Butterflies of Cuba
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    • Species List >
      • Papilionidae : Papilioninae >
        • Battus devilliers - De Villiers' Swallowtail
        • Battus polydamas - Polydamas Swallowtail
        • Heraclides andraemon - Bahaman Swallowtail
        • Heraclides androgeus - Androgeus Swallowtail
        • Heraclides caiguanabus - Poey's Swallowtail
        • Heraclides oviedo - Oviedo's Swallowtail
        • Heraclides oxynius - Cuban Black Swallowtail
        • Heraclides pelaus - Pelaus Swallowtail
        • Heraclides ponceana - Dusky Swallowtail
        • Neographium celadon - Cuban Kite Swallowtail
        • Papilio demoleus - Lime Swallowtail
        • Papilio polyxenes - Black Swallowtail
        • Parides gundlachianus - Gundlach's Swallowtail
        • Pterourus palamedes - Palamedes Swallowtail
        • Pterourus troilus - Spicebush Swallowtail
      • Hesperiidae : Eudaminae >
        • Aguna asander - Gold-spotted Aguna
        • Aguna claxon - Emerald Aguna
        • Autochton potrillo - Potrillo Skipper
        • Cecropterus dorantes - Dorantes Longtial
        • Chioides marmorosa - Cuban Longtail
        • Epargyreus zestos - Zestos Skipper
        • Phocides pigmalion - Mangrove Skipper
        • Polygonus leo - Hammock Skipper
        • Proteides maysi - May's Skipper
        • Proteides mercurius - Cuban Mercurial Skipper
        • Telegonus anausis - Caribbean Yellow-tipped Flasher
        • Telegonus cassander - Cuban Flasher
        • Telegonus cellus - Golden-banded Skipper
        • Telegonus habana - Frosty Flasher
        • Telegonus talus - Green Flasher
        • Telegonus xagua - Antillean Flasher
        • Urbanus proteus - Common Long-tailed Skipper
      • Hesperiidae : Hesperiinae >
        • Asbolis capucinus - Monk Skipper
        • Atalopedes mesogramma - Mesogramma Skipper
        • Calpodes ethlius - Canna Skipper
        • Carystoides mexicana - Mexican Ruby-eye
        • Choranthus radians - Radians Skipper
        • Cymaenes tripunctus - Three-spotted Skipper
        • Euphyes cornelius - Cornelius Skipper
        • Euphyes singularis - Singularis Skipper
        • Holguinia holguin - Holguin Skipper
        • Hylephila phyleus - Fiery Skipper
        • Lerodea eufala - Eufala Skipper
        • Nyctelius nyctelius - Violet-banded Skipper
        • Oarisma bruneri - Bruner's Skipperling
        • Oarisma nanus - Nanus Skipperling
        • Panoquina corrupta - Corrupt Skipper
        • Panoquina lucas - Purple-washed Skipper
        • Panoquina ocola - Ocola Skipper
        • Panoquina panoquinoides - Obscure Skipper
        • Parachoranthus magdalia - Magdalia Skipper
        • Perichares philetes - Caribbean Ruby-eye
        • Polites baracoa - Baracoa Skipper
        • Pyrrhocalles antiqua - Caribbean Skipper
        • Rhinthon cubana - Cuban Rhinthon
        • Saliana esperi - Perching Saliana
        • Synapte malitiosa - Caribbean Faceted Skipper
        • Wallengrenia misera - Cuban Broken-dash
      • Hesperiidae : Pyrginae >
        • Anastrus sempiternus - Common Anastrus
        • Burca braco - Braco Skipper
        • Burca concolor - Concolorous Skipper
        • Burca cubensis - Cuban Skipper
        • Burnsius crisia - Antillean Checkered Skipper
        • Burnsius oileus - Tropical Checkered Skipper
        • Chiomara gundlachi - Gundlach's Duskywing
        • Eantis munroei - Munroe's Sicklewing
        • Eantis papinianus - Cuban Sicklewing
        • Ephyriades brunnea - Florida Duskywing
        • Ephyriades zephodes - Zephodes Duskywing
        • Erynnis zarucco - Zarucco Skipper
        • Gesta gesta - Impostor Duskywing
        • Ouleus fridericus - Fridericus Spreadwing
      • Pieridae : Colladinae >
        • Abaeis nicippe - Sleepy Orange
        • Anteos clorinde - White-angled Sulphur
        • Anteos maerula - Yellow-angled Sulphur
        • Colias eurytheme - Orange Sulphur
        • Eurema amelia - Cuban Yellow
        • Eurema boisduvaliana - Boisduval's Yellow
        • Eurema daira - Barred Yellow
        • Eurema elathea - Banded Yellow
        • Eurema lucina - Smudged Yellow
        • Kricogonia cabrerai - Cuban Sulphur
        • Kricogonia lyside - Lyside Sulphur
        • Nathalis iole - Dainty Sulphur
        • Phoebis agarithe - Large Orange Sulphur
        • Phoebis argante - Apricot Sulphur
        • Phoebis avellaneda - Orange-washed Sulphur
        • Phoebis neleis - Neleis Sulphur
        • Phoebis orbis - Orbis Sulphur
        • Phoebis philea - Orange-barred Sulphur
        • Phoebis sennae - Cloudless Sulphur
        • Phoebis statira - Statira Sulphur
        • Pyrisitia chamberlaini - Chamberlain's Yellow
        • Pyrisitia dina - Bush Sulphur
        • Pyrisitia larae - Confusing Yellow
        • Pyrisitia lisa - Little Yellow
        • Pyrisitia messalina - Whitish Yellow
        • Pyrisitia nise - Mimosa Yellow
        • Pyrisitia proterpia - Tailed Orange
        • Pyrisitia venusta - Pale Yellow
        • Zerene cesonia - Southern Dogface
      • Pieridae : Dismorphiinae >
        • Dismorphia cubana - Cuban Mimic-White
      • Pieridae : Pierinae >
        • Ascia monuste - Great Southern White
        • Ganyra menciae - Cuban White
        • Glutophrissa drusilla - Florida White
        • Melete salacia - Black-striped White
        • Pontia protodice - Checkered White
      • Riodinidae >
        • Dianesia carteri - Caribbean Metalmark
      • Lycaenidae : Polyommatinae >
        • Brephidium exilis - Pygmy Blue
        • Cupido comyntas - Eastern Tailed-Blue
        • Cyclargus ammon - Nickerbean Blue
        • Cyclargus thomasi - Miami Blue
        • Hemiargus ceraunus - Ceraunus Blue
        • Leptotes cassius - Cassius Blue
        • Leptotes hedgesi - Hedges' Blue
        • Pseudochrysops bornoi - Antillean Blue
      • Lycaenidae : Theclinae >
        • Allosmaitia coelebs - Cuban Hairstreak
        • Chlorostrymon maesites - Amethyst Hairstreak
        • Chlorostrymon simaethis - Silver-banded Hairstreak
        • Electrostrymon angelia - Fulvous Hairstreak
        • Eumaeus atala - Atala Hairstreak
        • Ministrymon azia - Grey Ministreak
        • Nesiostrymon celida - Caribbean Hairstreak
        • Strymon acis - Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon bazochii - Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon istapa - Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon limenia - Limenia Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon martialis - Martial Scrub-Hairstreak
        • Strymon toussainti - Toussaint's Scrub-Hairstreak
      • Nymphalidae : Apaturinae >
        • Asterocampa idyja - Dusky Emperor
        • Doxocopa laure - Silver Emperor
      • Nymphalidae : Biblidinae >
        • Dynamine postverta - Mexican Sailor
        • Dynamine serina - Caribbean Sailor
        • Eunica heraclitus - Cuban Purplewing
        • Eunica monima - Dingy Purplewing
        • Eunica tatila - Florida Purplewing
        • Hamadryas amphinome - Red Cracker
        • Hamadryas februa - Gray Cracker
        • Hamadryas feronia - Variable Cracker
        • Lucinia sida - Caribbean Banner
      • Nymphalidae : Charaxinae >
        • Anaea cubana - Cuban Leafwing
        • Archaeoprepona demophoon - Two-spotted Prepona
        • Cymatogramma echemus - Chestnut Leafwing
        • Hypna clytemnestra - Silver-studded Leafwing
        • Siderone galanthis - Red-striped Leafwing
      • Nymphalidae : Cyrestinae >
        • Marpesia chiron - Many-banded Daggerwing
        • Marpesia eleuchea - Caribbean Daggerwing
      • Nymphalidae : Danainae >
        • Anetia briarea - Many-spotted King
        • Anetia cubana - Cuban King
        • Anetia pantherata - Great King
        • Danaus eresimus - Soldier
        • Danaus gilippus - Queen
        • Danaus plexippus - Monarch
        • Greta cubana - Cuban Clearwing
        • Lycorea halia - Tiger Mimic Queen
      • Nymphalidae : Heliconiinae >
        • Agraulis vanillae - Gulf Fritillary
        • Dryas iulia - Flambeau
        • Eueides isabella - Isabella's Heliconian
        • Euptoieta claudia - Variegated Fritillary
        • Euptoieta hegesia - Mexican Fritillary
        • Heliconius charithonia - Zebra Heliconian
      • Nymphalidae : Libytheinae >
        • Libytheana carinenta - American Snout
        • Libytheana motya - Cuban Snout
        • Libytheana terena - Antillean Snout
      • Nymphalidae Limenitinae >
        • Adelpha iphicleola - Iphicleola Sister
        • Limenitis archippus - Viceroy
      • Nymphalidae : Nymphalinae >
        • Anartia chrysopelea - Cuban Peacock
        • Anartia jatrophae - White Peacock
        • Anthanassa frisia - Cuban Crescent
        • Antillea pelops - Antillean Crescent
        • Atlantea perezi - Cuban Checkerspot
        • Colobura dirce - Mosaic
        • Historis acheronta - Tailed Cecropian
        • Historis odius - Stinky Leafwing
        • Hypanartia paullus - Antillean Mapwing
        • Hypolimnas misippus - The Mimic
        • Junonia coenia - Common Buckeye
        • Junonia neildi - Mangrove Buckeye
        • Junonia zonalis - Tropical Buckeye
        • Phyciodes phaon - Phaon Crescent
        • Polygonia interrogationis - Question Mark
        • Siproeta stelenes - Malachite
        • Vanessa atalanta - Red Admiral
        • Vanessa cardui - Painted Lady
        • Vanessa virginiensis - American Lady
      • Nymphalidae : Satyrinae >
        • Calisto aquilum - Cuban Dark Calisto
        • Calisto bradleyi - Bradley's Calisto
        • Calisto brochei - Broche's Calisto
        • Calisto bruneri - Bruner's Calisto
        • Calisto disjunctus - Western Cuban Calisto
        • Calisto dissimulatum - Mimic Calisto
        • Calisto gundlachi - Gandlach's Calisto
        • Calisto herophile - Cuban Common Calisto
        • Calisto israeli - Israel's Calisto
        • Calisto lastrai - Lastra's Calisto
        • Calisto muripetens - Guamuahaya Calisto
        • Calisto occulta - Hidden Calisto
        • Calisto sharkeyae - Sharkey's Calisto
        • Calisto siguanensis - Sand Calisto
        • Calisto smintheus - Cuban Rusty Calisto
        • Calisto torrei - Torre's Calisto
    • Download Species List
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      • Papilionidae - Swallowtails
      • Hesperiidae - Skippers
      • Pieridae - Whites & Yellows
      • Riodinidae / Lycaenidae - Metalmarks, Hairstreaks & Blues
      • Nymphalidae - Nymphalids
    • Hostplants >
      • Picramnia pentrandra
      • Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
    • Other Wildlife >
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jibacoa 7-10 Mar 2014

29/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hotel Superclubs Jibacoa © Lynn Fomison
Our last four days were spent at an all-inclusive hotel hotel on the north coast about an hours drive east of Habana airport. It was the idea of Goedyssey, who organised the trip for us, to stay here at the Hotel Superclubs at Jibacoa to either wind down and relax or to carry on wildlife watching at our own pace. We opted for the latter although perhaps due to the fact that we were nearing the end of the dry season we were rather running out of things to do after three days. On the butterfly front there wasnt a great number of species though Phaon Crescent were very common along the roadside and White Peacock were abundant. Una made an exciting find near the beach one day in the form of an American Lady Vanessa virginiensis and this was the only new species that we added here.
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American Lady Vanessa virginiensis 7 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
The adjacent fields were grazed by goats and several killdeer were here every day as were Smooth-billed Ani.
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Picture
Killdeer Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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Smooth-billed Ani Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
In the hotel grounds Palm Warblers were the commonest warbler and Red-legged Thrush fed on the lawns and were very tame whilst outside our room a Pseudobombax ellipticum tree was in flower and attracted Cuban Blackbird and Cuban Oriole where they stripped the large pink flowers to get at the nectar.
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Palm Warbler male 8 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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Red-legged Thrush 8 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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Cuban Oriole 8 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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Yellow-throated Warbler 8 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
Common Ground Doves ran about on the paths and lawns looking for seeds and West Indian Woodpeckers were often heard calling and sometimes allowed a close approach.
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Common Ground Dove 9 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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West Indian Woodpecker 9 Mar 2014 Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
The beach by the hotel was sandy but either side of the bay was a rocky coastline so we spent time each day walking on the beach or rock-pooling to see what we could find. There had been an on-shore wind for a couple of days that had brought in some beautiful barnacles on driftwood and quite few Portuguese Man o War Physalia physalis. These jellyfish are not to be messed with as they have long stinging tentacles that hang down from the gas-filled bladder called a pneumatophore. Actually they are not a single organism but are a colony of minute organisms called zooids that are attached to one another and physiologically integrated so that they are incapable of independent survival.
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Physalia physalis 8 Mar Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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barnacle sp 8 Mar Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
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brittle star 8 Mar Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
We also found this porcupinefish Diodon sp that had been washed up and was extremely smelly! They have the ability to inflate their bodies with air or water if threatened. This can cause a doubling of the size and make the spines stick out make them less appealing to a predator. They also build up very powerful toxins in their internal organs as they develop making them extremely dangerous to eat.
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Porcupinefish 8 Mar Jibacoa © Tim Norriss
We had had a great trip and seen lots of very special things that we mulled over as we waited for our taxi to take us to the airport. We watched and waited as the others who had booked an all-inclusive package at the hotel were picked up and taken off in top of the range Audis - a bit excessive I thought as I eyed the clapped-out, rusty Vauxhall that had arrived 15 minutes after the supposed collection time and joked that there was ours. But no we were told that wasn't ours as the guy at reception checked our voucher again. And we waited, and we waited... and our an hour after the supposed collection time, under pressure from the hotel manager, and after many phone calls the clapped-out Vauxhall driver finally relented and agreed to take us. Apparently the bit of paper that he had said there were only two of us not three - and the paperwork must be right! So we sprang into action and to my surprise our three heavy cases did fit in the boot and as we climbed in with our rucksacks on our laps I noted the bald front tyre on my side and the half-deflated one on the rear but said nothing so as not to raise the 'fret' level any further.

So we set off towards Habana whilst the driver had an animated discussion with his boss with his mobile pressed to his ear with one hand and the other deftly steering around the many potholes in the road. Well we got all of half a mile before the rear tyre blew with a loud bang and we ground to a halt. We all jump out in double quick time, and though not up to F1 standard it must have taken no more than three minutes to remove the cases and the spare tyre from the boot (this time it was encouraging to note that it did have some tread and air inside it), jack up the car, change the wheel, restow the wheel and the cases, and be back on our way. I got the impression our driver had done this before. Further mobile conversations en route ensured that we were transferred to another more roadworthy Vauxhall in a layby a few miles down the road.

Such is life in Cuba - we were told by our guide Adrian on the first day, as he explained why our vehicle would not be arriving till the following morning, that Cuba is not like western countries and things don't often go smoothly and without a hitch but things always get sorted in the end and with good humour. Our new driver got us safely to the airport on time - he told us that he was a lawyer but had been driving taxis for a few years because the salary as lawyer (less than 20 USD per month plus staple rations) wasn't sufficient to keep him and his family. As a driver he had the chance of making quite a lot extra in tips.

So, go to Cuba, enjoy Cuba, and tip generously.
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