South America (Ecuador, Perú) - 2008
South America (Nicaragua) - 2007
South America (Brazil) - 2007
South America (Argentina, Brazil) - 2006
South America (Argentina, Chile) - 2006
South America (Argentina, Uruguay) - 2005
South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile) - 2005
Martinique and French Guiana - 2004
Argentina (northern Patagonia) - 2004
South America (Argentina, Chile) - 2004
South America (Ecuador, Perú):
Perú: 7 weeks (19 December, 2007–19 January,
2008; 25 February–14 March, 2008). Ecuador: 4
weeks (21 January–19 February, 2008), funded by
the AMNH Kalbfleisch Postdoctoral Fellowship. Three
separate trips, led by Postdoctoral fellow Josè Ochoa
were conducted during this expedition. In Perú, the
first trip (ca. 10,200 km, 10–4300 m) traversed
inter-Andean valleys, coastal desert, sand dunes, dry
forests and highlands (Puna) in northern, central and
southern Perú (departments of Ayacucho, Apurímac,
Puno, Arequipa, Ica, Lima, Ancash, La Libertad,
Lambayeque, Piura), as well as montane rainforest in
northern Perú (Amazonas and San Martín). The second
trip in Perú was conduced in the Amazon basin
rainforest (Loreto and Ucayali). Ochoa was accompanied
on both trips by collaborators: Roberto Gutiérrez,
Dany Apaza Dayvis Huamán and Aarón Quiroz (Universidad
Nacional de San Agustín, Arequipa), Joyce Vitorino
(Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad, Cusco),
Guissepe Gagliardi (Universidad Nacional de la
Amazonía Peruana, Iquitos) and Cesar Gil Perleche
(Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, Lambayeque).
In Ecuador, Ochoa travelled ca. 3,400 km, in
rainforest, montane forest, dry forest, and
inter-Andean valleys (province of Pichincha, Azuay,
Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Pichincha, Imbabura, Carchi and
Orellana). Ochoa was assisted at some localities
around Quito by Fabian Bersosa (Universidad Central
del Ecuador, Quito) and received important help from
Pablo Araujo, Santiago Villamarín, Adrian Troya,
Vladimir Carbajal (Quito) and Judith Borja, Arturo
Jimenez and Marco Lara (province of Loja).
Approximately 900 scorpion specimens in 10 genera, 5
families and 61 species, were collected in total,
including representative species of the genera
Brachistosternus (Bothriridae), Tityus
(Buthidae), Chactas and Teuthraustes
(Chactidae), and Hadruroides (Iuridae). Many
spiders, Opiliones and myriapods were collected, as
well as several Amblypygi and Solifugae.
South America (Nicaragua):
2 weeks (23 November–7 December, 2007),
jointly funded by the NSF-BS&I Solifugae grant
and the NSF-PBI Oonopidae grant (Dr Norman I.
Platnick, PI). Carlos Viquez (INBio) and Juan
Mata, both from Costa Rica, conducted a trip along
the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, to collect
arachnids for the two grants. Twenty-one
localities, in six departments (Chinandega,
Granada, Jinotega, León, Matagalpa and Rivas) were
visited and collections made using diverse methods
(Mini Winkler, UV light and manual collecting) at
each. Several localities, e.g. “Finca
Alvarez” and Volcán Mombacho, contained an
unexpectedly high diversity of species, especially
Oonopidae, and warrant revisitation in the future.
Although the weather conditions were very dry
throughout the trip, ca. 780 specimens were
collected, representing more than 80 species in 7
arachnid orders, and various myriapods. Many
interesting specimens, including new records for
Nicaragua, were collected during the trip, among
them Centruroides koesteri (= C.
mahnerti), collected at the Volcán Momotombo.
This trip to Nicaragua would not have been
possible without the help of the Museo de
Entomología, León city, and the hospitality of
Jean Michel Maes.
South America (Brazil): 3
weeks (January 2007), funded by the NSF AToL
Spider Phylogeny grant. Camilo Mattoni (AMNH,
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Ricardo
Pinto-da-Rocha, Sabrina Outeda-Jorge and Humberto
Yamaguti (Instituo de Biociencias, Universidade do
Saõ Paolo) traveled ca. 5,000 km through 5 states
(Saõ Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Bahia
and Minas Gerais), collecting at elevations
ranging from 50–1900 m in Atlantic
rainforest, open savanna (Caatinga), bushy savanna
(Cerrado), and karstic caves, including the
magnificent cave “Gruta do Janelão”
(4.7 km long, up to 200 m high) in Cavernas do
Peruaçu National Park. Several tropical storms
flooded some regions, destroying bridges and
roads, hindering work in some areas. Approximately
170 scorpions, in 17 species, 5 genera and two
families, were collected. Three amblypygyds (2
species, including the elusive
Trichodamon), one uropygid
(Mastigoproctus), and ca. 50 spider species
were also collected for the NSF AToL and related
projects.
