Anartia

Birds of prey of a semi-arid ecosystem in Falcón State, Venezuela: Diversity and ecological patterns

Luis A. Saavedra, Belkis A. Rivas , Carla I. Aranguren D. — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Notes are presented on the species richness, diet, and reproduction of birds of prey in a semi-arid ecosystem of north- western Venezuela, based on nine months of daytime observations. A total of sixteen resident and two migratory species, belonging to four orders and five families, were recorded. Nests of eight species were observed and described. The diets of five species were determined through analyses of pellets and other prey remains collected around nests. The Easten Cotton- tail Rabbit, Sylvilagus floridanus ( J. A. Allen, 1890), was the most frequent prey item. Additionally, negative interactions between rural communities and raptors are reported, including the use of pesticides by local residents to control species perceived as threats to domestic animals.

A case of evolutionary convergence? Striking resemblance between a cockroach (Blattodea) and a frog (Anura) living in bromeliads on the Paria Peninsula, northeastern Venezuela

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent herpetological explorations carried out in the Serranía de Paria, northeastern Venezuela, allowed the identifica- tion of the bromeliad Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora Mez as a vital refuge for amphibians of the species Phytotriades auratus (Boulenger, 1917), and for cockroaches of the genus Dryadoblatta Rehn, 1930. It should be noted that the presence of the frog Scinax ruber (Laurenti, 1768), a species typically of lowlands, has been previously reported in bromeliads of Cerro El Copey (Margarita Island), but it is likely that the record is a misidentification of P. auratus. The present study also reveals an association between G. erectiflora and a cockroach of the genus Pelmatosilpha Dohrn, 1887. The similar color patterns of P. auratus and a species of Dryadoblatta suggest possible evolutionary convergence or mimicry between an anuran amphibian and a blattodean insect, indicating complex ecological relationships in the region.

A cockroach of the genus Eurycotis Stål, 1874 (Blattodea: Eurycotiinae) living in bromeliads from a climatic relict on the Paraguaná Peninsula, northwestern Venezuela

Carlo G. Sormani, Jorge M. González , Gilson A. Rivas — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The genus of cockroaches Eurycotis Stål, 1874, which currently includes some 60 species, is most diverse in the Greater Antilles, with limited representation in South America, including the Venezuelan species E. nigra Princis, 1952. Several species of this genus are known to inhabit bromeliads, particularly in mountainous regions, and some exhibit ecological associations with ants. A cockroach of this genus was found inhabiting an epiphytic bromeliad in the cloud forest of Cerro Santa Ana, an isolated mountain rising above the arid lowlands of the Paraguaná Peninsula in northwestern Venezuela. This cockroach exhibits a distinctive coloration pattern, characterized by the shape and position of the pronotal spots, which simulate eyes, and by unusual pink tones, which distinguish it from other species of the genus. The discovery of phytotelm-dwelling cockroaches on Cerro Santa Ana highlights the biogeographic uniqueness of this relict mountain summit ecosystem, suggesting a high potential for diversity of the genus not yet documented in Venezuela.

Fernanmorana, new genus of butterflies from the Amazon region (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)

Ángel L. Viloria, Mauro Costa — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Based on comparative morphological evidence and previously published phylogenetic hypotheses, a new genus of satyrine nymphalid butterflies, Fernanmorana Viloria & Costa, gen. nov., is diagnosed and described. It is native to the lowlands of the Amazon region and so far known from Brazil and Venezuela. The taxonomy of the new genus is briefly discussed, and some bionomic data of its type species, Fernanmorana insignis (Butler, 1867), comb. nov., are provided.

Occurrence of Orotaygetis surui Nakahara, Zacca & Lamas, 2018 in Venezuela (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)

Ángel L. Viloria, Mauro Costa — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Orotaygetis Nakahara & Zacca (in Nakahara et al. 2018) is a monobasic genus of satyrine butterflies native to the Amazon biome in South America. The most re- cent and complete phylogeny of the subtribe Euptychiina clearly shows its genetic affinity with Taygetina Forster, 1964 (Espeland et al. 2023), but its external appearance can be confused with that of a species of Harjesia Forster, 1964 (Lamas 2004: 220), a genus from which it diverges significantly in genetics and morphological structure. The only known species within this genus, Orotaygetis surui Nakahara, Zacca & Lamas (2018: 11-12), was apparently discovered in the forests of the upper Arinos River in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, about fifty years ago. Until now it was known from only 28 individuals examined in collections, all from low to medium altitudes, in the south and southwest of the Amazon basin (300-972 m asl; Na- kahara et al. 2018).