Peruvian Amazon

[moloch]

It seems like a number of you are interested in South American butterflies so I will post a series of photos from a trip that I made in January. I will start off with a little background and then get into the butterfly and other animal photos.

I visited the Peruvian Amazon with Margarita Tours. I wanted to see the Amazon all of my life so this trip was a real dream-come-true for me. The trip was also excellent in that I met up with old high school friends who I used to herp with in the deserts of the US and Mexico. The Margarita Tour was a dedicated reptile photography excursion but the participants were from diverse backgrounds and each had different interests. We all got along well and it was truly a wonderful experience and one that I would highly recommend to anyone who would like to experience the natural wonders of the Amazon.

A trip like this is the best way to see a large number of reptiles in a short period of time. Any one person will see only a few reptiles in the forest but collectively, we found many species. At Madre Selva, indigenous kids also brought in animals and exchanged these for T-shirts. Their ability to spot small, hidden animals in the forests was phenomenal.

We visited two of the Project Amazona field stations: Madre Selva and Santa Cruz. These stations are affiliated with Margarita Tours. Santa Cruz was located about an hour by fast water taxi from Iquitos but Madre Selva was much further away and required a 12 hour boat trip down the Amazon. I found the time on the water when in transit to Madre Selva to be just as exciting as walking in the forest. In the late afternoon as we approached the Rio Orosa, we saw many birds as they crossed the river. The most exciting to us were birds such as Russet-backed Oropendolas, Bare-necked Fruitcrows, Swallowings, White-eared Jacamars, Black-collared/Slaty Hawks, Greater Yellow-headed Vultures and the many species of parrots. One of the highlights of the trip on the river was the return journey at night between Madre Selva and Santa Cruz. It was an unforgettable experience to sit on the upper deck of the Nenita and watch the moon set into the Amazon, smell the moist tropical vegetation, catch occasional glimpses of various nightjars and potoos or see fishing bats streak across the bow lights.


I flew from Los Angeles to Lima and then Lima to Iquitos on LAN. Service was good, particularly on the LA<->Lima connection.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/flight1.jpg


Iquitos is the gateway to the Peruvian Amazon. Once upon a time, it was a booming city when rubber was valuable. There are many old and beautiful buildings along the waterfront of the Itaya River.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/Iquitos2.jpg


The Amazon was in drought this year. Normally, the Itaya River would be up to these houses in January, the wet season, but this year the river was about 3m lower than usual. The Itaya River is visible in the distance. Iquitos is bordered by the Itaya River and this flows into the Amazon a few kilometers downstream.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/IquitosRiver2.jpg


We travelled down river on the Nenita, a new boat operated by Margarita Tours. This style of boat was typical of other transports that we saw on the river.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/Nenita1.jpg



On the trip to Madre Selva, the clouds of the wet season built up in the afternoon and we received a torrential downpour. Drought in the Amazon is a relative term. We had a little rain on most days but just not as much as usual. The bigger problem was a poor snow melt in the Andes that feeds the Amazon.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat2a.jpg


Later in the afternoon, it cleared and the river was like a mirror:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_amazon1.jpg

[moloch]

One of the characteristic sights along the river was of giant trees that were full of the pendulous Russet-backed Oropendola nests. These are giant Icterids that made quite a racket when singing. There was a colony of these right next to the accommodation at Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_rioorosa_oropendola1.jpg


Iquitos is an isolated city with no roads in or out. Access is by air or water so the rivers are the highways that people use for transporting everything.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_rivertaxi.jpg


We passed a number of villages of the Indigenous people.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_indigenous2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_indigenous1.jpg


We stopped at one of these. The people organize a hut with their various artwork and crafts.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/IndigenousVillage1.jpg


This little girl was such a sweetie. She had a pet marmoset that loved to sit and preen her hair. Other kids would occasionally grab it. The little monkey would scream until they released it. It would then bound back to the girl and climb to her head where it looked happy again.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/IndigenousVillage2.jpg



Red Howler Monkey (near Iquitos):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/monkey_RedHowler1.jpg


Uakari (near Iquitos):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/monkey_Uakari1.jpg

[moloch]

After travelling for a number of hours on the Amazon, we turned south into the Rio Orosa. The field station of Madre Selva is located a few kilometers upstream
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_rioorosa2.jpg


We spent several nights at Madre Selva. Madre Selva was primarily covered with old secondary growth. The original forest must have been cut long ago since the trees were large and the undergrowth fairly open due to the dense canopy. This was a top place for antbirds as well as other forest species. One morning, we encountered 5 species of antbirds on a short walk. The next day, we saw 7 other species but none of those from the previous day. This happened again on our third day. The diversity was incredible.

Dining Hall:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_madreselva1.jpg


The Nenita was berthed nearby:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/Nenita2.jpg


We visited a cocha (e.g., oxbow lake) one day. These oxbows are the places where Black Caimans hunt at night. We did not see any on this trip but did find the smaller Spectacled Caimans along the Rio Orosa one night. The cochas were full of fish.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_cocha1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat_cocha2_fish.jpg




There was a canopy tower at Madre Selva. My friends and I found this to be a good place for birding in mid/late afternoon. We saw lots of exciting species such as the gorgeous Plum-throated Cotinga, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Blue/Black-faced/Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Turquoise/Paradise/Green-and-Gold Tanagers, Swallow Tanagers ... and on and on!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/habitat_tower1.jpg


...forest canopy as seen from the tower:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/habitat_tower2.jpg


Sunset on the Rio Orosa:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat5_rio_orosa.jpg


...continued tomorrow

[Silverstreak]

Wow ! wow ! Wow!

David ,

Thank you for been so generous in sharing these beautiful shots with us. With your flow of narratives it is almost like reading articles in National Geopgraphic!!!!

More more more .........:)

[The Plane]

Thanks for sharing, David. It helps me to imagine the Amazon better. Such a beautiful place...:thumbsup: Hope to see more ;P

[bluefin]

Thanks David for sharing with narrative comments. It does provides us with an insight into the Amazon.:cheers:

[Commander]

Now that our appetites are whetted... I'm waiting with bated breath for the butterfly pictures.

David, don't disappoint us! :grin2:

[moloch]

Thanks, all.

Our first leps turned up before we even left the boat. I think that the following a wasp-mimicking moth and probably one of the Arctiids.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterrfly23-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly22.jpg


Stinky Leaf Wing (Historis odius) -- The inner surface of the wings of this big big nymph were a beautiful orange and black. When closed, the wings resembled a dead leaf. The butterfly flew aboard the Nenita and was trapped in the dining room. It was responsive to the flash and would flick its wings slightly open when I photographed it. This butterfly is widely distributed and I saw it years ago in Nayarit, Mexico. This butterfly reminds me very much of a larger version of a Tawny Rajah.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly21a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly21.jpg


On the river journey to Madre Selva, we stopped briefly at a rum distillery. I used the stop to try and find a few birds and butterflies. I saw my first dazzling Masked Crimson Tanagers here. These were absolutely gorgeous birds that were a vibrant red.

I found these flat-winged skippers on damp soil near the river.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly22-1.jpg


This stunning Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus) was also flitting about near the water. It would briefly land but it always reacted to the preflash. I could not take a good photo but the colours shape can be seen. This butterfly was unfortunately the only individual of this species that I observed on the trip.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly14a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly14.jpg

[moloch]

At Madre Selva, I spent most of my time in the forest where I often saw members of subfamilies heliconiinae and ithomiinae. These butterflies remind me of the danaids in Malaysia. They usually have long, slender wings and a slow flight. Just like the danaids, there are nymph and pierid mimics of these (batesian mimicry). There also is convergence in the appearance of the distasteful species (muellerian mimicry) so identifying these butterflies was difficult. I am not certain of the names used below. If any of you recognize these butterflies, please let me know the correct names.

I found these butterflies to be surprisingly difficult to photograph. They usually were on the move and often would not tolerate a close approach while they were sitting.

I saw these longwings many times. There are a number of similar species with this colour pattern but I think these may be Heliconius erato.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly9.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly9a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly9b.jpg


This butterfly was another lovely species that was common at Madre Selva.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly5.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly5b.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly5a.jpg


… and another, possibly Vila emilian?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly2.jpg

[moloch]

This one had such a strange wing shape:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly11.jpg



I think that these are Sara Longwings (Heliconius sara). The base of their wings was an iridescent blue but this does not show well in the photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly15.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly18a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly18.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly18b.jpg


Julia (Dryas julia) were another one of the longwing group.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly12.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly12a.jpg

[Painted Jezebel]

Thank you for these wonderful photos. I, too, love the Heliconiids.

David, you may not be aware, but Dryas iulia has recently been accidentally introduced onto the Malay Peninsular, it is doing well, and is quite common here on Samui. Your photos have shown that this Peruvian subspecies is not the one we have here. One down, only another 15, I think, to go!

