moloch05
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This post will include frog and invertebrate (non-butterfly) photos that I made at Madre Selva while on a Margarita Tour in January, 2010. As I mentioned before, this year was unusually dry. We still observed frogs each night but the numbers were apparently low when compared to a year with more typical rainfall. We received a heavy downpour on one afternoon and early evening and this night was better than most for amphibians. Most of the frogs were found on leaves of shrubs but a few were terrestrial. I did not see many species of frogs along the creeks or rivers. I did hear Moaning River Frogs (Hydrolaetare schmidtii) calling from the riverbank of the Rio Orosa and saw large numbers of Hyla triangulum and Sphaenorhynchus dorisae on floating vegetation. Amazon climbing salamanders (Bolitoglossa altmazonica) were found on leaves and the two Caecilians (Caecilia gracilis) were observed in rain-water pools right on the trail.
As usual, I have Dick Bartlett to thank for most of the identifications. I found the amphibians to be a difficult group to recognize. If I have made mistakes, please let me know and I will correct the post.
Dick also sent me some background information regarding frog taxonomy that may be useful to others. Dick indicated that the old genus Hyla as been divided into Dendropsophus, Hypsiboas, Scinax, Osteocephalus and others. Likewise, Eleutherodactylus has been divided into Pristimantis, Strobomantis, Oreobates, Hypodactylus, etc. Ischnocnema is now considered a member of Oreobates by some. I also found various names for the poison frogs such as Epipedobates in some guides but Allobates or Ameerga in others. When searching the net, I encountered all of these names and became quite confused as to what the animals are actually called at this point in time.
Caecilia gracilis? -- On the night of the heavy rain, the "big loop" trail was flooded. There were pools of water everywhere and this was where we found two caecilians. Courtney had lots of trouble trying to pick up the following animal. It was slippery and strong enough to repeatedly escape from his hand. Young also tried to catch another animal but it managed to escape into a big pool. We could not relocate it.
Amazon climbing salamanders (Bolitoglossa altmazonica): We saw one or two on most nights.
Common Harlequin Toad (Atelopus spumarius): Young and Matt knew the location along the big loop trail where these beautiful toads could be found. They seemed to be restricted to an area with sandy soil.
Dendrobates duellmani? I believe that this is the name currently used for this gorgeous frog. One of the references lists it in the genus Ranitomeya. These were tiny frogs that were wary and could jump surprisingly far. They were very easy to loose when they dropped into the leaf litter.
Spotted-thighed Poison Frog (Epipedobates femoralis): These little frogs appeared to be terrestrial. They could disappear quickly into the leaf litter when disturbed. One reference has included it in the genus Allobates.
Pale-striped Amazon Poison Frog (Epipedobates hahneli): These frog closely resembled the previous species in pattern and colour. These also seemed to be terrestrial.
Three-striped Poison Frog (Epipedobates trivattus): This was a spectacular frog and it was much larger than the other members of the family at Madre Selva. They did not appear to be common as I only saw two although I was out every night. Both were sitting on leaves within a meter of the ground.
Gladiator Treefrog (Hyla boans): This was a huge frog.
Convict Treefrog (Hyla calcarata):
Spotted-thighed Treefrog (Hyla fasciata):
Rocket Treefrog (Hyla lanciformes):
Least Treefrog (Hyla minuta)?? a big maybe regarding this identification.
Common Polkadot Treefrog (Hyla punctata): A very attractive species.
Variable Clown Treefrog (Hyla triangulum): One night, a number of us went on a boat ride along the shores of the Rio Orosa. We found an area that was thick with floating plants. Frogs were abundant as were insects. One of the guys saw a Plecostemus on plants near the surface. Fish were everywhere and these jumped often.
Painted Antnest Frog (Lithobates lineatus): According to Dick's book, this species is considered to be a mimic of the poison frog, Epipedobates femoralis. These frogs are apparently found near the nests of leaf-cutter ants. I found this animal on a log above a stream of leaf-cutters. I did not notice a nearby nest.
Bromeliad Frog (Osteocephalus deridens):
Bromeliad Frog (Osteocephalus yasuni)?: This yellow frog looks a little like some of the Litoria here in Australia.
Amazonian Milk Treefrog (Phrynohyas resinfictrix): This individual was very drab compared to some of the photos of these big treefrogs.
Two-striped Treefrog (Scinax rubra):
Spotted Hatchet-faced Treefrog (Sphaenorhynchus dorisae): This species was another that was common on floating vegetation.
Giant Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor): Monkey Frogs were beautiful amphibians that would walk rather than jump.
