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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Trip Reports
Butterfly - watching Holidays
 
Brazil
August 2006
a group tour organised by Geodyssey, designed and led by Adrian Hoskins
participants Tony Hoare, Stephen Meredith, Adrian Hoskins and Ken Willmott

This tour was limited to 4 participants to minimise trampling at the mud holes, and to make life easier for photographers on the narrow trails. 

After our long and very tiring flight from London via Dallas and Sao Paulo to Cuiaba, we drove to a city hotel for a good night's rest. The following morning we transferred to the domestic airport for our flight to Alta Floresta, where we had lunch, and then drove to the jetty on the Rio Teles Peres. From there we had a short boat journey to our lodge on the Rio Cristalino. 

Rio Cristalino reaffirmed it's standing as the most productive butterfly site I have visited in the neotropics. As on our previous visit we had an excellent guide / boatman, who very helpfully baited tree-trunks with banana and fish, which were both efficient at attracting many butterflies.

We saw many Satyrines, Lycaenids and Riodinids as we walked the trails, and several magnificent Nymphalids, including a gorgeous male Hamadryas velutina which basked on a tree trunk. The most productive area however was the peccary wallow, which attracted hordes of Nymphalids, and thankfully on this occasion did not attract the swarms of sweat bees, wasps and hoverflies that were so troublesome the previous year. There were hordes of beautiful species at the wallow including the stunning red and black Siderone galanthis, several Adelpha sp, a Methona mimicking Dismorphiine - Patia orise, and the brilliant metallic green metalmark Caria mantinea. 

The trails radiating from the lodge were particularly good for Satyrines, producing Haetera pierella, several Pierella species, and a variety of Euptychia / Cissia. The nicest Satyrines however were the wonderful dead-leaf mimics Taygetis angulosa and Taygetis mermeria. Brassolines included Catoblepia berecynthia, Opotera aorsa and at least 3 species of Caligo Owl butterflies. Nymphalines included dazzling Catonephele and Nessaea species, and the lovely Hamadryas chloe. Other species along the trail included the metallic blue Mesosemia marisa, and the green Lycaenid Arcas imperialis, which periodically plopped down from the trees to land on low foliage.

As on our previous trip, the Sarota species attracted a lot of attention. They appeared early in the mornings at the edge of a glade, zipping around the tops of banana trees, looking just like houseflies. They occasionally settled, and when I looked closely at their undersides, resplendent in dark red with orange and metallic blue markings, I pondered on how such amazing beauty and intricate patterning could have evolved, and what purpose it might serve. Why such beauty in such a tiny insect ? 

A full moon at the time of our visit greatly reduced the number of moths attracted to UV light at the moth sheet, but one small species attracted a lot of attention - a metallic green moth with strange bell-shaped wings. Other insects at the moth sheet includes the metalmark Anteos renaldus, a huge lantern bug, and praying mantises.

In addition to the 287 butterfly species listed below, we saw a variety of fascinating moths, including this Bell moth, Paramanca herbacealis - a member of the Pyralidae ( Chrysauginae ).

Identification courtesy of Vitor Becker

On several occasions we went by longboat to explore various trails and lagoons, and to visit the large island at the mouth of the Rio Cristalino. Each site produced butterfly species that were new to us, and each river journey provided us with sightings of beautiful kingfishers. The bird which excited us most however was the very beautiful and graceful Capped Heron, which we saw on 3 occasions. Tapirs, which we had seen several times on our first tour in 2005, were not seen on this tour.

Our most memorable encounter was with a vast Anaconda. Our guide had discovered it the previous day, and took us to the spot. With some trepidation we clambered up the bank of the river, and found the huge snake staring straight at us from a distance of less than 2 metres. Fortunately for us it had recently eaten, it's belly greatly distended by it's previous meal, probably a Capybara or Giant River Otter, both of which we saw frequently on the river. We estimated the snake to be about 8 metres long !

Potential visitors should note that the killing, capture or removal of any insect, animal or plant is strictly prohibited at Cristalino.

 
Species recorded at Rio Cristalino in August 2006.
All species listed below were identified by Adrian Hoskins and Tony Hoare from photographs, using the d'Abrera volumes, Lewis, Smart, DeVries, Canals, Neild etc. In cases where doubts remained, images were e-mailed to taxonomists specialising in the relevant families, including Andrew Neild, Jason Hall, Keith Willmott, Curtis Callaghan, Robert Robbins, Jorge Bizzaro, Andy Warren and Gerardo Lamas. Nomenclature follows Lamas, 2004.
 

Family

subfamily

Genus

species

subspecies

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Aides

duma

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Callimormus

radiola

radiola

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Decinea

percosius

 

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Dubiella

dubius

 

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Panoquina

evadnes

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Panoquina

fusina

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Parphorus

decora

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Parphorus

storax

 

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Pellicia

vecina

 

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Phanes

aletes

 

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Polites

vibex

calla

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Pyrrhopygopsis

romula

 

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Saliana

nr. longirostris

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Tirynthia

conflua

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Vehilius

stictomenes

stictomenes

Hesperiidae

Hesperiinae

Zenis

jebus

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Achlyodes

busirus

rioja

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Achlyodes

mithridates

thraso

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Antigonus

liborius

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Astraptes

anaphus

anaphus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Astraptes

fulgerator

fulgerator

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Bolla

atahuallpai

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Bolla

cupreiceps

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Bungalotis

astylos

astylos

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Calaenorrhinus

monartus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Camptopleura

theramenes

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Carrhenes

bamba

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Cycloglypha

thrasybulis

thrasybulus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Cycloglypha

tisias

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Cyclosemia

herennius

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Ebrietas

anacreon

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Gorgythion

alcandra

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Grais

stigmaticus

stigmaticus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Helias

phalaenoides

phalaenoides

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Heliopetes

petrus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Hyalothyrus

infernalis

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Hyalothyrus

leucomelas

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Milanion

leucaspis

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Milanion

hemes

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Mylon

maimon

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Pellicia

vecina

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Polyctor

tensa

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Polythrix

auginus

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Polythrix

octomaculata

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Porphyrogenes

vulpecula

vulpecula

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Pyrgus

oileus

oileus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Pythonides

jovianus

fabricii

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Sostrata

festiva

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Telemiades

avitus

avitus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Telemiades

delalanda

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Urbanus

doryssus

doryssus

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Urbanus

simplicius

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrginae

Urbanus

virescens

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Croniades

pieria

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Jemadia

hewitsonii

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Jemadia

hospita

imitator

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Jemadia

sosia

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Parelbella

ahira

 

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Pyrrhopyge

phidias

bixae

Hesperiidae

Pyrrhopyginae

Pyrrhopyge

proculus

cintra

Lycaenidae

Polyommatinae

Hemiargus

hanno

bogotana

Lycaenidae

Polyommatinae

Leptotes

cassius

cassius

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Arawacus

separata

 

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Arcas

imperialis

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Calycopis

nr caulonia

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Celmia

celmus

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Chalybis

hassan

 

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Electrostrymon

mathewi

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Iaspis

castitas

 

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Janthecla

rocena

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Janthecla

sista

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Michaelus

ira

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Ministrymon

cruenta / arthuri ?

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Ministrymon

zilda

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Mithras

nautes

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Ocaria

ocrisia

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Ocaria

thales

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Olynthus

essus

Lycaenidae

Theclinae

Ostrinotes