Odonates from Mato Grosso and southern Para, Amazonian Brazil, November 2008 : |
From November 12 - 24, 2008 Sheridan and I were on a birding trip to south-central Brazil, and while there I tried to photograph every odonate that came my way. Sites visited were:
A small clear flowing forest stream on the Chapada dos Guimaraes - a spectacular sandstone outcrop east of Cuiaba the captial of Mato Grosso state (= CDG).
Along the banks and within half-a-mile of the Rio Azul at Pousada Rio Azul in southern Para state c. 4 hours by vehicle north of Alta Floresta, northern Mato Grosso state (=PRA).
Roadside swampy ponds with riparian edges in mostly cleared ranchland between Rio Azul and Rio Cristalino (=RSP).
Along the Rio Cristalino and in forest within half-a-mile of the river at Cristalino Jungle Lodge, northernmost Mato Grosso state (=CJL).
Along a forested road close to the banks of the Rio Teles Pirres near Cristalino Jungle Lodge (=RTP).
NOTE: The numbers assigned on this page to each entry correspond to those used in the image filenames; entries are grouped as best I can by morphological type and therefore are not in numerical order:
03): This Gomphid (Progomphus?) was perching on or close to the ground in the main clearing in the forest at Hotel Amazonas in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso.
02): I've no idea what family this belongs to; it was perched early-morning 70 feet up in the subcanopy of tall primary rainforest next to the tower at CJL. Per Dennis Paulson: a female Gomphid:
06): This Gynacantha (or is it Triacanthagyna?) would patrol a very low 20 - 30-foot beat along the start of the entrance road at PRA each evening for about 15 minutes. Per Dennis Paulson: Gynacantha litoralis:
05): This presumed smallish darner (?) was operating a small patrol route at knee-height among scores of dasher-types doing the same thing over a diminishing rainpool in mud in a small forest clearing on a large river island on the RTP. Per Dennis Paulson: probably a female Orthemis:
