Monday, 18 November 2019
28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - STRAWBERRY POISON DART FROG (Oophaga pumilio)
The strawberry poison frog, strawberry poison-dart frog or blue jeans poison frog (Oophaga pumilio, formerly Dendrobates pumilio) is a species of small poison dart frog found in Central America. It is common throughout its range, which extends from eastern central Nicaragua through Costa Rica and northwestern Panamá. The species is often found in humid lowlands and premontane forest, but large populations are also found in disturbed areas such as plantations. The strawberry poison frog is perhaps most famous for its widespread variation in coloration, comprising approximately 15–30 color morphs, most of which are presumed to be true-breeding. O. pumilio, while not the most poisonous of the dendrobatids, is the most toxic member of its genus.
Oophaga pumilio is diurnal and primarily terrestrial, and can often be found in leaf litter in both forested and disturbed areas. Studies have shown that the optimal habitat is determined by the male, considering the resource benefits and defense costs. Males tend to expend more energy defending smaller but higher quality areas. There has also been evidence that the better competitors and fighters are the males guarding smaller sites with higher female density. In most Anura the louder the vocalization when competing usually means they are larger in size and in better health. However, in the O. pumilio species researchers have determined that these frogs call out at a lower rate to limit their energetic expenditures. Females, on the other hand, simply distribute themselves according to tadpole rearing sites.
Though brightly colored and toxic, these frogs are relatively small, growing to approximately 17.5–22 mm (0.69–0.87 in) in standard length.
28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - GIANT CICADA (MALE) (Quesada gigas)
The giant cicada (Quesada gigas), also known as the chichara grande, coyoyo, or coyuyo, is a species of large cicada native to North, Central, and South America. One of two species in the genus Quesada, it is the widest ranging cicada in the Western Hemisphere.
The giant cicada was discovered by Guillaume-Antoine Olivier in 1790. British naturalist Henry Walter Bates described the shrill songs of the cicadas during his exploration in the Amazon in the late 1840s. There are historical records of the cicada in Bexar County, Texas starting in 1934, but this population died out - possibly due to the extended drought of the 1950s. Since 2005, the cicada population has grown and become widespread in central Texas. It currently ranges from central Texas to as far south as Mina Clavero, Argentina.
The giant cicada is the second-largest North American species, after the empress cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria). Like other Texan species, the giant cicada has an appearance that helps it camouflage into the environment. These true bugs are usually a combination of black, green and brown patterns, with brown to olive eyes and a brownish-green pronotal collar color. Texan cicadas distinguish themselves by sound, rather than appearance.
The giant cicada is the only species of the genus Quesada found in North America. The species feeds off of a wide variety of plant families. As an endothermic species, it has the ability to live in a wide range of environments. In the United States, the giant cicada primarily resides in the South Texas brushland, in an area spanning approximately from Laughlin Air Force Base (near Del Rio, Texas) in the west through Uvalde, San Antonio and Austin in the east, ranging nearly to the western limits of Houston. There have been sightings near cities such as Bellville, Brenham, Chappell Hill and Hempstead, Texas. Further south, its range includes most of the southern half of Texas before entering into Mexico, where it is primarily found from Coahuila, along the Mexican Gulf coast states, through to the Yucatán Peninsula. The species' range typically does not extend inland or far to the west until San Luis Potosí. In the west of Mexico, its range begins just north of Mazatlán and continues southward, along the coast, and inland through Guadalajara, Mexico City and all regions further south.
South of Mexico, the giant cicada is found across much of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. In Argentina, the species' range stretches as far south as Buenos Aires and Córdoba and as far west as San Juan and San Luis Provinces.
Sunday, 17 November 2019
23-3-2017 SAN GERARDO DE DOTA, COSTA RICA - KEEL BILLED TOUCAN (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
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The keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan, keel toucan, or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. The species is found in tropical jungles from southern Mexico to Colombia. It is an omnivorous forest bird that feeds on fruits, seeds, insects, invertebrates, lizards, snakes, and small birds and their eggs.
