North America

Let him go to the post office in his city. They'll tell him everything there.

Just go in and say that I want to send the captured beetles to Russia? )) Or is it not necessary to mention the content?

Well, yes, everything is fair and say. There is no ban on sending dead insects. However, you may be asked to issue a quarantine certificate. They will tell you where and how.

You can send it underground with some product, such as a T-shirt. In the declaration, specify: T-shirt. Usually rolls.

You can send it underground with some product, such as a T-shirt. In the declaration, specify: T-shirt. Usually rolls.

OK, thanks.

First of all, I want to say that I don't want this to be perceived as a report – I already have something like an idiosyncrasy for this word, thanks to my work, where at the end of the year, according to a strange tradition, there is an inexplicable need for superiors in these very reports, and so great that often about the work itself at this time, you can forget for quite a long time
I won't report back. I just want to share here with the forum members some photos from my trip to Mexico, with some comments and my own impressions of my stay there. I'm still not much of a photographer, but maybe this will be interesting for someone, probably because few of you have ever been there. So, after completing the reports, we got our hands on these photos. It's a pity, but many interesting views could not be removed. About 5 years ago, I had already been to Mexico for a longer period of time, but then I was extremely restricted in my movements, and almost all the time I spent in the city of Victoria, in the state of Tamaulipas, with all the ensuing consequences. Now you have the opportunity to drive around Tamulipas and a number of central states to collect insects and stop at any places you like.
Collected correspondence – this was the focus of our trip. Along the way, there was simply no time to watch for the right angle, make long series or run after some particularly attractive specimen, and sometimes it was not convenient to get the camera out, but when this DSLR was hanging around the neck-everything did not add comfort when working with a net... In the forest, under the canopy, sometimes there was not enough light, and I shot everything "with my hands", but it would be too much to carry a tripod with me. Also, I didn't want to change the macro to a whale lens very often, so maybe there aren't so many landscape photos.
I tried to identify some of the animal species I captured from the photo myself, but, not being an expert and not having enough free time to search the web, I do not pretend to be the ultimate truth. If something is signed incorrectly or not defined, but someone can give a definition – you are welcome, I will be grateful.
So, it was September-October. Not the best time for training is the rainy season, but for all three participants this time turned out to be the most acceptable. So the weather wasn't always favorable…
It was hot down on the plain, and without air conditioning, it was very bad, almost from sunrise to sunset, and we went to the mountainous area, where the white man is already quite comfortable.
The first trip was made over the weekend to the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (Gomez Farias Tamaulipas).. It was still relatively dry. On the way, we crossed the tropic of Cancer, marked by such a yellow ball near the roads.

Gomes Farias – Alta Cima. There are already real wet tropics here. We agreed to spend the night in an environmental center, and we were allowed into a guest room with mattresses and air conditioning, although the musty smell that permeated both the room itself and the adjacent amenities did not bring much joy.
There are large numbers of Nephila clavipes spider webs around the buildings


, as well as polist nests.
1. Polybia

2.


relatively close to the apartment is a camera trap at the drinking bowl made of stone; they say that jaguars, they say, came and were caught in the photo. It's hard to believe. There is also an orchid – "donkey's ears" - I did not catch the similarity.
3.


We put some yellow plates, but the catch was not very happy – quite poor. They mowed mainly along the dead road, along which only steep jeeps can pass, because the forest on steep slopes is poorly traversed and in the presence of a large number of different spiked lianas and other thorns, it is fraught with a quick failure for the net. It didn't make much difference-I'll put it bluntly, much more was expected from the tropics
We did not climb very high, up to 1 km.

4. A couple of Lycidae beetles, which I didn't immediately recognize as a couple – they were doing it too intricately.


A lot of different nymphalids and whiteflies fly, mostly small in size. Although it flew, and quite close, Morpho.

5.

6. Anteos maerula

7. Eurema_boisduvaliana

and here there are a lot of them, they eat

8. barbel

9. A huge shield ?Edessa sp. on what looks like ginkgo leaves,

10. and this, apparently, is his nymph

11. This is the leaf of a young plant, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, on which I burned myself directly through the net, picking it up from the ground; usually the leaves are more strongly dissected. The sensations were not pleasant, and the pain lasted for several hours. The locals call him "mala mujer" - a bad woman. I knew it before, and now I've met it

12. Callipogon? senex-caught it with a net on the fly


13. Adelpha ?basiloides

her underwear

14. Hamadryas februa ferentina. I've seen them before – they're very careful, but they always sit upside down.

15. Eueides isabella



16. just a flower-Catharanthus roseus

17. Anartia fatima

18.