[Elbowed Pierrot]

wow wow, one of the places on my must go places to go

[Glorious Begum]

I was waiting for anaconda picture. :bsmile:


Great and must visit place. :thumbsup:

[Common Mime]

i feel so relax seeing these photos. Thank you, David.

[atronox]

Thx for sharing these superb shots David. The view of the forest canopy must've been breathtaking!
I suspect the 5th and 6th shots in ur Heliconiine/ Ithomiine series might actually be an Eresia sp., probably Eresia eunice.:)

[moloch]

Thanks, all. I am glad that the photos are enjoyed.

Les,
I saw the Dryas info before. It is really surprising. I wonder how they got there? What do they eat? I had the impression the the Heliconiids were quite specific about their dietary requirements.

Thanks, Simon.

LC,
haha! I missed Anacondas but I have shots of plenty of others. Here are a few cousins of the Anacondas.
Boa Constrictor:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post1/snakeBoaconstrictor1.jpg

Rainbow Boa
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post1/snakeEpicratescenchris3.jpg

Amazon Tree Boa
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post1/snakeCorallushortulana2.jpg

Thanks, Chee Ming.


Thanks, Aaron. You could well be right and it may be a little Nymphalid.


Here is the Uraniid from Peru. These are day flying moths unlike the Lyssa that I saw at Fraser's Hill.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterrfly24a.jpg



Callicore sp. Callicore are incredible butterflies. Many seem to have numbers on their outer, lower wings. The inner wings of this species were red with deep purple stripes.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly20a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly20.jpg



Nessaea sp. -- I only saw one of these pretty Nymphalids at Madre Selva
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly6.jpg


Eunica sp. maybe E. eurota or E. sophonisba -- It had dark lower wings but it fortunately flicked these open when I took the photo. The inner wings are beautiful. It was sipping at a freshly washed clothes.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly13.jpg

[moloch]

Morpho sp. -- These giant, gorgeous butterflies were common. Unfortunately, I almost always saw them in flight. They really were a dazzling sight as they flew low along the trails. We found a few asleep at night on branches that overhung creeks. The outer surface of the wings had many spots and they vaguely resembled the Owl Butterflies. One of the guides caught this one and held it briefly for photos before releasing it again.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly9-1.jpg


I occasionally saw Owl Butterflies (Calligo sp.). They were active mainly at dusk and I usually saw them flying across the Rio Orosa. Owl Butterflies are enormus and they remind me a little of a gigantic version of Dark Blue Jungle Glory. The inner wings of Owls were irridescent purple with patches of orange.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly10.jpg


These pretty day-flying moths were fairly common:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly19.jpg


This day-flying moth had bright blue lower wings and abdomen and was a fantastic sight in flight:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly20.jpg


I saw a few riodinids here.
Orange-stitched Metalmark (Chalodeta chaonitis or Charis cleonus)?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly17.jpg

Adelotypa huebneri?. Like many of this tribe, it would land beneath a leaf where photography was awkward
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly16.jpg


Black-patched Blue Metalmark (Lasaia agesilas) Sipping at drying clothes:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly28Lasaiaagesilas.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly28aLasaiaagesilas.jpg

[moloch]

Hairstreak:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly7.jpg


Olynthus sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly22.jpg


Adelpha sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly8.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly8a.jpg



Pierella sp. -- The Satyrinae subfamily of Nymphalids was well represented in the forest interior. Many were fairly large and the most spectacular has transparent or translucent wings. The following species was a frequent sight along the trails at Madre Selva.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly3.jpg

[Painted Jezebel]

Les,
I saw the Dryas info before. It is really surprising. I wonder how they got there? What do they eat? I had the impression the the Heliconiids were quite specific about their dietary requirements.



We do not know for sure, but it is thought most likely that some escaped from a butterfly farm in southern Thailand. They are feeding, we believe, on Passiflora foetida, which is a very common weed arround here. It is spreading, and has been recently seen at Chumphon, north of here, and also in Langkawi in Malaysia to the south.

These Peruvian butterflies are absolutely gorgeous, having only seen set specimens before.

[moloch]

I spent hours every night walking along forest trails and searching for reptiles. Snakes were there but they were so hard to find. While looking for herps, I bumped into all sorts of other interesting creatures. Invertebrates were so diverse and many so strange. Here are photos of some of these.

