The Biotopo Chocón Machacas CECON-USAC, El Golfete, Livingston, is paradise on earth for trees, vines, mosses, flowers, mushrooms, and larvae of moths and butterflies. Here is a remarkable aggrupation of large sized larvae surrounding three horizontal smaller “baby” caterpillars.
Photograph by David Arrivilaga, FLAAR Mesoamerica, with Sony Alpha A9 II, Lens 90mm F2.8 Macro G. Settings: 90mm, 1/250, f/10, ISO 640 using a flash on camera, with a softbox, Biotopo Chocon Machacas CECON-USAC, Municipio Livingston, Departamento Izabal, Guatemala, Central America.
Our visit to this Biotope was arranged by Edwin Mármol Quiñonez, Coordinación de Cooperación de Livingston (Izabal, Guatemala). The flora and fauna research team from FLAAR Mesoamerica had been invited to visit the Municipio of Livingston by the new Alcalde the Municipio of Livingston, Daniel Esaú Pinto Peña. We are discussing undertaking a joint project to record the flora and fauna of the entire municipio, and to prepare educational material for the local schools, and to prepare material for the tourists so they know what photogenic waterbirds and gorgeous plants can be found in this part of Guatemala. This would be a four year project of cooperation between FLAAR Mesoamerica and the various entities of the Municipio of Livingston.
Over the recent two years we have tested various mobile phone cameras, to learn which is best for panoramas, which is best for general photographs, and which is best for macro photos of flowers and insects. iPhone Xs is excellent for general photos and panoramas (even though we have a Nikon D5 and a Canon EOS 1D X Mark II and a 61 megapixel Sony Alpha a7R IV mirrorless full frame). Google Pixel 3XL and Google Pixel 3 are excellent for macro photos.
Courtesy of a donation by Scott Forsythe, we were able to acquire a Google Pixel 3XL that we could loan to one of our plant-and-animal scouts. Our “scouts” are individuals in various parts of Guatemala who search for, find, and photograph the rare endangered flora and fauna that we are recording throughout Guatemala (especially in Peten and Alta Verapaz, and now we have added Izabal).
It is not realistic for a plant scout in a remote mountain area to carry a regular camera. A mobile telephone is far more practical.
These larvae were photographed on Feb. 19, 2020 by Norma Estefany Cho Cu, a helpful Pokomchi Mayan plant-and-animal-scout in southern Alta Verapaz. She, her husband, and her father have worked with FLAAR Mesoamerica in recent years.
Along many highways in the Highlands of Guatemala you can find lots of Wigandia urens plants. Their large leaves make them easy to find. Since our long-range project is to photograph as many native flowering plants of Guatemala, we stop along the highway when there is an easy and safe way to get the vehicle completely off the road.
Last week while we were photographing the purple-blue flowers of Wigandia urens between kilometer 60 and 75 of highway CA9 (Guatemala City towards Puerto Barrios) we found hundreds of two or more species of bees busy at work harvesting nectar from these flowers. But I estimate that more than 90% of the larger bees were working at the back of the flower. Thus I estimate they are nectar robbers: they get the sweet sugary nectar that they want by sneaking in the back of the flower; but don’t get pollen on their bodies (so, in theory, are not pollinators).
Big bee on side or back of Wigandia urens flower.
Big bee on side or back of Wigandia urens flower.
Big bee in middle of front of Wigandia urens flower.
There was another flowering tree nearby, palo de brasil, Haematoxylon brasilletto. So we also photographed the bees pollinating these flowers.
We learn a lot about bees of Guatemala, especially stingless bees, from Scott Forsyth. He has helped local Mayan people on bee projects, especially in the Izabal area of Guatemala. We look forward to continue working together with him on a future project in the Municipio of Livingston (Rio Dulce, El Golfete, eastern end of Lake Izabal).
Local stingless bee, buzzing around same Wigandia urens flowers as the larger bees. Since these are small, it was not as easy to keep track of where they landed on a flower (front or back).
Drawing is by two of our team: university graphic design student Mellany and student intern Maria Josefina, copyright 2019 FLAAR.
The ancient Maya of southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala had a turkey species totally different than the North American turkey: the turkey of Guatemala is the ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata).
We show here two felines getting ready to have their yummy turkey feast (there are five species of felines in Guatemala: jaguar, puma, jaguarundi, ocelot, and margay).
We hope you enjoy our thanksgiving day bird feast humor. Don’t worry, we do not eat wild ocellated turkeys; they are protected species.
Posted November 27, 2019, the day before Thanksgiving
All the ones we find are inside the home/office. They come out at night. one came out yesterday so perhaps Thanksgiving is a time they come out? Or it may be coincidental.
Their bodies have pinchers (graspers) to impale, grab, slice, and dissect their prey. Yet to humans they are totally and completely tame. Since this tailless whip scorpion was on the steps, I had to move it quickly before someone walking down the steps would step on it by accident.
In the FLAAR Mesoamerica office we prefer no insecticide (except for mosquitos), no pesticides, and we prefer not to kill any spider nor tear down their cobwebs (because they help eat mosquitos without needing insecticide).
So I let the tailless whip scorpion out in the garden.
Amblypygi is the order; then there are families, and within each family genera, and then species. Since there are 155 species we will let Amblypygi specialists identify these from Guatemala City, altitude 1500 meters. These are not insects (no wings, for example).