19.

20. these were quite a lot, but always in the shadows and did not pose in any way

21. filly interesting color-Aidemona azteca, sorry to jump up quickly

22. helicopter damsel-Mecistogaster ornata or Pseudostigma aberrans (Pseudostigmatidae) – only 2 of these species are known in this state, but I don't know how to distinguish them.


These inhabitants of tropical rain forests have a very long abdomen and have a characteristic slow flight. It is believed that the frequency of wing flaps in these dragonflies is the rarest among insects-it really looks very much like a helicopter in flight. Their biology is interesting – larvae , like other s. l. arrowheads, are aquatic predators, and develop in rainwater that accumulates in hollows or in the axils of bromeliad leaves, which seems surprising given their size (wingspan reaches 19 cm).
After returning to the ecocenter and having a quick snack, we decided to take a walk in the vicinity with flashlights, since it was already quickly dark.

23. On a branch I saw a snake Imantodes cenchoa – it is non-venomous, but it turned out only later



24. Neoponera villosa-a large ant that stings very painfully


25. and a spider depicting an ant



26. Also caught and this mustache.


Walking in the dark didn't seem very pleasant, especially since the fatigue was making itself felt, so we soon returned to the place of deployment.
And all this flew to the light of lanterns from the neighboring forest.
27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33. bizarre growth on the head


34. Parasa chloris

35..

36.

37.

38.

39. Diphthera festiva

40.

41. ? Stemorrhages costata

42.

43.

44.

45. = 44

46.

47.


48.


49.

50.

51. a large predatory bug that clearly mimics a road wasp

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57. Geckos were also happy that the light was on

usually, when it gets dark, there's only one caretaker left, and the lights are turned off.
58. For the first time alive (in the wild) I saw a bird-eating spider, well, he is healthy – he crawled right to the balcony. Then I saw another one - smaller, but the same color, probably the same look, I didn't want to go down.


In the morning we went for a walk separately, I immediately rushed along yesterday's route to the hill to Alta Sima to collect on the way back, moving down when the dew was already dry.
59. Heliopetes arsalte

60. ? Archilestris magnificus

61. Diaethria anna anna

62. Glamorous leaf eater

63. Passalidae or sugar beetle

Passalidae are large beetles close to the Lamellidae. Representatives of the family are distinguished by a highly developed instinct for caring for offspring. Males and females live in pairs and feed their offspring together. The larvae are unable to feed on their own, and the beetles feed them with chewed wood moistened with saliva and fermented with special fungi; it is not yet possible to artificially feed the larvae. Parents protect the pupae and even the young beetles that have emerged from them until they finally get stronger. At the same time, parents and larvae "talk" all the time, making special chirping sounds. Beetles do this by rubbing special hard formations on the dorsal side of the last segments of the abdomen against the finely serrated plate at the end of the wings (which are sometimes reduced and almost completely turned into a sound apparatus). The larvae ' chirping organ is even more distinctive: they appear to be four-legged, as their hind legs are transformed into tiny appendages that scratch at the file-like striated plate on the basin of the middle leg. There is evidence that the frequency of sound vibrations produced by beetles and larvae of the same species is almost the same, despite the sharp differences in the structure of the sound apparatus.
Do you know if they're all so black? And then you caught one red-brown, it's a young unpainted beetle?
64. Pteronymia cotytto

65.

66. Anartia fatima

67. here's another one like on 46

68.

69.

70. Marpesia chiron

71. The Agriope spider with a remarkable web

72. some kind of scoliasis - ? Campsomeris ephippium

73. Interesting red-winged erect wing, Chromacris colorata (Romaleidae)

74. Noctuana lactifera bipuncta


This post was edited by IchMan - 09/20/2018 13: 40

And the butterfly in photo 46 is Hedylidae?

And the butterfly in photo 46 is Hedylidae?

Who knows?.. At least I didn't add another one like this, but it's unlikely to help for the answer. I was already confused in these numbers, it was painful to get a lot of them.