Banana Spiders (Phoenutria sp.) -- These big spiders were common. I was told that these have a toxic bite but all those that I saw were well behaved. They just sat on the tops of shrubs and awaiting tasty morsels to come along.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_spiderbanana1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_spiderbanana1a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_spider3.jpg


... a colourful huntsman:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_spider2.jpg



This was the largest tarantula that I have ever seen. It was big enough to actually hear as it ran across the wooden floor of our photo lab.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_spidertarantula1.jpg



Whipscorpions were a frequent sight. I usually found them on the trunks of trees.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_tailless_whipscorpion1.jpg

... pretty face?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_tailless_whipscorpion2.jpg


These were not as big as the black scorpions that I saw at Taman Negara.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_scorpion1.jpg

[Common Mime]

Eye opening!

[Great Mormon]

The butterflies in the neo tropics are really beautiful.

That last scorpion looks really venomous!

[moloch]

Web-casting Spider: This spider will apparently toss a web over a small animal that comes within range. We saw these occasionally at night.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_netcasting_spider1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2/arthro_spider3-1.jpg



Opilionid harvestman:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_harvester2.jpg


I came across sights like this at times. 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.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_harvester1.jpg



Lampyrid juvenile. I was told that this insect hunted small snails.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_lampyrid1.jpg


Moth Derbid. These look very different to the derbids that I saw at Taman Negara. These were smaller and looked almost like a lep.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_unk1.jpg


... strange grasshoppers with flattened bodies:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_grasshopper2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_grasshopper1.jpg

[moloch]

Monster Katydid. These were the largest insects that I saw in Peru. They were nearly as large as an enorumus green katydid that I saw at Taman Negara.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_katydid1.jpg


Dead-leaf Katydids: I loved their incredible cryptic shape and pattern.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_katydid2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_katydid3.jpg



Dead-leaf Mantis. Looks vaguely like one of the cryptic species at Taman Negara.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_mantis1.jpg



Stick Insect:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_stickinsect2.jpg



This wasp nest was a burrow into the soil. It had an elevated entrance probably to help prevent the nest from flooding.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_waspnest1.jpg



Wax-tailed Hoppers -- These hemipteroids could fly even with these elongated "tails". Amazing insects!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Madre%20Selva/post2/arthro_waxtailed_planthopper1.jpg


... next, habitat and butterfly photos from Santa Cruz.

[moloch]

We departed Madre Selva at about 11am and then set off for Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz was many hours up the Amazon and it required more than a day of travel. The boat journey continued into the night until we finally pulled up against the shore at around midnight. I think that the night travel was wonderful. Ted, Ed and I sat on the deck and watched fishing bats flash by the bow lights. On occasion a nightjar or a potoo could be seen.

During daylight hours, my friends and I used the time to catch up on sleep but also scanned the shoreline for birds. At times, we travelled only meters from one bank or the other and this gave us many birding opportunities. Some of the birding highlights included species such as the White-cheeked Jacamars, Black-capped Heron, Cocoi Heron, Oriole Blackbirds, Yellow-hooded Blackbirds, Donacobius, Magpie Tanagers, Bare-necked Fruitcrows, Gilded Barbets, Red-and-Green Macaws and so many more. I think that everyone was impressed by the dazzling colours of the Masked Crimson Tanagers that we saw in riverside growth from time to time.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Others/Jerry/nenita.jpg

Eventually, we reached the village of Indiana. Here, we stopped and then used taxis to transport us a few kilometers to Mazan on the Rio Napo. A fast boat (the one with the green metal hull) awaited us there to carry us upstream on the Rio Napo to the trail head to Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/RioNapo.jpg


... sights along the way
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/JerryRiver3.jpg



The trip up the Rio Napo was not long and soon we reached the trail head to Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitatRioNapo1.jpg


Near the river, I saw many palms. I was told by Percy, our Peruvian bird guide, that these were Moriche Palms. We saw thickets of these in places and they are known among birders as the preferred habitat of a number of species such as the Moriche Oriole or the nicely named Point-tailed Palmcreeper.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/habitat8.jpg


Santa Cruz station itself was a 2km walk through cleared land and secondary growth.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat32.jpg

[moloch]

This is the sort of habitat where I herped, birded and photographed butterflies for the next three days:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/habitat7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/habitat6.jpg


... some areas had been cleared not that long ago. Regrowth was young and the vegetation was dense.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/habitat1.jpg


There were small areas with large trees.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/habitat4.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post1/habitat5.jpg


We stayed here at the headquarters in basic accommodation.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/SantaCruzstation3.jpg


Birding at Santa Cruz was not nearly as productive as at Madre Selva. We found few birds of the forest interior such as antbirds, trogons and motmots. We did hear the wing snaps and buzzes of White-bearded Manakins but failed to find other forest manakins such as Wire-tailed, Blue-crowned, White-crowned and Red-headed. Reptiles, amphibians and butterflies, however, were numerous and did not seem to be adversely affected by the young successional forest.

[Yong San]

very interesting, thank you.:thumbsup:

[moloch]

Thanks very much, Yong San.

Once again, I have proposed names where I found something similar on the web but butterfly diversity in South America is extreme and my names may not be correct.

Turquoise-banded Shoemaker (Archaeoprepona amphimachus) -- I only saw this big nymphalid on a few times on sunny afternoons. Its behaviour was odd. It would fly at me and then zip around me a few times before it dropping to the trail and where it walked with closed wings. It would occasionally flick its wings and the turquoise stripe shimmered each time. I thought the entire upperwing must be blue. It seemed to be curious and it hovered around me again for a few moments before ascending and landing on a sunlit leaf. Once on the leaf, it opened its wings to reveal the lovely blue stripe.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly30a-2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly30-1.jpg


"80" Buttefly (Diaethria sp.) -- These butterflies would normally hold their wings closed but this one reacted to the flash and I was able to take an in-focus shot of the opened wings. This particular individual often perched on the wood of the dormitory. I could usually find it on sunny days. It really was a stunner!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly37-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly37a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly37b-1.jpg



Eresia nauplius -- This butterfly behaved like a Neptis.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly40.jpg



I have found this distinctive butterfly before on the net but I have misplaced the name. It apparently is common and often associated with agriculture. I only observed it once and this was on a night walk. I initially thought it to be a moth until I saw its clubbed antennae. The upper wing appears to be irridescent green.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly33c-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly33a.jpg

[moloch]

Daggerwing (Marpesia furcula) -- I saw this beautiful daggerwing a number of times along a small stream in the forest. I gave me a hard time but I finally was able to take a few photos.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly29-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly29a-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly29b-1.jpg



Morpho achilles -- This rather drab morpho actually landed for a few minutes and held its wings open. For morphos, this seems to be a rare event at least in the forest understorey.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly43.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly43a.jpg


Owl Butterfly (Calligo sp.) -- Their inner wings were a dull orange and purple. These were crepuscular butterflies. I usually saw them in flight at dusk along the Rio Orosa. I found this one at night when I was searching for reptiles in the forest.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly31.jpg



Philaethria dido -- We saw these pretty butterflies on several occasions. This one was yet another butterfly that sipped at drying clothes. This was a large species.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly45-1.jpg



Oleriao nega? -- It was initially caught in the web of a spider. After I took this photo, it flicked its wings and then was free. This wing shape was typical of many butterflies that lived within the forest interior. Most Heliconiinae, Ithomyiinae, some Pieridae and some Nymphalidae all share this wing shape.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly44-1.jpg

[moloch]

Bia actorion -- yet another interesting Nymphalid. Ed caught one so that we could examine the inner wings briefly before releasing it. It certainly looks much like Elymnias hypermnestra at Taman Negara!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterflyBiaactorion2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterflyBiaactorion.jpg



Hamadryas laodamia -- I only saw one of these at Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly39-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly39a-1.jpg



Temenis laothoe -- another beauty that would flick its wings to the camera flash. I obtained one out of focus shot of the inner wings but at least the colours can be seen.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly49a-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly49-1.jpg



Clearwing butterflies like this were common but hard to photograph. They were almost invisible in the dim light of the forest floor. My friend briefly caught this one for a photo.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly41-1.jpg

[atronox]

Great shots!
The Callicores are stunning!:grin2:

[Silverstreak]

David

Beautiful records of these rarities to us!

Thanks for sharing with the community here!

:cheers:

[Glorious Begum]

I am so happy viewing these photos. :cheers:

[moloch]

Thanks, all.

I also think that Callicore and Diaethria are stunning butterflies. Years ago, I spent 5 months in Costa Rica. Callicore were abundant in the Pacific northwest of the country. I was disappointed to see so few in Peru.



Streaky Leafwing (Memphis philumena) -- One of the "filthy habit" butterflies that sip moisture from animal faeces. The upperside was nicely coloured but the butterfly rarely opened its wings.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly35c-2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly35a-2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly35b-2.jpg


Amarynthis meneria -- A pretty riodinid that I saw a few times along the edge of the forest.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly36a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly36-2.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly36b-2.jpg



Glittering Sapphire (Lasaia agesilas) -- a gorgeous riodinid that I saw occasionally.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly28-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly28a-1.jpg

[moloch]

Orange-stitched Metalmark (Chalodeta chaonitisor Charis cleonus)?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly25-1.jpg


Calydna punctata? -- another riodinid that I saw a few times.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly_Calydnapunctata.jpg


Riodinid. Seen once at Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly_unk1.jpg


Metacharis lucius -- Riodinid. Seen once at Santa Cruz.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly42-1.jpg


Day-flying Moth:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly34-2.jpg


Theramenes Bent-Skipper (Camptopleura theramenes)? -- these were beautiful skippers.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly38a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly38-1.jpg


Skipper:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly46.jpg

[moloch]

... another skipper:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly48.jpg


I will add the shot of the Arcius Swordtail (Rhetus arcius) once again. Such a beauty!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly47.jpg


Satyrinae were abundant in the forest interior. Many had clear or translucent wings. The most interesting was Cithaerias phantoma but I only obtained a single poor photo of it. Its wings were clear with a rose-coloured patch on the lower wings. In the dark understorey of the forest, only the rose was visible.

The following species was the most common of the larger Satyrinae at Santa Cruz.
Pierella sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly27a-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly27-1.jpg


Another Pierella sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly_Haetera3.jpg


More satyrinae:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly26a-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly26-1.jpg

[Blue Nawab]

I will add the shot of the Arcius Swordtail (Rhetus arcius) once again. Such a beauty!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterfly2/butterfly47.jpg



Wow David, what fabulous expedition you had ....the Arcius Swordtail was a real beauty..radiant colour it had.:what: Thanks for the sharing. :cheers:

[moloch]

Thanks, CherHern.

I think that Rhetus include some of the most beautiful of butterflies.



Jumping Stick Insects (Apioscelis sp., Proscopiidae): These insects have the most unusual heads and faces. Another name for these orthopterans is Horse-headed Grasshoppers. I think this these almost look like Disney characters.
grinning?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthroApioscelisspProscopiidae.jpg



Black-and-White Monkey Hopper (Eumastacidae): These were really odd hoppers that we saw a number of times near the headquarters. I think that the monkey hoppers must also live in Malaysia. I saw grasshoppers that resembled this one at Taman Negara.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthroBlackandWhiteMonkeyHopperPara.jpg



Aeroplane Grasshopper (Paramastax sp., Eumastacidae).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_ParamastaxspEumastacidae.jpg



Leaf-mimic Katydid (Typophyllum erosum): This animal was a huge and resembled a leaf. It even had brown "damaged" areas.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthroTypophyllumerosum2.jpg



One of the beautifully disguised Dead-leaf Katydids.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_katydid1.jpg



This hopper had interesting eyes.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_grasshopper1_sc.jpg



... looked much like a dead leaf:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_grasshopper3_sc.jpg



Helicopter Damselfly (family Pseudostigmatidae): I read about these on the net. Most Dragonflies/damselflies usually will eat about anything that they can catch. This family, however, is unusual and it has a specialized diet. These eat mostly spiders that they pluck from webs. The insects apparently learn the location of the the spider webs in their territories and then visit these at times to "harvest" the spiders. This family is only found in the neotropics.

In the dark interior of the forest, the yellow spots on the wingtips were conspicuous but the remainder of the damselfly was hard to see. It looked odd to see these yellow spots in motion and not see anything else.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthroPseudostigmatidae.jpg

[moloch]

Pink Millipede: This millipede was quite colourful.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_millipede1.jpg



I really like the flared hind legs of this Hemipteran, Anisoscelis foliacea (Coreidae)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthroAnisoscelisfoliacea.jpg




Another Coreidae:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_coreid.jpg



Avicularia sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/Santa%20Cruz/post2a/arthro_spider2.jpg



The Margarita Tour ended all too soon and we headed back to Iquitos for a day.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/Nenita12.jpg


My friends and I had a look at the city of Iquitos and also returned to the viewing areas of the Rio Itaya to scan for birds.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/Iquitos1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/habitat9.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/IquitosRiver.jpg


That evening, we had a final group dinner and the following morning, most of the participants flew home.