South America
(Argentina, Brazil): 3 weeks (1–20
February, 2006), funded by the NSF AToL grant.
Camilo Mattoni (AMNH postdoctoral fellow) and
David Vrech (undergraduate student,
Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina)
travelled ca. 5,200 km from Córdoba in central
Argentina to Misiones Province, Argentina, and
the Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do
Sul States of Brazil to collect scorpions and
spiders in the Paranaense and Mata Atlantica
rainforest, and mediterranean mesic forest of
southern Brazil. Only 15 scorpions (2
families, 2 genera, 2 species) and more than
200 spiders were collected (most of the
scorpions from the mesic forest), because the
region was suffering a drought, which is
unusual for rainforest, and presumed to be a
result of global climate change. One of the
scorpion species collected is a new
Bothriurus species from southern
Brazil.
South America (Argentina, Chile): 2 weeks (5–21 January, 2006), funded by the NSF AToL grant. Camilo Mattoni (AMNH postdoctoral fellow) and Matias Vivanco (undergraduate student, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina) travelled ca. 3,600 km from Córdoba in central Argentina to southern Chile, crossing northern Patagonia, from 0–2,100 m. The expedition surveyed habitats ranging from Patagonian semi desert to Nothofagus cold rainforest. The main goal of the expedition was to collect the elusive scorpion genus Tehuankea, and additional samples of spiders and scorpions for the AToL Spider Phylogeny project. A total of 328 scorpions (1 family, 6 genera, 11 species) were collected, including specimens of Tehuankea and a new Bothriurus species from northern Patagonia.
South America (Argentina, Uruguay): 2 weeks (8–15 December, 2005), funded by the NSF AToL Phylogeny of Spiders project. Camilo Mattoni (AMNH postdoctoral fellow), Andres Ojanguren (Ph.D. student, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Buenos Aires) and Facundo Labarque (undergraduate student, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales and Universidad de Buenos Aires) travelled ca. 2000 km from the centre of Uruguay to the southern coast, and inland, crossing the country, to El Palmar National Park (Argentina). Arachnids were collected in the pampas (grassland) and forested hills of Uruguay, and in the grasslands and palm forest of El Palmar. About 100 scorpions in 4 species (2 genera, 2 families) and many spiders were collected.
South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile): 6 weeks (northern Argentina, Bolivia and Chile: 3–30 January, 2005; Patagonia: 15 January–16 February, 2005), funded by the Mattoni Postdoctoral Research Fund. Two separate trips were conducted during this expedition. During the first trip, AMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr Camilo Mattoni, was accompanied by collaborators, Dr Jose Ochoa (Universidad de Cusco, Peru), and Andres Ojanguren Affilastro (Ph.D. student, Museo Ciencies Naturales, Buenos Aires) to Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Tucuman and San Juan provinces), Bolivia (Cochabambama, Oruro, La Paz, and Potosi departments), Chile (Atacama, Coquimbo, and Tarapaca regions). This trip of ca. 9,800 km traversed highlands (Andean altiplano), deserts, montane Chaco, plain dry Chaco, Prosopis forest, andean rain forest (Yungas) and salt lake habitats, from 10–4670 m. The second trip, undertaken by Marco Magnanelli and Gastón Lopez (graduate students at Universidad del Sur, Bahia Blanca, Argentina) under directives from Mattoni, traveled ca. 4,500 km through the steppes and andean forest of Patagonia, Argentina (Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Neuquen provinces). Collectively, the two trips yielded around 500 specimens, including scorpions for Mattoni’s project on bothriurids as well as spiders and solifuges other ongoing projects. Approximately 40 scorpion species in 10 genera and 3 families, were collected, including four new Orobothriurus from Chilean and Argentinean Andes, four new Brachistosternus from Chilean deserts and Andes and two new Bothriurus from Patagonia.
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.
Argentina (northern Patagonia): 6 days (12–18 July, 2004), funded by the Mattoni Postdoctoral Research Fund. AMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr Camilo Mattoni, and colleague, Marco Magnanelli, travelled 3,200 km through the Buenos Aires and Rio Negro Provinces of Argentina, and collected 68 spiders and 35 bothriurid scorpions in coastal dunes, desert, and mountains, from 0–600 m altitude.