Continuation

The second weekend trip was to the mountains (Miquihuana-Sierra Madre Oriental, Tamaulipas) with the hope of finding additional material on the new genus of riders collected earlier by the Maleza trap, although the weather forecast was not happy. We were accompanied by a botanist from the local University of Jacinto, an orchid specialist, who kindly provided his jeep as a vehicle, since mountain serpentines are sometimes not suitable for any car after the rains. Besides, he knows the area very well, having spent many years conducting his research here. Almost everywhere along the roads there are rows of barbed wire – private land.

Perhaps this is for animals – grazing donkeys, horses and their various hybrids are enough here – not everywhere else the peasant horse has been replaced by technology.

Yucca and agave trees are everywhere.






This type of agave blooms after 12 years, giving such a phallic peduncle up to 12 m high (usually 3-5 m) and soon dies.

The tips of the leaves are very hard and sharp, so you should move carefully through the thickets so as not to run into them. Blue agave, from which they drive tequila, was not found here.
1. The lynx spider Peucetia viridans (Oxyopidae)


2. Placosternus erythropus


3. Ziegleria guzanta

4. Battus philenor

5. ant lion - ?Brachynemurus abdominalis

There are several types of pine trees growing here – with 5 and 2 needles;


The folding net I'd brought home from home, made from Chinese fishing netting, was too light and flimsy for mowing through the local vegetation and especially through tough bushes like this oak thicket – it just flew back from them when I swung it.

Not so long ago, there was no electricity in these parts at all – it is too expensive to pull wires here to the mountains, and it is difficult to import fuel for generators along narrow mountain paths. And now there are solar panels – this one is installed by the state for the needs of the school

where we spent the night with the permission of the local headman (head of the settlement-a friend of Jacinto), just throwing sleeping bags with foam on the concrete floor. It's a bit harsh of course… On the other side of this building, we saw a large wasp's nest-about half a meter in diameter.

6. ? Polybia occidentalis

The wasps were acting somewhat suspiciously, so they didn't provoke them, given their number, despite the coolness of the evening. In the evening, they grilled meat and chicken legs taken from the city, washed down with local beer. Meat in Mexico is very good, the main thing here is not to overcook Along the way they tried to turn on the UV light guide tape with a sheet – some small inconspicuous scales flew in, one rider and about two dozen rhinoceros beetles of both sexes.
7.

It's pretty cool after the last rain.
In the forests there is a madroño-La madroño-a tree with reddish bark and edible red berries. The berries were already there, but still unripe and somewhat smallish – up to 1 cm in diameter, reaching the condition somewhere by Christmas.

There are not so many cacti


prickly pear trees are probably the most common.

Their fruits are edible and quench thirst, but it is quite difficult to get to the contents without sticking the smallest thorns into your fingers, which then bother you for a long time.

This photo shows a pherocactus with reddish spines.

They found a blooming orchid, Jacinto was surprised, said that this species blooms in August at the latest.

8.

9.

10. Alagoasa ceracollis

11.

12. Pepsini - ?Pepsis formosa


13. Polistes major

14.

15. Bombus ?sonorus

16.

17. mimicry under wasp-polista

18.

19.

20. Biblis hyperia

some kind of flower


We returned in the rain.

This post was edited by IchMan - 09/20/2018 13: 56

But when we were free for a longer trip, heavy rains began to fall, and all over Mexico
Coordinated route: Tamaulipas-San Luis Potosi-Querétaro-México-Puebla-Tlaxcala – Querétaro – Tamaulipas
Moving south, trying to get away from the rain.
Querétaro State, Sierra Gorda Nature Reserve.

Sacred Tree (Hotel Mision Conca) and us.

Ceiba is a genus of woody plants in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the Malvaceae family.

Ceiba, or cotton tree, is considered the tree of life by the Maya. According to legend, it consists of the upper, middle and underground worlds and is considered by the Indians to be the axis of the world, located in the center of the Earth. On the upper branches sit the gods, communicate, observe the lives of people, and if they are in a good mood, they can seem like mere mortals.
Seiba is the prototype of the tree from Avatar.
Because of the constant rain, I took it off only from the balcony from under the roof.
This tree was already growing here when Columbus was just about to discover the New World...


lizard Sceloporus spinosus


Hypsiglena tanzeri


On the way, we decided to deviate a little from the route and look at the Cascada El Chuveje waterfall

Because of the coming rains, the picture seen was strikingly different from the photos available on the network. It's just a pity that the water became muddy.



Pararhachistes potosinus - Polydesmida polydex.