[moloch]

My friends and I arrived in Iquitos four days before the start of the Margarita Tour and we also stayed an extra day after the completion of the tour. We spent most of these extra days out in the white sand forests of the Allpahuayo Mishana Reserve. This reserve was located approximately 45 minutes by taxi from Iquitos and along the Nauta Road. Allpahuayo Mishana was one of the few places near Iquitos that supported primary forest although this was stunted due to the nutrient deficient sands.

While the trees may not have been all that impressive, the bird life was superb and quite different to what we found at Madre Selva or Santa Cruz. The reserve was particularly good for forest birds and many of these were white sand specialists. Some of the birding highlights included our first Paradise Tanagers, Swallow Tanagers, Swallow-wings, Black Caracaras, Gould's Jewelfront, Brown-banded Puffbirds, Yellow-billed Nunbird, White-necked Puffbirds, Paradise Jacamar, Yellow-billed Jacamar, Ancient Antwren, Yellow-browed Antbird, Plain-throated Antwren, Zimmer's Antwren, Dwarf Tyrant Manakin, Sulphur-bellied Tyrant Manakin, Spangled Cotinga and many more.

Especially memorable to me was the incredible call of Screaming Pihas. We heard them repeatedly but never actually saw these drably coloured birds. For those of you unfamiliar with this amazing sound, have a listen to the recording by Don Jones at this site. To me, it is one of the defining bird songs of South America.

http://www.xeno-canto.org/browse.php?query=screaming+piha


There was basic camping available in the park but we found it more comfortable to stay in Iquitos and arrange a taxi pickup at 5am for the trip out to the reserve. Our taxi was not expensive and the driver was reliable and always returned at the designated time.


Vegetation along the trail included many myrmecophytic melastomes. Ants that lived within the melastomes were tiny but they could sting! I experienced their stings a few times when I was careless about where I walked while chasing antbirds.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat6.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat7.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Melastomewithant400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/melastome2_400.jpg



The sand forests were the home of an absolutely stunning amphibian, the Red-backed Poison Frog (Dendrobates reticulatus). These frogs were usually seen as they sat atop leaves or fallen logs. They were tiny animals that also were wary. I was surprised at how far they could jump and I lost them often when then jumped a time or two and then plunged beneath the leaf litter. One afternoon, Ted spotted one of these several meters up in a tree. The frog hopped downwards from leaf to leaf and soon reached the leaf litter. These little frogs could obviously ascend into the canopy when they so desired.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Dendrobatesreticulatus1a-1.jpg



The habitat along the side trails was rich with orchids and bromeliads.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/flower_orchid1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/flower_bromeliad2_400-1.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/flower_orchid2_400.jpg

[moloch]

We all had a good laugh when we found these flowers. We were told that the name of this flower is "Hot Lips". I wonder why?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/flower_hotlips1.jpg


Ted and Percy, our Peruvian bird guide, in the stunted forest.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat8a.jpg



... terrestrial bromeliad:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat8b.jpg



We found this impressive Buprestid beetle while we walked here. It crashed down from the canopy and thumped onto the trail in front of us. I was told that this is a Ceiba Borer.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_CeibaBeetle.jpg




Streams in the forest were heavily stained with tannins:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat8.jpg




The band in the wing of this damselfly matched the colour of the flowering bromeliads:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_damsel1.jpg



Scarlet Peakcock (Anartia fatima) -- common along edges of roads or the periphery of the forest.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly3_AnartiafatimaScar.jpg



White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) -- another common roadside butterfly.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly_AnartiaWhitePeacoc.jpg

[Leopard Lacewing]

Thanks for sharing, David! Beautiful records :thumbsup:

Cheers! :cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

The Helicopter Damsel appears to be Mecistogastor ornata, having checked on www.Neotropic-Dragonfly.net. There are a few photos of the species there, but not of the quality of your picture, and none from Peru. The other Damselfly species, the one with the delightful pink patches, is not shown at all on the entire site.

[moloch]

Thanks, Bobby and Les.

Les,
That is a good link. Thanks for that! I also went through and had a look at all of the photos. I wonder if the little damsel with the pink patches might be related to Cora semiopaca (plate 12)? The wing shape and general pattern were similar.