Eleutherodactylus sp.?
Ischnocnema quixensis
Dwarf Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus wagneri) complex:
Smokey Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus)
Bassler's Sheep Frog (Chiasmocleis bassleri): a terrestrial species.
Amazon Sheep Frog (Hamptophryne boliviana):
... Now, the invertebrates:
ARACHNIDS:
I really liked these strange creatures:
Sights like this were not all that uncommon. This arachnid had been attacked and killed by a fungus. The fungus enveloped and digested the body. All that was left was some of the exoskeleton and parts of the dried fungus.
Harvestman with giant legs:
Banana Spider. This animal was huge and agro. It would rear when disturbed
... another:
Another nicely coloured spider:
Wolf Spider? Also agro. It jumped onto my boot when I disturbed it.
Web-casting Spider: This spider will apparently toss a web over a small animal that comes within range. We saw these occasionally at night.
This spider was amazing. It was the largest arachnid that I have ever seen and it was heavy enough to be heard as it ran across the floor of the photo lab.
Scorpions were occasionally seen as they faced downward like this on small trees.
Tail-less Whip Scropion. These were often seen on fallen logs or near the base of large tree trunks at night.
... what a face! They look as if they are from a movie about aliens.
A pretty scarab:
Pleasing Fungus Beetle:
Tiger Beetle:
Lampyrid juvenile. I was told that this insect hunted small snails. It had a tubular mandible and it would stab this into a snail to feed on its juices. Lovely.
Any ideas? I don't even recognize the order. I don't believe that it is a lepidopteran but I don't know what it is.
Grasshoppers with flattened bodies:
Dead-leaf Katydids: I loved their incredible patterns.
A normal looking katydid that is undergoing ecdysis:
Monster Katydid. These were the largest insects that I have ever seen. Some of them were gigantic.
Pretty cricket:
Painted Grasshopper:
Dead-leaf Mantis: It certainly looked like a cluster of dead leaves.
Stick Insect:
Wax-tailed Plant Hopper. These homopterans could fly, despite their strange growths.
Wasp nest that was built into the ground. It had a lip that was a few cms above the surface of the soil. I suppose that this helped to avoid flooding.
Damselfly:
Helicopter Damselfly: These were wonderful to see. They were big damsels that flew with a slow wingbeat. I usually could only see the yellow wingtips in the poor light of the forest interior. The remainder of the wings and body were almost invisible.
Pygmy Kingfisher: We saw several of these and Ringed Kingfishers asleep on vegetation that hung over the water.
Red-headed Cardinal -- Common along the Rio Orosa.
These fruiting fungi make me think of "Avatar":
Wine-cup fungus:
Strange seed pods:
Unusual flowers:
Regards,
David
As usual, I have Dick Bartlett to thank for most of the identifications. I found the amphibians to be a difficult group to recognize. If I have made mistakes, please let me know and I will correct the post.
Dick also sent me some background information regarding frog taxonomy that may be useful to others. Dick indicated that the old genus Hyla as been divided into Dendropsophus, Hypsiboas, Scinax, Osteocephalus and others. Likewise, Eleutherodactylus has been divided into Pristimantis, Strobomantis, Oreobates, Hypodactylus, etc. Ischnocnema is now considered a member of Oreobates by some. I also found various names for the poison frogs such as Epipedobates in some guides but Allobates or Ameerga in others. When searching the net, I encountered all of these names and became quite confused as to what the animals are actually called at this point in time.
Caecilia gracilis? -- On the night of the heavy rain, the "big loop" trail was flooded. There were pools of water everywhere and this was where we found two caecilians. Courtney had lots of trouble trying to pick up the following animal. It was slippery and strong enough to repeatedly escape from his hand. Young also tried to catch another animal but it managed to escape into a big pool. We could not relocate it.
Amazon climbing salamanders (Bolitoglossa altmazonica): We saw one or two on most nights.
Common Harlequin Toad (Atelopus spumarius): Young and Matt knew the location along the big loop trail where these beautiful toads could be found. They seemed to be restricted to an area with sandy soil.
Dendrobates duellmani? I believe that this is the name currently used for this gorgeous frog. One of the references lists it in the genus Ranitomeya. These were tiny frogs that were wary and could jump surprisingly far. They were very easy to loose when they dropped into the leaf litter.
Spotted-thighed Poison Frog (Epipedobates femoralis): These little frogs appeared to be terrestrial. They could disappear quickly into the leaf litter when disturbed. One reference has included it in the genus Allobates.
