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:
04): along the edge of a road through closed-canopy forest on the slopes at CDG. Per Dennis Paulson: Uracis sp. - oddly colored:


08): within forest trail next to River at PRA. Per Dennis Paulson: Uracis imbuta:


33): forested trail with sunlit patches between the thrid clearing and the river at CJL. Per Dennis Paulson: Uracis ovipositrix:

2nd female at same spot:

36): perched on dead leaves and directly on the surface of a very large rocky outcrop on the edge of the River at CJL; this dragon is smaller than all the dasher-types.Per Dennis Paulson: Oligoclada sp. :

35): perched on low dead branch and directly on the surface of a very large rocky outcrop on the edge of the River at CJL - the same spot as 36) above.Per Dennis Paulson: Orthemis aequilibris:


2nd male nearby:

26): on tall grass next to a shaded patch of water along the wooded edge of large RSP not far from Teles Pirres River in northernmost Mato Grosso. Per Dennis Paulson: probably Erythrodiplax melania :


31): narrow forest trail at CJL. Per Dennis Paulson: Uracis infumata:



14): perched low-to-high along the edges of a wide track through campina (stunted forest/scrub on white-sand) and also within the forest, at PRA. Per Dennis Paulson: Ypirangathemis calverti :

2nd male:



a female:


11): small clearing along road through a large forest fragment near Rio Azul, not far from PRA. Per Dennis Paulson: possibly an Erythrodiplax?:

12): small clearing along road through a large forest fragment near Rio Azul, not far from PRA. Per Dennis Paulson: not Erythrodiplax; not sure about genus:


39): perched 12 - 16 feet up on vine in small clearing at CJL - size of a Dythemis. Per Dennis Paulson: probably a Micrathyria:
