OBSERVATIONS ON THE PARENTAL CARE BEHAVIOR OF THE MAROON-CHESTED GROUND DOVE (PARACLARAVIS MONDETOURA) IN SOUTHEASTERN ECUADOR

We present the first observations of parental care behaviors of the Maroon-chested Ground-Dove (Claravis mondetoura) using 222.5 hours of recorded observations from a single nest found in tropical montane forest in the Tapichalaca Biological Reserve in south-east Ecuador. Recording began with the onset of incubation and continued through fledging. Observations of male and female attendance at the nest were used to analyze visit frequency and timing, duration, and differences in male and female investment in the reproductive effort. Both adults spent time incubating, brooding, and shared feeding responsibilities and patterns observed reflected those commonly seen in other Neotropical Columbidae

The Immature Stages and Shelter Building Behavior of Falgo Jeconia Ombra Evans, 1955 in eastern Ecuador (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae)

We describe the immature stages and shelter building behavior of Falga jeconia ombra Evans, 1955 from eastern Ecuador. Chusquea scandens (Poaceae, Bambusoidea) is the larval food plant. Larvae in all stadia build shelters and forcibly eject frass with the aid of an anal comb. Later instars possess an eversible prothoracic “neck” gland. Larvae are associated with moving water

PARENTAL CARE OF NESTLINGS IN THE SLATY-BACKED NIGHTINGALE-THRUSH (CATHARUS FUSCATER) IN EASTERN ECUADOR

No abstract

Species Richness and Host Associations of Lepidoptera-Attacking Tachinidae in the Northeast Ecuadorian Andes

Most of the unknown biological diversity of macro-organisms remaining to be discovered and described lies in the tropical regions of the world and consists primarily of insects. Those insects with parasitoid lifestyles constitute a significant portion of insect diversity, yet parasitoids are among the most poorly known of major insect guilds in the humid tropics. Here we describe and analyze the richness of one diverse taxon of parasitoids, flies in the family Tachinidae, reared from Lepidoptera as part of a biological survey of Lepidoptera and their parasitoids in one mid-elevation (2000 m) area in the northeast Ecuadorian Andes. One hundred fifty-seven separable tachinid “morpho-species” were reared from approximately 160 species of Lepidoptera in 16 families. These tachinid flies were recovered from a sample of over 12,800 successful caterpillar rearing events that resulted in either adult Lepidoptera or parasitoids. Tachinid species accumulation and rarefaction curves exhibit no sign of reaching an asymptote and richness estimators indicate that the community likely consists of nearly twice this number of species (at minimum). Most tachinid species were reared infrequently, with 50% being represented by a single individual. The majority of species appeared to be relatively specialized on one or a few related hosts, but sampling was insufficient to make strong inferences regarding host range. The tribes Blondeliini and Goniini were the best represented, but some tribes that were expected to be common such as Tachinini and Winthemiini were poorly represented. The estimates of tachinid species richness derived here are suggestive of a far more diverse tachinid community than in temperate localities in North America. Additional rearing of Lepidoptera, as well as other herbivorous insect taxa, along with the use of additional collecting methods will be necessary to achieve a more accurate understanding of the richness of tropical Tachinidae and their contribution to broader patterns of tropical biodiversity

A review of current knowledge concerning the breeding and summer distribution of the cordilleran flycatcher (\u3cem\u3eEmpidonax occidentalis\u3c/em\u3e) in Mexico

The Cordilleran Flycatcher (Empidonax occidentalis) is one of many North American birds whose distribution crosses the US–Mexican border and for which little is presently known about summer distribution and breeding biology south of this border. In addition, the Cordilleran Flycatcher presents ornithologists with a number of challenging questions surrounding its taxonomy, migration, distribution, population structure, and species limits. In particular, there remains a good deal of uncertainty concerning the species-level relationships, seasonal movements, and the wintering and breeding distributions of both recognized subspecies of Cordilleran Flycatcher in Mexico. Using field observations, a thorough review of the literature, and the examination of several distributional databases, we compile current knowledge on Mexican populations during the summer months and emphasize directions for future research. We document the northern limit of confirmed breeding Cordilleran Flycatchers in Mexico and point to gaps in our understanding of its summer range south of the US border. Currently available data point to a potential migratory divide in northern Mexico, which has implications for species limits and evolutionary dynamics within the Cordilleran Flycatcher. El mosquero barranqueño (Empidonax occidentalis) es una de varias especies de aves norteamericanas cuya distribución cruza la frontera entre México y los Estados Unidos, y de la cual se conoce poco acerca de su distribución durante el verano y su biología reproductiva al sur de esta frontera. Además, el mosquero barranqueño presenta a los ornitólogos una serie de preguntas acerca de su taxonomía, migración, distribución, estructura poblacional, y límites taxonómicas adentro de la especie. En particular, sigue bastante incierto nuestro conocimiento sobre las relaciones filogenéticas entre ambas subespecies del mosquero barranqueño, sus movimientos estacionales, sus distribuciones durante el verano, y su reproducción adentro de México. Usando observaciones de campo, una revisión exhaustiva de la literatura, y examinación de varias bases de datos distribucionales, recompilamos el conocimiento actual sobre las poblaciones mexicanas durante la temporada reproductiva y sugerimos direcciones para investigaciones futuras. Documentamos el límite norte de reproducción del mosquero barranqueño confirmado en México y señalamos vacíos en nuestra comprensión de su rango estival al sur de la frontera con los Estados Unidos. Los datos actualmente disponibles apuntan a la posibilidad de una brecha migratoria en el norte de México, la existencia de cual tiene implicaciones para los límites de las especies y la dinámica evolutiva dentro del mosquero barranqueño

Diversity of Interactions: A Metric for Studies of Biodiversity

Multitrophic interactions play key roles in the origin and maintenance of species diversity, and the study of these interactions has contributed to important theoretical advances in ecology and evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, most biodiversity inventories focus on static species lists, and prominent theories of diversity still ignore trophic interactions. The lack of a simple interaction metric that is analogous to species richness is one reason why diversity of interactions is not examined as a response or predictor variable in diversity studies. Using plant-herbivore-enemy trophic chains as an example, we develop a simple metric of diversity in which richness, diversity indices (e.g., Simpson\u27s 1/D), and rarefaction diversity are calculated with links as the basic unit rather than species. Interactions include all two-link (herbivore-plant and enemy-herbivore) and three-link (enemy-herbivore-plant) chains found in a study unit. This metric is different from other indices, such as traditional diversity measures, connectivity and interaction diversity in food-web studies, and the diversity of interaction index in behavioral studies, and it is easier to compute. Using this approach to studying diversity provides novel insight into debates about neutrality and correlations between diversity, stability, productivity, and ecosystem services

The Early Stages of Pedaliodes poesia (Hewitson, 1862) in Eastern Ecuador (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae: Pronophilina)

We describe the immature stages Pedaliodes poesia Hewitson, 1862 from northeastern Ecuador. Chusquea scandens (Poaceae, Bambusoidea) is the larval food plant. Eggs are laid singly or in pairs on the bottom side of host plant leaves. The duration of the egg, larval, and pupal stages, combined, is 99–107 days

BREEDING BEHAVIOR OF THE GRAY-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (LATHROTRICCUS GRISEIPECTUS) IN SOUTHWESTERN ECUADOR

Abstract ∙ Little is known about the nesting behavior of the Gray-breasted Flycatcher (Lathrotriccus griseipectus), a species listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In order to add fundamental information on the life history of this species, we recorded parental behavior at a nest in February–March 2010 in the Jorupe Reserve in southwestern Ecuador. Recordings were made on a tripod-mounted video camera and took place during part of the incubation and nestling stages. Both adults provisioned nestlings. We recorded 7.1 feeds per nestling-hour, with the highest average provisioning rates occurring from 12:00–13:00 h. Nestlings produced an average of 0.8 fecal sacs per nestling-hour. Nestlings fledged in quick succession shortly before 12:00 h on nestling-day 14.Resumen ∙ El cuidado parental del Mosquero Pechigrís (Lathrotriccus griseipectus) en el suroeste del Ecuador La biología reproductiva del Mosquero Pechigrís (Lathrotriccus griseipectus), una especie catalogada como “Vulnerable” por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, es poco conocida. Con el fin de añadir datos básicos sobre la historia de vida del Mosquero Pechigrís, utilizamos una cámara de video para realizar observaciones de un nido ubicado en la Reserva Jorupe en el suroeste de Ecuador, entre febrero y marzo de 2010. Las grabaciones tuvieron lugar durante parte de las etapas de incubación y polluelo. Ambos adultos aprovisionaron polluelos. Registramos 7.1 alimentaciones de polluelo por hora, siendo las tasas de aprovisionamiento más altas de 12:00–13:00 h. Los polluelos produjeron un promedio de 0.8 sacos fecales por hora y polluelo. Los polluelos emplumaron en rápida sucesión poco antes del mediodía 14 días luego de la eclosión