Pale-striped Amazon Poison Frog (Epipedobates hahneli): These frog closely resembled the previous species in pattern and colour. These also seemed to be terrestrial.
Three-striped Poison Frog (Epipedobates trivattus): This was a spectacular frog and it was much larger than the other members of the family at Madre Selva. They did not appear to be common as I only saw two although I was out every night. Both were sitting on leaves within a meter of the ground.
Gladiator Treefrog (Hyla boans): This was a huge frog.
Convict Treefrog (Hyla calcarata):
Spotted-thighed Treefrog (Hyla fasciata):
Rocket Treefrog (Hyla lanciformes):
Least Treefrog (Hyla minuta)?? a big maybe regarding this identification.
Common Polkadot Treefrog (Hyla punctata): A very attractive species.
Variable Clown Treefrog (Hyla triangulum): One night, a number of us went on a boat ride along the shores of the Rio Orosa. We found an area that was thick with floating plants. Frogs were abundant as were insects. One of the guys saw a Plecostemus on plants near the surface. Fish were everywhere and these jumped often.
Painted Antnest Frog (Lithobates lineatus): According to Dick's book, this species is considered to be a mimic of the poison frog, Epipedobates femoralis. These frogs are apparently found near the nests of leaf-cutter ants. I found this animal on a log above a stream of leaf-cutters. I did not notice a nearby nest.
Bromeliad Frog (Osteocephalus deridens):
Bromeliad Frog (Osteocephalus yasuni)?: This yellow frog looks a little like some of the Litoria here in Australia.
Amazonian Milk Treefrog (Phrynohyas resinfictrix): This individual was very drab compared to some of the photos of these big treefrogs.
Two-striped Treefrog (Scinax rubra):
Spotted Hatchet-faced Treefrog (Sphaenorhynchus dorisae): This species was another that was common on floating vegetation.
Giant Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor): Monkey Frogs were beautiful amphibians that would walk rather than jump.
Eleutherodactylus sp.?
Ischnocnema quixensis
Dwarf Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus wagneri) complex:
Smokey Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus)
Bassler's Sheep Frog (Chiasmocleis bassleri): a terrestrial species.
Amazon Sheep Frog (Hamptophryne boliviana):
... Now, the invertebrates:
ARACHNIDS:
I really liked these strange creatures:
Sights like this were not all that uncommon. This arachnid had been attacked and killed by a fungus. The fungus enveloped and digested the body. All that was left was some of the exoskeleton and parts of the dried fungus.
Harvestman with giant legs:
Banana Spider. This animal was huge and agro. It would rear when disturbed
... another:
Another nicely coloured spider:
Wolf Spider? Also agro. It jumped onto my boot when I disturbed it.
Web-casting Spider: This spider will apparently toss a web over a small animal that comes within range. We saw these occasionally at night.
This spider was amazing. It was the largest arachnid that I have ever seen and it was heavy enough to be heard as it ran across the floor of the photo lab.
Scorpions were occasionally seen as they faced downward like this on small trees.
Tail-less Whip Scropion. These were often seen on fallen logs or near the base of large tree trunks at night.
... what a face! They look as if they are from a movie about aliens.
A pretty scarab:
Pleasing Fungus Beetle:
Tiger Beetle:
Lampyrid juvenile. I was told that this insect hunted small snails. It had a tubular mandible and it would stab this into a snail to feed on its juices. Lovely.
Any ideas? I don't even recognize the order. I don't believe that it is a lepidopteran but I don't know what it is.
Grasshoppers with flattened bodies:
Dead-leaf Katydids: I loved their incredible patterns.
A normal looking katydid that is undergoing ecdysis:
Monster Katydid. These were the largest insects that I have ever seen. Some of them were gigantic.
Pretty cricket:
Painted Grasshopper:
Dead-leaf Mantis: It certainly looked like a cluster of dead leaves.
Stick Insect:
Wax-tailed Plant Hopper. These homopterans could fly, despite their strange growths.
Wasp nest that was built into the ground. It had a lip that was a few cms above the surface of the soil. I suppose that this helped to avoid flooding.
Damselfly:
Helicopter Damselfly: These were wonderful to see. They were big damsels that flew with a slow wingbeat. I usually could only see the yellow wingtips in the poor light of the forest interior. The remainder of the wings and body were almost invisible.
Pygmy Kingfisher: We saw several of these and Ringed Kingfishers asleep on vegetation that hung over the water.
Red-headed Cardinal -- Common along the Rio Orosa.
These fruiting fungi make me think of "Avatar":
Wine-cup fungus:
Strange seed pods:
Unusual flowers:
Regards,
David