28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - BLUE THROATED TUCANET (Aulacorhynchus prasinus ssp. caeruleogularis
The Blue-throated Toucanet, Aulacorhynchus caeruleogularis, is a member of the toucan family, Ramphastidae. This near-passerine bird boasts a large bill characteristic of toucans. Adults range from 29 to 37 cm in length and weigh between 120 to 185 grams. Both sexes are similar in appearance, though females tend to be slightly smaller with shorter bills.
The Blue-throated Toucanet's bill is a striking feature, black with a prominent yellow stripe along the culmen and a white vertical strip at its base. The nominate subspecies has a rufous patch near the base of the culmen, while A. c. cognatus lacks this. The plumage is predominantly green, lighter below than above, with the nominate's crown having a bronze tinge and its nape and upper back a yellowy bronze tint. The eye is dark brown, encircled by darker bare skin. A deep blue graces their lower face and throat, and their undertail coverts and the underside of the tail are chestnut. The tail is green at the base, turning blue towards the end with chestnut tips. Immature birds are grayer with browner and smaller chestnut tail tips.
The Blue-throated Toucanet inhabits humid montane forests but can also be found in secondary forests, shrublands, pastures, and plantations.
This species is found in Costa Rica, Panama, and far northwestern Colombia, ranging in elevation from 800 to 3,000 meters in Costa Rica and 600 to 2,400 meters in Panama.
The Blue-throated Toucanet is a non-migratory bird known for its gregarious nature, often forming groups of up to about 10 individuals.
28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - GREEN AND BLACK POISON DART FROG (Dendrobates auratus)
The green-and-black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus), also known as the green-and-black poison arrow frog and green poison frog (among others), is a brightly-colored member of the order Anura native to southern Central America and Colombia. This species has also been introduced to Oahu, Hawaii in an effort to lower mosquito numbers. It is one of the most variably colored species of poison dart frogs, after D. tinctorius, Adelphobates galactonotus and some Oophaga species. From a conservation standpoint, it is considered to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Within the reptile and amphibian hobby, D. auratus remains one of the most commonly kept, and easiest-to-breed, dart frogs in captivity, as well as in zoos.
The green-and-black poison dart frog is found in humid lowland and submontane forests at altitudes of 0–1,000 m (0–3,280 ft) in southeastern Nicaragua on the Atlantic slope, eastern Costa Rica on the Atlantic slope and in the southwest on the Pacific slope, widely in Panamá, and into far northwestern Colombia in the Chocó Department. An introduced population exists on Oahu, in Hawaii; the species was intentionally introduced there, in 1932, for mosquito control. Later on, it seems to have also become established on Maui.
Saturday, 16 November 2019
23-3-2017 TROGON LODGE COSTA RICA - RESPLENDENT QUETZAL (Pharomachrus mocinno)
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The resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a small bird found in southern Mexico and Central America that lives in tropical forests, particularly montane cloud forests. They are part of the family Trogonidae and have two recognized subspecies, P. m. mocinno and P. m. costaricensis. Like other quetzals, the resplendent is mostly omnivorous; its diet mainly consists of fruits of plants in the laurel family, Lauraceae, but it occasionally also preys on insects, lizards, frogs and snails.
The species is well known for its colorful and complex plumage that differs substantially between sexes. Males have iridescent green plumes, a red lower breast and belly, black innerwings and a white undertail, whilst females are duller and have a shorter tail. Grey lower breasts, bellies, and bills, along with bronze-green heads are characteristic of females. These birds hollow holes in decaying trees or use ones already made by woodpeckers as a nest site. They are known to take turns while incubating, males throughout the day and females at night. The female usually lays one to three eggs, which hatch in 17 to 19 days. The quetzal is an altitudinal migrant, migrating from the slopes to the canopy of the forest. This occurs during the breeding season, which varies depending on the location, but usually commences in March and extends as far as August.
