Guatemala Recap

Well, it took me a little over a month, but I've finally edited and uploaded the last of my images from our Guatemala journey in early January. Here's the whole set:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=6940&user_id=gcwarbler&verifiable=any
These are the product of sorting through about 1700 photos to compile just under 500 observations. By iNat's calculation, the effort documented about 343 species of plants and animals, but I'm not sure how that total is calculated for my Observations page. There is still a fairly large set of my observations left at genus, subfamily, family, or higher levels of classification. In many cases, of course, some plants and animals won't be ID-able better than genus or so, but that still leaves a lot that I haven't pinned down. If anyone has a desire to delve into those groups needing more work, here are some subsets of my observations that could use some help:

Flowering plants IDed no lower than tribe (currently 17 observations):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?hrank=kingdom&lrank=tribe&place_id=6940&taxon_id=47125&user_id=gcwarbler&verifiable=any

Insects with an ID no finer than tribe (about 84 observations; mostly moths, see next):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?hrank=kingdom&lrank=tribe&place_id=6940&taxon_id=47158&user_id=gcwarbler&verifiable=any

Moths IDed no finer than tribe (about 53 observations):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?hrank=kingdom&lrank=tribe&place_id=6940&taxon_id=47157&user_id=gcwarbler&verifiable=any

For a country with such incredibly rich biological diversity, Guatemala is in dire need of additional attention to document this diversity. My meager efforts on a 12-day visit now place me among the top dozen in observations and species out of some 3,000 iNat observers in Guatemala (local and visitors). To date, this most populous country of seven Central American nations has the 2nd lowest iNaturalist observer density (in terms of both population and area), 2nd lowest number of observations per 1000 sq. km. and the lowest number of observations per iNaturalist observer. There are obviously some difficult and complex socio-economic issues behind such numbers and I am in no position to analyze this further. That said, I have been encouraged by some of my Guatemalan friends to solicit further attention to this biological wonderland. I am certain I will be making a return visit to Guatemala in the not-too-distant future.

Posted on February 18, 2022 03:21 PM by gcwarbler gcwarbler

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 2022

Tags

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 11, 2022 07:01 AM CST

Description

I'm expecting this to be an Arctiinae moth, perhaps related to the large genus Ormetica, but I'm not finding anything quite like it in several sources. The moth is about 2 cm long.

I'll have a lot more moths to upload from some episodic mothing efforts at four of the locations where we stayed overnight.

Tags

GUA

Photos / Sounds

What

Orange-striped Eighty-Eight (Diaethria pandama)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 9, 2022 10:30 AM CST

Tags

GUA

Photos / Sounds

What

Anna’s Eighty-Eight (Diaethria anna)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 9, 2022 12:18 PM CST

Description

A number of these were flitting around on the porches and walkways of CCFC. This one landed on a friend's arm.

Tags

GUA

Photos / Sounds

What

Leaf Blotch Miner Moths (Family Gracillariidae)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 8, 2022 02:16 PM CST

Description

Charley Eiseman's initial assessment of this leafminer suggested it is likely to be a Gracillariid. The plant is in the understory of cloud forest habitat at about 5300 ft elevation in the central highlands of Guatemala. The plant, a member of the Melastomataceae, has been uploaded separately. See,
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105675735

Tags

Photos / Sounds

What

Eois saria

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 11, 2022 08:16 PM CST

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 7, 2022 08:25 PM CST

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 8, 2022 11:04 PM CST

Description

I have been unable to pin down this moth, of which I saw several at Posada Montaña. I expect it is a species of Hammaptera or the related Psaliodes.

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 8, 2022 04:05 PM CST

Description

Roadside in wet pine-oak woodlands at 5630 ft (1715 m) elevation.

Photos / Sounds

What

Bromeliad Spiders (Genus Cupiennius)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 10, 2022 08:37 PM CST

Tags

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 11, 2022 03:31 PM CST

Description

Well, I did find Calyptocarpus in Guatemala, but I'm not sure which species I documented. The expected native species in Guatemala is C. wendlandii, but apparently Straggler Daisy (C. vialis) is spreading rapidly in Central America from its native range in Mexico. The only available key I've seen referenced is in an old issue of the journal Brittonia which is behind a Springer paywall. Ugh...
McVaugh, R., Smith, N.J. Calyptocarpus vialis and C. wendlandii (Compositae). Brittonia 19, 268–272 (1967). https://doi.org/10.2307/2805778
If anyone has access to that publication, I would appreciate a synthesis of the key separating these two species.
I have a digital copy of the Flora of Guatemala (Part XII) which describes C. wendlandii but I can't really tell how it might differ from vialis--sounds very similar.

Tags

GUA

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 11, 2022 08:21 AM CST

Description

There were several plants on a dry rocky slope adjacent to the road and at the base of the road cut. I think I have this properly placed to genus, but Hechtia's are apparently not widespread in Guatemala. This location is about 20 mi (35 km) NE of the type locality for the endemic Hechtia dichroantha, but I can't find any images of that species. Unfortunately, I didn't see any flowering stalks on the examples we encountered. Elevation on this stretch of road was about 4100 ft (1250 m). Substrates were mostly shallow soils on metamorphic rocks including some serpentine. Vegetation was mostly arid brush and low open woodland on a south-facing slope.
Bromeliaceae

Photos / Sounds

What

Mendez's Sandmat (Euphorbia mendezii)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 11, 2022 10:15 AM CST

Description

I haven't yet worked through keys to try to figure out some of these last plants. These were all on the roadside with adjacent arid brush on a dry, rocky, south-facing slope, on metamorphic (poss. serpentine) substrate, at about 3400 ft (1035 m) elevation.

Photos / Sounds

What

Pine Pink (Bletia purpurea)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 11, 2022 09:26 AM CST

Description

I'm not sure of this placement. I failed to get images of the leaves.

Photos / Sounds

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 12, 2022 09:47 PM CST

Description

This seems to be a seldom-photographed syrphid fly. The Catalogue of Dipatera South of the United States mentions records from Panama and Brazil. I found one publisehd report from Mexico, and two records on iNat are from Colombia and Equador. This seems to be a first report from Guatemala.
@gilfelipe Thanks for your research on this group. Did I get this correct?

Tags

Photos / Sounds

What

Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentandra)

Observer

gcwarbler

Date

January 13, 2022 07:53 AM CST

Tags

GUA

Comments

Just for giggles, I looked at your calendar:
https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/gcwarbler
And if you were in Guatemala from 4 - 14 January, I added up the "life firsts." It's not necessarily "new species" but "new taxonomic lineages" -- so some of these were totally new families or higher taxa... Nonetheless, you observed 335 new taxonomic lineages (with more to come as they get ID'ed).

To sum up: you saw cool new stuff! :) Loved looking through these.

Posted by sambiology over 2 years ago

Yes, I'm still trying to solicit help from Central American botanists, etc., to pin down more IDs.

Posted by gcwarbler over 2 years ago

I loved looking through your observations, Chuck. It looks like it was a fantastic trip! Thank you for sharing your photos with the world through iNat.

Posted by zdufran over 2 years ago

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