From a few years ago, in La Selva.
Tag Archives: La Selva
Banded Antennae
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Perched on a leaf drooping over Rio Saltito, this cricket’s peculiar banded antennae caught my eye. On the inside of an adjacent leaf, I discovered a small spider as well. |
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Craugastor megacephalus
A common litter-dwelling frog, Craugastor megacephalus has recently been moved to a new family, Craugastoridae (formerly Leptodactylidae). It’s cranial ridges and warty-appearing skin are generally thought of as toad characteristics, but this rain frog lacks large, poison-secreting, parotiod glands behind the eyes.
This individual was caught along side the Norops humilis in La Selva.
Juvenile Norops
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On the way to Rio Salto, prior to sampling, we encountered a juvenile Norops humilis about half the size of a paper clip, but still with some brilliant coloration. |
La Selva Group
Zack, Amber, Kristyn and Anna collect macroinvertebrates from Rio Salto and Rio Sura at OTS La Selva.
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Hyla phlybodes
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In early January, the Canta Rana wetland in La Selva was alive with a tiny, yellow hylid. Since I didn’t take proper pictures for identification, my best guess is Hyla phlybodes; it’s supposedly common both in the region and the reserve itself, and can be frequently heard calling around that time of year.
The other magnificent frog at the wetland you’ve already seen.
Aquatic Lepidoptera
The group Bernald and I led in La Selva collected aquatic insects from several stream sites that varied in total discharge and water velocity (essentially a riffle-pool macroinvertebrate community study). One of the coolest finds was this aquatic Lepidopteran larva in the genus Petrophila (Pyralidae), particularly since I had never seen any aquatic insect larva in this insect Order. Interestingly, many aquatic lepidopteran larva are shredders/herbivores of Typha.
Army ants in La Selva
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A caterpillar
I first though this glob on the underside of a leaf was an egg mass from a frog, maybe a centrolenid. I took a picture, and it appears that there is a caterpillar in the center. Is it alive?
Finally
First time sighting one of the classic frogs of Costa Rica: the red-eyed leaf frog, Agalychnis callidryas. Absolutely beautiful.