The resplendent quetzal is considered near threatened on the IUCN Red List, with habitat destruction being the main threat. It has an important role in Mesoamerican mythology, and is closely associated with Quetzalcoatl, a deity. It is the national animal of Guatemala, being pictured on the flag and coat of arms; it also gives its name to the country's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal.
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This species inhabits amidst lush vegetation, in specially moist rainforests at high elevations (900–3,200 m (3,000–10,500 ft). They populate trees that make up the canopy and subcanopy of the rainforest, though they can also be found in ravines and cliffs. It prefers to live in decaying trees, stumps, and abandoned woodpecker hollows. The vivid colors of the quetzal are disguised by the rainforest. The resplendent quetzal can be found from southern Mexico (southernmost Oaxaca and Chiapas) to western Panama (Chiriquí). The ranges of the two subspecies differ: P. m. mocinno is found in southern Mexico, northern El Salvador, and northwestern Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras, while P. m. costaricensis is found in Costa Rica and western Panama. The geographical isolation between the two subspecies is caused by the Nicaraguan depression, a 50 km (31 mi) wide, 600 km (370 mi) long bottomland that contains the two largest lakes in Central America, Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua, and the deficiency of the breeding habitats in regions adjoining to. The quetzal migrates from its breeding areas in the lower montane rainforest to the pre-montane rainforest on the Pacific slopes for three to four months (July–October), after which they move across the continental divide to the Atlantic slopes.
Quetzal's abundance in its mating areas is correlated with the total number of fruiting species, although the correlation between quetzal abundance and the number of fruiting Lauraceae species is only marginal.
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Friday, 15 November 2019
23-3-2017 SAN GERARDO DE DOTA COSTA RICA - MENELAUS BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY (Morpho menelaus
The Menelaus blue morpho (Morpho menelaus) is one of thirty species of butterfly in the subfamily Morphinae. Its wingspan is approximately 12 cm (4.7"), and its dorsal forewings and hindwings are a bright, iridescent blue edged with black, while the ventral surfaces are brown. Its iridescent wings are an area of interest in research because of their unique microstructure. Due to its characteristic blue color, Morpho menelaus is considered valuable among collectors and was widely hunted in the 20th century.
This neotropical butterfly is found in Central and South America, including the Cerrado which is a vast tropical savanna in Brazil. Other locations include Mexico and Venezuela. Ancestors of the Morpho menelaus butterfly may have been distributed in the Andean regions. Morpho menelaus is one of the six species of Morpho in Costa Rica. The genus of Morpho is present in regions beginning in Mexico and throughout South America, except Chile. Moreover, the Morpho menelaus struggle to survive in the northern Pacific area of Costa Rica since they can’t tolerate such dry conditions. They also need habitats in old growth forests with proper differentiation between the understories and canopies (Murillo-Hiller & Canet, 2018).
23-3-2017 SAN GERARDO DE DOTA COSTA RICA - OLIVE BACKED EUPHONIA (Euphonia gouldi)
The olive-backed euphonia (Euphonia gouldi) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in the Caribbean lowlands and foothills from southern Mexico to western Panama.
The olive-backed euphonia is found in wet forests, tall second growth and adjacent bushy clearings, typically from sea level to 750 m altitude, sometimes up to 1000 m. The spherical cup nest, with a side entrance, is hidden amongst epiphytes or mosses 2–11 m high in a tree. The normal clutch is three brown-marked white eggs.
The adult olive-backed euphonia is 9.5 cm long and weighs 12 g. The adult male has glossy olive upperparts, a yellow forehead, and a rufous belly surrounded by yellow. The adult female has less glossy upperparts than the male, a chestnut forehead, yellow underparts and a small rufous belly patch. Immatures are darker, duller, and have olive underparts.
The olive-backed euphonia occurs in small groups, or as part of a mixed-species feeding flock. This species feeds mainly on small fruits.
The olive-backed euphonia's call is a metallic chrrr-chrrr, and the song is mixture of the call with clear or nasal whistles.
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Saturday, 9 November 2019
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