Hands down the most beautiful genus of butterfly out there. This is likely a Cithaerias pireta (Stoll). Managed to catch this one sleeping while I was on a amphibian survey in a swamp. Interestingly, the hostplant of species in the genus is still unknown despite them being a relatively common group.
These are some incredible instances of complex camouflage and leaf mimicry. This katydids mimic leaves unbelievably well, making them almost invisible in the forest except the brown one was found on a green leaf, and the green one was found in a brown background (they should probably work on that). The green (upper) species was identified by Piotr Naskrecki (the neotropical katydid man himself)via facebook as likely being Typophyllum bolivari.
I’m still not convinced they aren’t just leaves messing with me.
Oh no you katydidn't!
Oh yes I katydid!
It is amazing to think of how high predation pressures on these guys must be in order to have evolved such finely detailed mimicry.
Heliconius butterfly in hand.
After months of field work in Costa Rica and Panama, her team discovered that these butterflies not only roost together on the same branch every night, but even in the same spot on the branch every night. They do this even after having been flying around all day in different areas, feeding on nectar and pollen and chasing tail, as they say.
Why do they do it?
Safety in numbers. After setting up artificial roosts with either solitary artificial butterflies or a group of them, she found that the solitary butterflies would get eaten by birds significantly more. These butterflies specialize on feeding on the poisonous, cyanide-filled passion vines. Birds will typically recognize the Heliconius as such and avoid eating them, however there are many mimicking, delicious species of butterflies that confuse the birds. This roosting behavior is unique to the Heliconius, not the mimicking species, thus birds may have learned to avoid these cuddling flyers. It would be very interesting to see if the mimicking species end up mimicking this roosting behavior as well…
This research is being covered by all sorts of international news agencies (go Susan!), including here in National Geographic.
Susan will be continuing her research on these butterflies when she passes through the Ecuadorian Amazon next month, I’m looking forward to hosting her at our base camp in the Yachana Reserve for a few solid days of butterflying.
To read her paper in full, click here.
In mushroom-like fungi (the basidiomycetes), the fruiting body is known as the basidiocarp and can take some truly incredible forms, as seen below.
We'll call it antler and campfire fungus.
Under my umber-ella fungus.
This giant has no silky legs.
Four publications over the last several years have come out saying that tarantulas do shoot silk from feet… then another saying that’s stupid they clearly don’t… then another saying yeah huh they absolutely do.
Now finally (until the next publication?), they do not shoot silk from their feet. Instead, the silk seen on the feet in the past was actually just left-over silk picked up while walking. Also, the supposed silk spigots seen in the microscopic foot hairs not silk producing, rather they are pores for chemoreception and may possibly secrete some kind of lymph fluid.
For more info on this silk foot controversy of the ages, see here:
Sometimes, our camera traps pick up the human mammal. While it is usually one of us testing the camera (“Act like an ocelot!”), out on a survey, or out for a pee break (this has happened…), we were surprised to see this guy:
Due to the fact that he didn’t steal our camera, we can only assume that the flash scared the elephant-husk out of this poacher… so we think we got some sort of justice. The Amazon is full of animals that indigenous tribes can hunt legally for food (they have been doing so for hundreds of years with minimal impact) or illegally to sell at bush markets. However, if it is a Bosque Protector (like our reserve is) it is illegal to hunt, indigenous or not; the agouti, paca, deer, rabbit, and acouchy are to be left alone, that meat goes to the ocelots and the occasional jaguar.
By the way, the stick in the ground with the white cloth on top is our scent attractant/scratching post for big cats. It has been shown in several field trials elsewhere that using musky cologne (especially Calvin Klein Obsession for Men) attracts jaguars and the like.
Paca (arse) at 700m.
Agouti, 100m from the road. A bit camera shy.
