After photographing some of the things that I had taken into 'protective custody' in the last few days such as the larvae of Gray Cracker Hamadryas februa and Tropical Buckeye Junonia zonalis (both now pupated) I wanted to photograph the larva of the Cuban Longtail Chioides marmorosa but the silk cocoon within which it sheltered was very tough and so I had to cut it open carefully in order to expose it to see the larva. It was now in its final instar. I hope the adult emerges before we leave as I reckon that's our best chance of seeing it.
We then got a taxi over to Yaguajay which is a 10-15 minute drive and is SE of Guardalavaca. We had had a nice walk here earlier in the year and reckoned it had potential so wanted to go back. It didn't prove quite as good as we hoped but did we turn up two skippers that we didn't see anywhere else on our trip - Magdalia Skipper Parachoranthus magdalia and Caribbean Skipper Pyrrhocalles antiqua but the best was Concolorous Skipper Burca concolor which was new for us. It is endemic to the West Indies being found only in the Bahamas and here on Cuba where it is found in widely scattered places across the island but is said to be rare. We saw seven, all males, in a small hollow on the edge of the forest.
Burca concolor Concolorous Skipper male 8 Nov 2015 Yaguajay © Tim Norriss
In the afternoon we walked around the Las Guanas reserve next to the hotel but it was fairly quiet other than a nice Leiocephalus macropus Cuban Side-blotched Curlytail.
Leiocephalus macropus Cuban Side-blotched Curlytail 8 Nov 2015 Las Guanas © Tim Norriss
As we left two Florida Purplewing Eunica tatila were sparring over the best perching spot and a Black Witch Moth Ascalapha odorata flew in front of us and landed on a timber beam. Through much of Central America and the Caribbean this is regarded as a harbinger of death, but it's testament to the good nature of Cuban people that they don't hold this belief. Instead they call it the Cuban House Butterfly and if they see one they take as a sign that they can expect a visitor.
We recounted this to a couple at the hotel later and they said that they had also seen one that same evening perched on a light on the path down to the bar on the beach. They have a wingspan of 120-170mm so are an impressive sight.
We recounted this to a couple at the hotel later and they said that they had also seen one that same evening perched on a light on the path down to the bar on the beach. They have a wingspan of 120-170mm so are an impressive sight.
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