Here is another dragonfly from Allpahuayo Mishana. These remained around a small pond and were oddly coloured. There was a colony of Yellow-rumped Caciques that were nesting in the tree that grew from the pond.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat11-1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/dragon400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Yellow-rumpedCacique2_400-1.jpg



These Satyrinae with translucent wings were abundant. We saw them often as they flitted low across the trail. I think that they are one of the Pierella sp.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_butterfly_clear1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_Haetera2.jpg



Blue-washed Metalmark (Semomesia heteroea) -- I saw several of these lovely blue metal marks at the Allpahuayo Mishona reserve. They were always difficult to photograph due to their predilection for the undersurface of leaves.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_Semomesia.jpg



Eyemark (Mesosemia sp) -- Only seen once.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_MesosemiascotinaEyemark.jpg

[moloch]

Prola Beauty (Panacea prola) -- This butterfly was incredible. The outer lower wing was red but it always landed like this and I was not able to photograph the undersurface. It seemed to be curious and it would hover and even briefly land on us.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly6_Panacea_prola.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly6a_Panacea_prola.jpg



One night while searching for reptiles, we found this morpho asleep on leaves of a tree that was overhanging a stream. This species had half-half upper wings that were about equal parts turquoise and black.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly_morpho1.jpg



Tropical Buckeye (Junoniae varete) -- Here are three individuals that illustrate variability in pattern and colour
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_Junoniaevarete5TropicalBucke.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_Junoniaevarete8.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_Junoniaevarete9.jpg


Dirce Beauty (Colobura dirce) -- I love the disruptive pattern on the outer wings. The butterfly landed on a vine and slowly approached the other (I think some sort of Satyrinae). It touched it with its feet and tongue before sipping something on the surface of the plant.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly13_Coloburadirce.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/arthro_butterfly14_Coloburadirce.jpg

[moloch]

I saw a few odd caterpillars on the trip.

Flannel Moth (Megalopyge sp):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/catepillar1.jpg


Shag-carpet Caterpillar (Tarchon felderi):
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/caterpillar1.jpg


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/caterpillar2.jpg


These roadside trees had huge leaves:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat1.jpg


... interesting flowers. The second one was a nice passion flower.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/habitat2_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/flower_passion1_400.jpg



I found several of these amazing parasol-like fungi:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/fungus1.jpg

[moloch]

Strange flower and a giant armoured millipede:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/flower_sp1_400.jpghttp://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_millipede1_400.jpg


... incredible Wax-tailed Hopper followed by a relative that seemed to lack the waxy extrusions:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_waxtail1.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_homopteran1.jpg



Whip-scorpions were again common at night:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_whipscorpion1.jpg



http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/arthro_spider2.jpg


Although not dazzling like the Dendrobates, I still liked the colour pattern of these Spotted-thighed Poison Frog (Epipedobates femoralis).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Allobatesfemoralis5.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Allobatesfemoralis4.jpg

[Peacock Royal]

David, thanks for sharing all these wonderful pictures and species here. :cheers:

[moloch]

Thanks, Federick.


Scarlet Peacock
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/butterflies/butterflyScarletPeacock.jpg


I hope that you all have enjoyed the post. Peru is a fantastic destination. After seeing the quality of photos in your posts on this forum, I hope that you head to Peru and take photos of the South American species. I would love to see such a report!


I am starting a new thread in the "... other critters" forum for those of you who like the following animals.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Chironious3.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/allpahuayo%20mishana/Litoriasp1.jpg


Finally, I enjoyed photos of those of you who participated in the Endau Rompin trip last year. It is nice to be able to put faces to the names. Here is a shot of me (left) and my friends Ed (centre) and Ted (right). When we were young in the '70s, we used to explore California, Arizona and then the tropics of Mexico together. Both guys have visited me here in Australia and Ted came over for a reptile photography trip through the deserts of Western Australia a few years ago. Now, my friends have retired so we will travel more often. Our next trip will be to Malaysia in another year.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/moloch05/Peru/Jan%202010/habitats/LosTresAmigos.jpg



Regards,
David

[Glorious Begum]

Do I need to go there ? You had covered it all for us. :bsmile:

Thank you for these wonderful photos, in fact I should put it as this trip. :cheers:

[orionmystery]

Wonderful shots of all the flora and fauna of Peruvian Amazon, David. You make us wanna jump on the next flight to go there :)

[bluefin]

David, thanks for sharing your enthralling and informative series of shots.:thumbsup:

They are so near yet so far . :-( :cheers:

[moloch]

Thanks Kurt and Nelson.

I have begun a post of the herps (e.g., reptiles and amphibians) that I observed on the trip. Here is a link to the post:

http://www.butterflycircle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10195


Regards,
David