A Tabanidae deer fly captured by a mist net (set up for bats) as it buzzed around myself and other researchers at Las Alturas field station. Several small, red and orange mites have colonized the fly, including the fly’s compound eyes. It was somehow satisfying to see these possible parasites on the flies…as they are parasites of humans and other vertebrates.
A large tadpole from Quebrada Cerro in Las Cruces. This could be a tadpole of the brilliant forest frog (Lithobates warszewitshii), but I haven’t keyed it out.
Tadpoles were abundant in this stream, which drains primary wet forest, whereas they are fairly scarce in other streams in the preserve, possibly because fish didn’t appear to be present in Quebrada Cerro–in most other streams, fish, particularly the guppy, are abundant.