Ecuador Bioblitz
March 2025
An 8 day expedition to the foothills of the Andes and into the Ecuadorian cloud forest with the Khamai Foundation. We stayed at their Pitalala and Arlequin reserves, documenting every species we could find.
The Spotted Rocket Frog, Hyloxalus maculosus, is currently listed as an endangered species on the IUCN red list. This frog is a part of a discovery of two new populations of the Spotted Rocket Frog along the Anzu River, a discovery which is leading to the expansion of Pitalala reserve! You can support these efforts here.
SPECIES HIGHLIGHT
Hyloxalus maculosus
SPECIES HIGHLIGHT
Tantilla fraseri
The Cloud Forest Centipede-Snake is a rare find in the montane forests of the Ecuadorian Andes mountains. This snake has a striking orange/red belly, and, as explained by their name, they primarily feed on centipedes.
SPECIES HIGHLIGHT
Unknown Orchid Bee Sp.
This gorgeous orchid bee was just one of the many species of insects that our entomologist on the team collected. Orchid bees have very striking iridescence, and usually have fidelity to one species or a couple of individual orchids.
SPECIES HIGHLIGHT
Spilotes pullates
This feisty Tiger Rat snake was one of our first reptile finds of the trip. A large, adult individual, this rat snake was quite angsty and difficult to photograph!