Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) - 2005
Martinique and French Guiana - 2004
Dominican Republic - 2004
Caribbean (Dominican Republic,
Jamaica, Puerto Rico): 4 weeks (Puerto Rico:
9–15 July, 12–15 August, 2005; Jamaica: 21
July–1 August, 2005; Dominican Republic:
1–11 August, 2005), funded by the Richard
Lounsbery Foundation. Four trips were undertaken by
AMNH Ph.D. student Lauren Esposito, assisted by AMNH
Ph.D. student Francisca Almeida, and Saul and
Stephanie Nava (graduate students at Indiana State
University). The expedition began in Puerto Rico,
where Esposito and the Navas travelled ca. 600 km
throughout the south and east of the island,
collecting specimens in subtropical rain forest,
subtropical dry forest, desert, cloud forest and
coastal forest at altitudes from 0–1,000 m.
Three genera and species of scorpions were collected,
despite the presence of tropical storms. Esposito,
Almeida, and the Navas travelled on to Jamaica,
covering ca. 2,000 km through most habitat types in
the southern provinces of St. Elizabeth, Manchester,
Clarendon, St. Catherine, St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and
Portland: evergreen drought-deciduous shrubland,
lowland semi-deciduous forest, desert, montane
grassland, submontane seasonal forest, montane rain
foresrt, submontane rainforest and cloud forest,
ranging from 0–2,000 m in altitude.
Approximately 100 scorpion specimens, in 4 genera and
8 species (nearly the entire Jamaican scorpiofauna),
were collected. From Jamaica, Esposito and Almeida
traveled to the western Dominican Republic provinces
of Santiago, Monte Cristi, San Juan, Azua, Barahona,
Independencia, and Baoruco, covering ca. 2,000 km
through desert, drought deciduous shrubland, montane
rainforest, cloud forest, mixed evergreen forest, pine
forest, dry forest, grassland and semi-deciduous
forest at altitudes from 21 m below sea level to 4,500
m. Approximately 100 scorpion specimens, in 4 genera
and 7 species, were collected. Esposito and Almeida
returned to Puerto Rico to join the Navas for a
further 500 km across southern Puerto Rico and the
island of Vieques, sampling subtropical dry forest,
desert, cloud forest, and submontane rainforest from
0–1,200 m. Approximately 20 scorpions, in 3
genera and species, and three species of
Phrynus (Amblypygi), were collected during the
second trip to Puerto Rico.
Martinique and French Guiana: 3.5 weeks (Martinique: 5–9 December, 2004; French Guiana: 9–28 December, 2004), funded by the NSF ATOL grant. Volunteer, Jeremy Huff started the expedition with a survey of the Caribbean island of Martinique, travelling ca. 600 km in four days though secondary growth, broadleaf forest, making collections of amblypygids and diplocentrid scorpions. Huff flew on to French Guiana, where he travelled the entire east coast, from Kourou to Brazil, and visited four mountain ranges, before flying to Saül in the interior, a roundtrip of ca. 1600 km, including at least 200 km hiking on trails through primary and secondary rainforests from elevations of 16–290 m. Huff collected ca. 100 scorpions, 25 amblypygids, 5 uropygids, 40 pseudoscorpions, 20 Opiliones, 200 spiders, and 300 myriapods in French Guiana, including important outgroup taxa for the ATOL project, e.g. Heterophrynus longicornis, Thelyphonellus amazonicus, as well as endemic scorpion taxa.
Dominican Republic: 2.5 weeks (6–23 July, 2004), funded by the Volschenk Postdoctoral Research Fund. AMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr Erich Volschenk, and volunteer, Jeremy Huff, supported and assisted by Kelvin A. Guerrero (Consultant Biologist and Systematic Entomologist) travelled ca. 4,500 km through the Independencia, La Altagracia, La Vega, Pedernales and Santiago provinces, collecting in montane pine forest and rainforest, dry deciduous forest, spiny forest, coastal grassland, arid floodplain, and limestone caves, from 20 m below sea level to 2,340 m altitude. Approximately 1,520 scorpions (7 genera, 29 species) were collected, including a new genus of minute buthid scorpion from forest leaf litter and a new Rhopalurus species. More than 2,000 amblypygids, myriapods, opilionids, pseudoscorpions, schizomids (2 species), spiders, and uropygids (2 genera), were acquired, including the first specimens of the uropygid, Thelyphonellus wethebeei, collected since the types.
Martinique and French Guiana: 3.5 weeks (Martinique: 5–9 December, 2004; French Guiana: 9–28 December, 2004), funded by the NSF ATOL grant. Volunteer, Jeremy Huff started the expedition with a survey of the Caribbean island of Martinique, travelling ca. 600 km in four days though secondary growth, broadleaf forest, making collections of amblypygids and diplocentrid scorpions. Huff flew on to French Guiana, where he travelled the entire east coast, from Kourou to Brazil, and visited four mountain ranges, before flying to Saül in the interior, a roundtrip of ca. 1600 km, including at least 200 km hiking on trails through primary and secondary rainforests from elevations of 16–290 m. Huff collected ca. 100 scorpions, 25 amblypygids, 5 uropygids, 40 pseudoscorpions, 20 Opiliones, 200 spiders, and 300 myriapods in French Guiana, including important outgroup taxa for the ATOL project, e.g. Heterophrynus longicornis, Thelyphonellus amazonicus, as well as endemic scorpion taxa.
Dominican Republic: 2.5 weeks (6–23 July, 2004), funded by the Volschenk Postdoctoral Research Fund. AMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr Erich Volschenk, and volunteer, Jeremy Huff, supported and assisted by Kelvin A. Guerrero (Consultant Biologist and Systematic Entomologist) travelled ca. 4,500 km through the Independencia, La Altagracia, La Vega, Pedernales and Santiago provinces, collecting in montane pine forest and rainforest, dry deciduous forest, spiny forest, coastal grassland, arid floodplain, and limestone caves, from 20 m below sea level to 2,340 m altitude. Approximately 1,520 scorpions (7 genera, 29 species) were collected, including a new genus of minute buthid scorpion from forest leaf litter and a new Rhopalurus species. More than 2,000 amblypygids, myriapods, opilionids, pseudoscorpions, schizomids (2 species), spiders, and uropygids (2 genera), were acquired, including the first specimens of the uropygid, Thelyphonellus wethebeei, collected since the types.