South America (Argentina, Chile): 3 weeks (30 October–23 November, 2003), funded by the NSF ATOL grant. During this expedition, Lorenzo Prendini travelled ca. 7,000 km, collecting spiders and scorpions from sea level to 5,000 m in the Andes with two specialists on South American bothriurids, Drs Camilo Mattoni and Jose Ochoa (formerly both at the Universidad Nacional Cordoba, Argentina; Ochoa has since returned to his native Peru and Mattoni is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the AMNH). Prendini, Mattoni and Ochoa departed from Cordoba and drove westwards, over the Andes, to central Chile, northwards to the central Atacama, and then southwards to the Nothofagus and Araucaria forests, before returning to Cordoba. This expedition yielded almost 800 specimens of 36 bothriurid species, including a probable new genus, and an endemic Chilean iurid.
South America (Argentina, Chile): 2 weeks (5–21 January, 2006), funded by the NSF AToL grant. Camilo Mattoni (AMNH postdoctoral fellow) and Matias Vivanco (undergraduate student, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina) travelled ca. 3,600 km from Córdoba in central Argentina to southern Chile, crossing northern Patagonia, from 0–2,100 m. The expedition surveyed habitats ranging from Patagonian semi desert to Nothofagus cold rainforest. The main goal of the expedition was to collect the elusive scorpion genus Tehuankea, and additional samples of spiders and scorpions for the AToL Spider Phylogeny project. A total of 328 scorpions (1 family, 6 genera, 11 species) were collected, including specimens of Tehuankea and a new Bothriurus species from northern Patagonia.
South America (Argentina, Uruguay): 2 weeks (8–15 December, 2005), funded by the NSF AToL Phylogeny of Spiders project. Camilo Mattoni (AMNH postdoctoral fellow), Andres Ojanguren (Ph.D. student, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Buenos Aires) and Facundo Labarque (undergraduate student, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales and Universidad de Buenos Aires) travelled ca. 2000 km from the centre of Uruguay to the southern coast, and inland, crossing the country, to El Palmar National Park (Argentina). Arachnids were collected in the pampas (grassland) and forested hills of Uruguay, and in the grasslands and palm forest of El Palmar. About 100 scorpions in 4 species (2 genera, 2 families) and many spiders were collected.
South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile): 6 weeks (northern Argentina, Bolivia and Chile: 3–30 January, 2005; Patagonia: 15 January–16 February, 2005), funded by the Mattoni Postdoctoral Research Fund. Two separate trips were conducted during this expedition. During the first trip, AMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr Camilo Mattoni, was accompanied by collaborators, Dr Jose Ochoa (Universidad de Cusco, Peru), and Andres Ojanguren Affilastro (Ph.D. student, Museo Ciencies Naturales, Buenos Aires) to Argentina (Jujuy, Salta, Tucuman and San Juan provinces), Bolivia (Cochabambama, Oruro, La Paz, and Potosi departments), Chile (Atacama, Coquimbo, and Tarapaca regions). This trip of ca. 9,800 km traversed highlands (Andean altiplano), deserts, montane Chaco, plain dry Chaco, Prosopis forest, andean rain forest (Yungas) and salt lake habitats, from 10–4670 m. The second trip, undertaken by Marco Magnanelli and Gastón Lopez (graduate students at Universidad del Sur, Bahia Blanca, Argentina) under directives from Mattoni, traveled ca. 4,500 km through the steppes and andean forest of Patagonia, Argentina (Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Neuquen provinces). Collectively, the two trips yielded around 500 specimens, including scorpions for Mattoni’s project on bothriurids as well as spiders and solifuges other ongoing projects. Approximately 40 scorpion species in 10 genera and 3 families, were collected, including four new Orobothriurus from Chilean and Argentinean Andes, four new Brachistosternus from Chilean deserts and Andes and two new Bothriurus from Patagonia.
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.
Argentina (northern Patagonia): 6 days (12–18 July, 2004), funded by the Mattoni Postdoctoral Research Fund. AMNH postdoctoral fellow, Dr Camilo Mattoni, and colleague, Marco Magnanelli, travelled 3,200 km through the Buenos Aires and Rio Negro Provinces of Argentina, and collected 68 spiders and 35 bothriurid scorpions in coastal dunes, desert, and mountains, from 0–600 m altitude.
South America (Argentina, Chile): 3 weeks (30 October–23 November, 2003), funded by the NSF ATOL grant. During this expedition, Lorenzo Prendini travelled ca. 7,000 km, collecting spiders and scorpions from sea level to 5,000 m in the Andes with two specialists on South American bothriurids, Drs Camilo Mattoni and Jose Ochoa (formerly both at the Universidad Nacional Cordoba, Argentina; Ochoa has since returned to his native Peru and Mattoni is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the AMNH). Prendini, Mattoni and Ochoa departed from Cordoba and drove westwards, over the Andes, to central Chile, northwards to the central Atacama, and then southwards to the Nothofagus and Araucaria forests, before returning to Cordoba. This expedition yielded almost 800 specimens of 36 bothriurid species, including a probable new genus, and an endemic Chilean iurid.