University of Nebraska State Museum - Division of Entomology

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Field Research in Ecuador
13 July-7 August 1998
Karla Villatoro and Andrew Smith

Team Scarab recently conducted a major field trip to collect and study the scarab fauna of Ecuador as part of their the NSF-funded project entitled "Monography, Phylogenetics, and Developing Expertise in New World Pleurostrict Scarab Beetles". Brett Ratcliffe, Mary Liz Jameson, Andrew Smith, and Karla Villatoro spent 25 days in Ecuador studying the major entomological collection at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Catholic University) in Quito and collecting scarab beetles in several different ecozones. The major collecting localities were at Cotopaxi National Park, Cabañas San Isidro, Jatun Sacha, Yasuni National Park, and Santo Domingo.

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Map of Ecuador showing route and collecting localities for Team Scarab expedition.
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The entomology collection at the Catholic University in Quito is the largest in Ecuador and has substantial holdings of all the target taxa for our NSF-PEET project. The curator of the collection is Giovanni Onore who has spent many years building this collection. He has advised many students who conducted taxonomic studies of Scarabaeoidea over the years, which has resulted in the collection containing an extensive representation of the Ecuadorian scarab fauna. Aura Paucar, one of Dr. Onore's current students, was just finishing her thesis on the Rutelinae of Ecuador. Another student, Carlos Carpio, was conducting research on the Scarabaeinae (dung beetles) of Ecuador.
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Scarab workers at the Catholic University of Ecuador. From left to right: Andrew Smith, Aura Paucar, Carlos Carpio, Brett Ratcliffe, Karla Villatoro, Mary Liz Jameson, and, Giovanni Onore.
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The first collecting stop was at Cotopaxi National Park, which is about three hours south of Quito. Volcán Cotopaxi (which is the highest active volcano in the world at 5,897 m) was a unique collecting locality because of its elevation. During the day we collected as high as 4,500 m on Volcán Cotopaxi where the ground consisted of volcanic rock and gravel and an occasional sparsely distributed flower. Even in these extreme conditions, two species of tachinid flies were collected.


Mary Liz Jameson, Karla Villatoro, and Andrew Smith collecting in moonscape-like conditions on Volcán Cotopaxi at 4,500 m! Photo by Brett Ratcliffe.		View of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. Photo by Karla Villatoro. .
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Tropical wet forest at Cabañas San Isidro at 2,150 m. Photo by Andrew Smith.		Andrew Smith collecting tachinid flies on Volcán Cotopaxi. Photo by Brett Ratcliffe.
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After collecting at high elevation, Team Scarab descended the eastern slopes of the Andes to investigate mid-elevational habitats at around 2,000 m. The mountain roads were fairly good except for the occasional sections which had been washed out by landslides. One part of the road between Baeza and Cosanga was so badly washed out that no one had been able to cross it. After surveying the damage, we decided that the lure of good collecting outweighed the fear of getting hopelessly stuck in the mud. So, after a careful assessment of the best route to take, we crossed the wash-out to the cheers and amazement of dozens of local spectators. We were elated after overcoming that obstacle. . . but the celebration was short-lived as we rounded a curve on the road and beheld an insurmountable landslide totally blocking the road. Luckily, this obstacle was only a short distance from our final destination, and we were able to transport our equipment over the mud and derbis and proceed to Cabañas San Isidro. San Isidro is situate on top of a hill surrounded by largely intact tropical wet forest. Persistence paid off as this was an excellent collecting locality.
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Traversing a landslide near Cabañas San Isidro.		"Here is looking at you, bug!" Andrew Smith with Ancognatha vulgaris . Photo by Mary Liz Jameson.
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The protocol for collecting at each locality typically consisted of seeking out suitable trapping sites followed by setting fruit and dung baited traps and flight intercept traps. During the day, vegetation, fungi, and dead logs were gleaned. Light traps were set up before dusk and tended continually while they were operating, and during this time foliage gleaning and general collecting were also conducted. Specimens were temporarily curated for transportation back to the lab.
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Karla Villatoro and Andrew Smith collecting at light traps at Cabañas San Isidro. Photo by Brett Ratcliffe.
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Team Scarab then descended further in elevation to the Amazon lowlands. Two localities along the Río Napo were targeted for collecting: Jatun Sacha (450 m) and Yasuni (215 m). The Río Napo is the largest river in Ecuador and a major tributary of the Amazon River. The first stop in the lowlands was at Jatun Sacha Biological Station. Jatun Sacha is a well known location among scientists because it has been a protected area for at least a decade. After a couple of days at Jatun Sacha, Team Scarb went to Yasuni National Park further down the Río Napo. Yasuni is the largest national park in Ecuador. It was established to conserve a wide variety of different lowland tropical forest habitats and as a reserve for the Huaorani people. The fact that Yasuni is an indigenous reserve, coupled with the extensive oil drilling there, requires that access to the area is very restricted. Team Scarab was required to have advanced permission from the Catholic University in Quito as well as from the oil company and surrender their passports before they could enter Yasuni. All the trouble was worth it because Yasuni contains some of the most extensive and fantastic tropical rain forests we have seen. We stayed at a field station in Yasuni operated by the Catholic University in Quito.
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Mary Liz Jameson, Andrew Smith, and Karla Villatoro day-collecting in the lowland rainforests at Yasuni National Park. Photo by Brett Ratcliffe.		"Bienvenidos to WHAT?" Andrew Smith, Brett Ratcliffe and Karla Villatoro at Estación Científica Jatun Sacha. Photo by Mary Liz Jameson.
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Our last collecting location was on the western slope of the Andes around Santo Domingo. We thoroughly enjoyed our expedition to Ecuador and returned with many specimens that will be invaluable in our research on Neotropical scarab beetles.
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Karla Villatoro, Andrew Smith, and Mary Liz Jameson with antennae extended near Santo Domingo. Photo by Brett Ratcliffe.		"You, me, and a #7 pin". Brett Ratcliffe with Megasoma actaeon at Estación Jatun Sacha. Photo by Andrew Smith.
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Pelidnota prasina at Estación Jatun Sacha. Photo by Mary Liz Jameson.		Heterogomphus schoenherri at Cabañas San Isidro. Photo by Brett Ratcliffe.
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