We started night drilling this week, which has been pretty interesting as far as Lepidoptera goes. It’s pretty amazing what comes out of the jungle at night when you have bright lights on. There seems to be just as much variety here (if not more) as what I found in Queen Elizabeth Nat. Park in Uganda. Here’s a taste of what I have found this week (and it has rained heavily two out of four nights!) some of them I have shown before but they’re just so stunning I don’t mind showing them again!
Papilio sp?
Aurivillius arata
Nudaurelia anthinoides
Imbrasia truncata
Pseudobunaea tyrrhena
Epiphora perspicua
Euchloron megaera
Daphnis nerii
Neopolyptychus compar
Quite a lot of amphibs coming out now as well, as we head in to the start of the rainy season (from now until mid-October the wetter parts of the country –where I am – receive up to 5000mm –yip, THOUSAND- of rain). I found these guys hopping around the forest floor, The first I think is Ptychadena oxyrynchus, not sure of the second (Possibly a Toadlet?) which I think is a male (red/brown) and female (grey), as well as a little reed frog I found sitting on one of the airconditioner units, and one of the toads that are common in the camp. I have found a couple of nice streams and ponds up in the mountains and when I drove past them at 04h00 this morning they were resonating with frog calls, so I am looking forward to getting out there tonight to see who’s who
Some kind of little Gecko
A Cricket making a racket
A brightly coloured long horn beetle