, after the extinct group of animals which they superficially resemble. They also superficially resemble alien spaceships. These larvae grow up to become fairly run-of-the-mill looking beetles, which they are. The identities of the species and their affinities have long been confused.

In 1998, Alvin Wong from the National University of Singapore completed his Masters in Science thesis on this group of animals. Using information provided by Wong, two scientists recently named Platerodrilus wongi in his honour. The larvae of this species has the same spaceship-like appearance as the two unidentified species shown here. Platerodrilus wongi is only known from ASEAN, from the northern part of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Glyphidrilus mekongensis Panha & Chanabun in Chanabun, Bantaowong, Sutcharit, Tongkerd, James & Panha, 2012

Scientists have nicknamed this species the “earthworm with wings”. This name comes from extensions near the posterior end that can flatten into ‘wings’. These ‘wings’ can then flex to form U-shaped channels when the worm is buried in its burrow to allow for water circulation as well as respiration. This species of earthworm is perfectly at home in waterlogged burrows and are found in the muddy banks of rivers, streams, canals, lakes, waterfalls and paddy fields. Most earthworms would simply drown. After mating, the species produces dark green banana-shaped cocoons, each containing seven to ten juveniles. This species is only found in the ASEAN region, in Thailand.

Halimochirurgus alcocki Weber, 1913

If a fish ‘kissed’ an icy window and got its lips stuck and was then pulled away from the window, you would get a species of Halimochirurgus. The snout of this fish is elongated to over half the length of its body and a tiny pair of jaws at the end. The Malay common name for this species translates as “blowpipe spikefish”. The purpose of this elongated snout is not known. This species is found throughout the Indian Ocean and in the Western Pacific. In ASEAN, this species is found in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.