Blue color-a warning to possible predators, hemolymph contains cyanides.

On a giant juniper tree (they grow in a swollen river), we noticed a hornet's nest of an interesting design-it hung quite high and it was not possible to get closer for shooting.
1.



2. Hetaerina americana female

And this is a male


3. on the path crawled this fat caterpillar-not peacock-eyed Automeris io?


4. Siproeta epaphus also flew in the rain - this one posed in all its glory


Then we decided to visit Nevado de Toluca, a stratovolcano in Mexico.
It has a height of 4558 m, is considered the fourth highest peak in the country of the Transverse Volcanic Sierra
Nevado in Spanish-covered with snow. There is no snow here, apparently, it only falls in winter. Almost to the top you can reach by car on a decent dirt road. On one site it says that the entrance fee is 20 pesos, we paid 100. We stopped several times to collect taxes and reached the end of the road in the late afternoon. The elements raged below, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, but we were already high up. Somewhere at 4000 m the forest ends and waving the net becomes not so easy.


It's quite cool there – about 15 degrees and a strong cold wind. Going uphill is difficult, shortness of breath quickly occurs, and the legs become wobbly-the lack of oxygen affects. We got to the caldera - 4298 m – before I did not drift to such heights. Enjoy scenic views of 2 lakes:
Laguna del Sol

and Laguna de la Luna,

most of them even have fish – some small trout. Inside the caldera, vegetation is quite sparse, but something is growing and insects, despite the cold, are still found.







After spending the night in another hotel, we moved past Mexico City in the direction of Puebla. We wanted to see more of the pyramids in Cholula, but we were caught up in such a downpour that it was just right to wring out our clothes, and we took care to find a place to dry off.

We stayed in Apizaco, in the state of Tlaxcala, where 3 peaks were visible from the hotel window at once: smoking, recently awakened Popocatepetl (simply Popo-5,426 m)

Iztaccíhuatl (Ista) - 5,230 m and La Malinche, or Matlalqueitl-4,461 m, which was to be visited. True, the peaks of the mountains are visible only in the short morning hours, and soon they are covered by clouds.
Our plans did not include the conquest of the summit of La Malinche, they were limited to collecting at the foot and in the woods on the slopes, spent 2 days there.
On the mountain background


5. Sphenarium purpurascens-edible pyrgomorphs, at least the Indians eat them. Sometimes they are found in large numbers and vary greatly in color.



6. Epicauta sp.


7. Catasticta teutila




8. Catasticta nimbice


9. moth caterpillar - quite massive


10. Phrynosoma orbiculare-toad lizard, here is such a dragon, endemic to Mexico


11. tahinida


12.


13.


14.


15.


16.


17.


18.


On the way back, we stopped for a couple of days in Mexico City to work with local collections at the university, choose our groups from fresh processing fees.

There wasn't enough time for a cultural program, so we just had a beer with local colleagues in the evening, and in the morning – on the way back.

Mountain and town of Bernal - (Peña de Bernal, Querétaro) - the third highest monolithic rock mountain in the world.


It's hot and dry, there aren't many insects, there's practically no place to mow, and there are a lot of local tourists climbing up and down.

19. Chlosyne ehrenbergii



20. Taeniopoda eques (Romaleidae)


21. Dactylotum bicolor



22. Dione moneta



23. Phoebis sennae


24.


25. Alagoasa ceracollis - I've seen it before


26.


27. ammophila


28. Polistes major castaneicolor


29. Exoprosopa sp.


30. Exoprosopa sp.


31.


32. Pepsini –


A couple of these huge pompilids were circling me, and the male (with a reddish belly, larger) was clearly interested in the female, catching both of them at once. I didn't want to take them out of the net, I didn't want to experience the force of the poison.

In the subject - a video with one American half-wit-naturalist, so to speak…
https://vk.com/video87547178_456239327?list...759a3ff52cf487f

If you are interested, I can post more photos from 2010 – mostly insects from the surrounding area and the city of Victoria (Tamaulipas) itself + a short Easter vacation trip to the sea

This post was edited by IchMan - 20.09.2018 14: 19

Pictures:

Toluca_DSC_0396.jpg — (207.59к)

If you are interested, I can post more photos from 2010 – mostly insects from the surrounding area and the city of Victoria (Tamaulipas) itself + a short Easter vacation trip to the sea

Interesting! Post it!