Tag: Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

  • Listen to Treehoppers of the Rainforest

    Listen to Treehoppers of the Rainforest

    Listen to Treehoppers of the Rainforest

    All sounds come from expeditions to study Treehoppers by Doctor Rex Crocfort.

    He bring the Societies of Sound in the Forest.

  • Tales from the Amazon Rainforest

    Tales from the Amazon Rainforest

    Tales from the Amazon Rainforest

    The Amazon Rainforest is the most biodiverse place on Earth. Millions of voices speak up everyday. Let’s listen to what they say!

  • The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador are definitely one of the easy animals we find during our experience in the Amazon Rainforest.

    The Butterflies in the Amazon Rainforest are active all year round, all different species living in different niches and habitats throughout the forest.

    They go under metamorphosis: starting from a resting egg, usually laid next to their host plant; later hutch into a larva or into an eating machine that keeps stretching; later internal changes go wild at the protein level to finally emerge as a new adult butterfly.

    Where to find butterflies in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador?

    We can find them from early in the morning: the Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest are active and ready to go!

    We will locate them inside the forest whether resting on a leaf or taking gentle samplings of bird poop or sipping into ripe fruits -the rotten ones are the best!- fallen from the canopy as a leftover from canopy wildlife.

    We will find them everywhere in the forest.

    The coloration of the Butterflies in the Amazon Rainforest is an important survival feature, the position of the scales in the wings can be found in all the color combinations possible, a remarkable adaptation to establish in all the forest niches.

    Watch the Video Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador 

    The clouds of Butterflies are often seen on the canoe rides along the Shiripuno River, another colorful experience, all of them end up coming to the Amazonian River sandbars and scouting for mineral accumulations left behind by other wildlife such as capybaras, birds, or reptiles.

    We can see them from the canoe when feeding along the sandbars of the Shiripuno River, sometimes in large and colorful groups flying over the river.

    The most famous Butterfly of the Amazon Rainforest is the impressively sized Blue Morphos, named after Morpheus the Greek God for the Dream. This huge butterfly it’s easy to be recognized by the huge splash of electric blue you will see in the forest.

    We would like to nominate all the Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest Butterflies as “Honorary Vertebrates”.

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest Butterflies as “Honorary Vertebrates”

     

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    The Blue Morpho Butterfly Blue Morpho Butterflies are Not Technically Blue Turns out the Blue Morpho’s wings are not actually blue at all! Of course, they certainly appear this way, but this is not the result of pigmentation. It is actually caused by the way light reflects off the microscopic scales on its wings. The scales are diamond-shaped and the color results from their specific formation and placement on the wing membranes. This is a phenomenon known as iridescence, a type of optical illusion which describes how hues change according to the angle from which they are viewed. #BlueMorpho #BlueButterfly #AmazonButterfly #ButterflyScales #SumacoÑahui #Yasuni #YasuniWilderness #ShiripunoLodge #YasuniNationalPark #YasuniWildlife #Ecuador #Crowdfunding #Conservation

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    Blue Morpho Butterfly

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Common Blue Morpho Butterfly in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Shiripuno River, Ecuador

    The Blue Morpho belongs to the genus Morpho, which is a huge butterfly with a flash of electric blue you will see on our boat trip, or during hikes on trails, the Blue Morpho with a wingspan of about 4 inches long.

    Their wings express the Best Technology in nature to reflect light with energy efficiency.

    They feed on falling rotting fruit on the ground it can be in front of you, and you won’t see it, because it eats with its wing close to melting in the background color of the floors.

    The Blue Morpho caterpillars defend themselves with a defensive smell.

    Amazon Owl Butterfly

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Amazon Owl Butterfly in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Shiripuno River, Ecuador

    The Amazon Owl Butterflies belong to the genus Caligo, a huge brown butterfly, active at crepuscular times of the day, they are known for their huge eyespots on their hindwing, which resemble owls’ eyes.

    During adulthood, it feeds on rotting fruits, and in the larvae stage, they feed on the Heliconias plant.  They are found in all the habitats of the Amazon Rainforests in Ecuador.

    Rhetus Butterfly

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Rhetus butterflies in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Shiripuno River, Ecuador

    Rhetus butterflies are usually found singly or in very low numbers, in the vicinity of streams or rivers.

    Thirsty for Minerals! It can also be found along tracks through the primary or disturbed rainforest or cloudforest habitats.

    The butterfly occurs at elevations between 0-1800m and flies throughout the year.

    Haetera Piera Butterfly

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Haetera Piera Butterfly in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Shiripuno River, Ecuador

    The Haetera Piera Butterfly is a glass-winged butterfly. Almost nothing is known about the caterpillar stages of this butterfly and little is known about the whole butterfly tribe this species belongs to, the Haeterini.

    The butterflies fly close to the ground and are widespread across South America’s lowland forests. They have a subtle coloration over their transparent wings, which are each patterned with two eye spots.

    Sulphur Butterflies Puddle Drinking

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    The Sulphur Butterflies in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Shiripuno River, Ecuador

    Sulfur butterflies, known as pierids as they’re in the Pieridae family, are often seen around puddles of water and include around 70 different species throughout the Neotropics.

    The butterflies aren’t just after water but important minerals like sodium.

    A favorite photograph for Amazon Rainforest tourists to capture, you can sometimes see butterflies drinking from the eyes of aquatic reptiles like turtles and caiman.

    Kite Swallowtail

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Eurytides Butterfly in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Shiripuno River, Ecuador

    Safety in Numbers

    These are kite swallowtails in the Eurytides genus that often join sulfur butterflies as they do their puddling behavior.

    They too drink the water to obtain different minerals and can be distinguished from the sulfurs by their tails and black markings.

    It’s safer for butterflies to drink in groups as they benefit from safety in numbers.

    If a predator attacks these highly conspicuous animals, a single butterfly in a group is less likely to be eaten than if drinking alone.

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    Butterfly Watching in Ecuador

    You can go Butterfly Watching in Ecuador in any direction: from the towering Andes to the dense Amazonian rainforest, Ecuador is incredibly diverse.

    Ecuador is arguably the butterfly capital of the world!

    Ecuador contains approximately 2850 species in the families Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Riodinidae, and Lycaenidae.

    About 50-55% of all Neotropical species in these groups (25% of the World’s species), turning Ecuador into one of the world’s three most diverse countries, along with Colombia and Peru.

    The Butterflies’ Families, Genera, and Species of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador:

    NYMPHALIDAE

    The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world, belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea.

    These are usually medium-sized to large butterflies.

    Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colorful wings flat when resting.

    They are also called brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name.

    Many species are brightly colored and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterflies, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries.

    However, the underwings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings.

    Many-banded Daggerwing (Marpesia chiron)
    Nymphalidae.
    Butterflies of Ecuador
    Many-banded Daggerwing (Marpesia chiron). Nymphalidae. Garzcocha (La Selva Lodge), Ecuador
    • The Walter Daggerwing, Marpesia zerynthia

    • Ruddy Daggerwing, Marpesia petreus

    • Amber Daggerwing, Marpesia berania

    • Livius Daggerwing, Marpesia livius

    • Pansy Daggerwing, Marpesia marcella

    • Sunset Daggerwing, Marpesia furcula

    • Banded-white Ringlet, Pareuptychia ocirrhoe

    • 89 Butterfly Diaethria, clymena

    • Blue-and-Orange 88, Callicore molina

    • Cyane Emperor, Doxocopa cyane

    • Doris Longwing, Heliconius doris

    • Malachite, Siproeta stelenes

    • Rusty-tipped Page, Siproeta epaphus

    • Midnight Purplewing, Eunica norica

    • Orange Admiral, Hypanartia lethe

    • Clearwing-mimic, Queen Lycorea ilione

    • Orea Banner, Epiphile orea

    • Orange-banded Emperor, Doxocopa elis

    • Thessalia Sister, Adelpha thessalia

    • Cocala Sister, Adelpha cocala

    • Blue Aeilus, Baeotus aeilus

    • Dazzling Glasswing, Godryis duillia

    • Rose-colored Cytharia puerta

    • Scarlet Peacock, Anartia omathea

    • Julia Heliconia, Dryas julia

    • Pastazena Crescent, Tegosa pastazena

    • Pink-bodied Altinote, Altinote neleus

    • Orange-bodied Altinote, Altinote alcione

    LYCAENIDAE

    Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly species.

    Adults are small, under 5 cm usually, and brightly colored, sometimes with a metallic gloss.

    Larvae are often flattened rather than cylindrical, with glands that may produce secretions that attract and subdue ants. Their cuticles tend to be thickened. Some larvae are capable of producing vibrations and low sounds that are transmitted through the substrates they inhabit. They use these sounds to communicate with ants.

    Adult individuals often have hairy antenna-like tails complete with a black and white annulated (ringed) appearance. Many species also have a spot at the base of the tail and some turn around upon landing to confuse potential predators from recognizing the true head orientation. This causes predators to approach from the true head end resulting in early visual detection.

    The Butterflies of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Arawacus separata
    • Striped Hairstreak Arawacus separata

    RIODINIDAE

    The Riodinidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. They typically thrive in tropical latitudes, especially those of the Americas, and approximately 1,300 species are known.

    Small to medium in size, metalmarks vary widely in their patterns, behavior, and postures. Males have reduced front legs that are not used for walking, and females have three pairs of walking legs.

    Adults usually perch with their wings spread open or cocked slightly, while many tropical species habitually perch upside down on large leaves.

    Males locate mates by perching, rather than patrolling. Egg shape varies widely, but caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. Metalmarks overwinter in the larval or pupal stage.

    • Neurodes Metalmark Siseme reurodes

    • Aulestes Swordtail Ancyluris aulestes

    • Black-edged Bluemark Lasaia moeros

    PIERIDAE

    The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies most pierid butterflies are white, yellow, or orange in coloration, often with black spots.

    The pigments that give the distinct coloring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are characteristic of this family.
    The sexes usually differ, often in the pattern or number of the black markings.
    The larvae (caterpillars) of a few of these species, commonly seen in gardens, feed on brassicas and are notorious agricultural pests.
    Males of many species exhibit gregarious mud-puddling behavior when they may imbibe salts from moist soils.

    • Philoma White Leptophobia philoma

    • Salmon-lined White Perrhybris lorena

    • Tailed Sulphur Phoebis neocypris

    • Mimosa Yellow Pyrisitia nise

    PAPILIONIDAE

    The Papilionidae belong to the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Swallowtails are worldwide in distribution and comprise approximately 560 species.

    They are the richest in the tropics, and their brilliant colors make them the favorites of butterfly enthusiasts.

    Many swallowtail species, especially in the tropics, mimic other butterflies that are distasteful, while others are distasteful and cause birds and other vertebrate predators to regurgitate.

    Swallowtail adults are medium to large and may or may not have tails, while parnassian adults are medium, tailless, and have translucent wings.

    All adult parnassians and swallowtails have three pairs of walking legs, and adults of all species visit flowers for nectar.

    • Lycidas Swallowtail Batis lycidas

    • King Page Swallowtail Heraclides thoas

    • Dioxippus Kite Swallowtail Neographium dioxippus

    HESPERIIDAE

    Skippers are a family, Hesperiidae, of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies.

    They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy places the family in the superfamily Papilionoidea.

    They are named for their quick, darting flight habits.

    Most have the antenna tip modified into a narrow hook-like projection.

    More than 3500 species of skippers are recognized, and they occur worldwide, but with the greatest diversity in the Neotropical regions of Central and South America.

    • Velvet Anastrus Anastrus baterias

    • Common Anastrus Anastrus sempiternus

    • Two-barred Flasher Astraptes fulgerator

    • Cryptic Mylon Mylon cajus

    • Passova Firetip Passova passova

    • Teleus Longtail Urbanus teleus

    • Split-banded Firetip Jemadia hewitsonii

    • Violaceous Bent-skipper Cycloglypha thrasibulus

     

    butterfly watching tours
    Come and Join Us on Our Butterfly of Ecuador Tour!! We visit all the major ecoregions such as the Andes, Amazon Rainforest, Cloud forest, Beach
  • 10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    The 10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador, you will learn here.

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    The Bromeliad Tree Frog of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. Genus: Osteocephalus. Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.

    The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador or “Oriente” is one of the most biodiverse places on the surface of our Planet!

    In this post, you will learn 10 amazing facts about the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest.

    Animals in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    Ocelot in the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador.
    The Ocelot is a medium-sized cat that wanders in the trails deep in the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador.

    Before we sink into some facts about the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador, let’s watch a video filmed in Yasuni Biosphere Reserve ( National Park & Waorani Reserve ).

    The Yasuni is said to be where Life exploded into millions of forms and shapes it is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.


    Watch on YouTube via Fernando Vaca

    Get your free Brochure for your Amazon Rainforest trip

    Watch a Video of Yasuni National Park in Ecuador


    Watch on YouTube via Fernando Vaca
    Now, let’s learn more about the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

    About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador represents only 2% of the Amazon Basin which stretches across 9 countries, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana (Overseas France), Peru, and Suriname.

    The Amazon Rainforest takes up only seven percent of the planet’s land mass, yet half the earth’s plant species are found in the Amazon Rainforest.

    High net productivity is experienced in birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, Life flourishes in every corner here.

    The following facts focus on the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest.

    Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador: 10 Amazing Facts

    1) There is an incredible number of tree species in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador,
    Just 62 acres (1/4 of a square kilometer) of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador supports over 1,100 species of trees.

    That makes it among the highest of any region in the world.

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    The Amazon Rainforest Tree Canopy

    Amazon  Nature Trips in Ecuador

    There are more species of trees and bushes in one hectare here than in all of North America!
    2) The Amazon Rainforest is the largest region in Ecuador.
    There are several Bioregions on mainland Ecuador, the Costa (Coastal lowlands), the Sierra (Andean highlands), and the Oriente (the Amazon).

    The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador covers the eastern portion of the country. It includes six Ecuadorian provinces:  Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Sucumbios, Morona Santiago, and Zamora-Chinchipe.

    Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador Map

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Map of Ecuador, Amazon Rainforest is shown in green

    Image Credit – Foros Ecuador

    3) The number of animal species found in Ecuador’s Amazon is outstanding.
    The Amazon in Ecuador is boasting of animal species with no rivals.

    In Yasuni Biosphere Reserve alone there are 150 amphibian species (more than the U.S. and Canada combined), 121 species of reptiles, over 200 species of mammals, over 596 birds, and 382 species of fish.

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Rhinella Crested Toad, blend perfectly in the soil background of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

    Animals in the Ecuador Amazon

    Insects also love the Amazon. Over 70,000 species of insects can be found in one acre of rainforest.

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Rhetus butterflies are usually found singly or in very low numbers, in the vicinity of streams or rivers.

    In the following video, you’ll see some of the animals that call the Amazon home.

    This video was filmed in Yasuni National Park.

    Animals of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador Video
    Watch on YouTube via National Geographic
    4) The Ecuadorian Amazon is a bird watcher’s paradise<span
    With over 587 species of birds, the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador is a birder’s paradise. Birdwatching trips are a huge draw for visitors to this area.

    With a knowledgeable guide, you could see around 250 to 300 species during your trip.

    Birdwatching in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Tourism in the Yasuni National Park

    The following video highlights some of the bird species in the Ecuador Amazon.
    Birds of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador Video

    Watch on YouTube via Fernando Vaca

    Learn more about Birds of the Amazon Rainforest.

    5) There are 4 National Parks in Ecuador’s Amazon Jungle
    There are 5 National Parks  in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador to promote the Conservation of Nature:

    • Yasuni
    • Cayambe-Coca
    • Llanganates
    • Sumaco Napo-Galeras
    • Río Negro-Sopladora

    Yasuni National Park and Biosphere Reserve are said to be the most biodiverse place on earth. It’s Ecuador’s largest National Park and is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

    Frogs in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Bromeliad Tree Frog are active during the night, it moves in the canopy and occasionally come down to check what to eat.

    There are other areas such as Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Limoncocha, which provide safe areas for wildlife.

    These areas help protect the Amazon and are wonderful places to visit.
    The following video was filmed in Yasuni National Park and highlights 28 amazing mammal species in this area.

    Mammals in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    In lowland Ecuador, where they have not been hunted, they are the most abundant primate in terms of biomass and number of individuals. In 1997 was recorded a density of more than 31 individuals/km² in the Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.

    Watch on YouTube via Fernando Vaca

    6) There are 7 major cities within the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    The seven cities include:

    • Coca
    • Lago Agrio
    • Tena
    • Puyo
    • Macas
    • Zamora
    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    The last bridge before you reach to the Atlantic Ocean, over 3,500 kilometers away. El Coca. Orellana. Ecuador

    The population in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest is over 739,000, including the cities and six provinces found within the rainforest. There are still large areas in the Amazon Jungle in Ecuador that are uninhabited.

    7) There are 9 indigenous cultures in the Amazon
    There are 9 indigenous nationalities in the Ecuadorian Amazon: Kichwas, Shuar, Achuar, Shiwiar, Cofán, Siona, Secoya, Zápara, Andoa, and Waorani.

    Some of them welcome tourists which is wonderful for family cultural experiences in Ecuador.
    Visiting the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Amazon Birding in Ecuador

    Two tribes (the Tagaeri and Taromenane) who live within the Yasuni National Park choose to live in isolation.
    8) The climate is the same year-round
    The climate in the Ecuador Amazon is pretty much the same year-round, warm and rainy.
    Animals in the Ecuadorian Amazon

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Yellow-billed Jacamar sits and waits for food to fly by, most of the time can be seen at eye level.


    The temperature averages around 28°C (82°F) in the daytime and drops to around 17°C (62°F) at night.

    From February to May it experiences the highest rainfall while July through August are the drier months.
    The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador usually receives around 3500 mm of rain every year, so even during the drier months, heavy rainfall can happen at any time.

    9) The Amazon River was discovered in Ecuador
    The Amazon River was discovered by a Spanish expedition started in Quito in 1541 by an explorer and conquistador named Francisco de Orellana.

    He discovered the river in 1542 and initially named it Rio de Orellana.

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Francisco de Orellana discovers the Amazon River by accident while searching for El Dorado.

    Travel to the Amazon in Ecuador

    As he explored he battled with a tribe of Tapuyas. The women of that tribe fought alongside the men. He later named the river after the Amazons – a tribe of women warriors in Greek mythology.

    10) The Amazon in Ecuador is threatened. There is a lot of oil (around 800 million barrels) under the Ecuadorian Rainforest.

    Extracting it puts the Amazon at risk, including the plants, animals, and way of life for the people that live there.

    Deforestation and illegal logging also threaten the area.

    Amazon Jungle in Ecuador

    Efforts are underway to protect the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

    Will You Visit the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador?
    The Amazon is an exciting place to visit. Are you planning a trip?

    Have you already visited Amazon?

    Please share your thoughts by commenting on this post.

    10 Amazing Facts About the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Best Ecuador Wildlife Canoe Trips.
    We run all the Rivers in Ecuador.

     

  • The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Rainforest

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Rainforest

    Learn about the Mushrooms and Fungi in the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

    The Fungi or Mushrooms are a phylogenetically diverse group of microorganisms that are all heterotrophic (absorptive nutrition) eukaryotes, unicellular (i.e. yeasts) or hyphal (i.e. filamentous), and reproduce by sexual and/or asexual spores.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest are essential functional components of the Amazonian ecosystem as decomposers, symbionts, and pathogens and fungi represent one of the most biodiverse groups of organisms on earth.

    However, our knowledge of their diversity and ecological function in Neotropical Amazonian Lowland forests is limited.

    The ecological interaction of macrofungi with other organisms in these forests is poorly understood due to the largely unexplored, but likely huge, fungal diversity, as well as the cryptic and ephemeral nature of many fungal species.

    Where is located the Fungal Hub Diversity in the World?

    A major part of the global but unknown fungal biodiversity is assumed to occur in Tropical Regions, where the diversity of fungi may be higher than in temperate regions.

    • Tropical Regions favor environmental conditions throughout the year, a higher diversity of vascular plants that create niches and microhabitats for fungi, and the presence of many ecotones.
    • The diversity of macrofungi in tropical forests showed that the highest diversity in the Neotropics occurred in the Amazon Basin with Agaricomycetes, Pyrenomycetes, Xylariaceous, and Hyphomycetous fungi being the most species-rich.

    The Amazon Rainforest is Heaven for Mushrooms

    The Amazon Basin is the perfect location if you would like to become a Fungi, the constant humidity combined with heat is the perfect combination for fungi to diversity in the Amazon Basin.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. All were taken at Shiripuno Amazon Lodge in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi in the Amazon Rainforest play an important role in the ecology of this huge wilderness, these organisms do a critical job of decomposing all kinds of materials from the forest itself.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. All were taken at Shiripuno Amazon Lodge in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.

    Everything is a resource in the forest, follow this: From an old and finished canopy leaf falling to the ground where the community of mushrooms, fungi,  and many invertebrates specialized in turning useful everything to the basic elements of nature: Carbon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, and Oxygen.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. All were taken at Shiripuno Amazon Lodge in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.

    A tiny portion of the colors and shapes of the diversity of Mushrooms and Fungi of the Amazon Rainforest can be found during a short walk on the trails nearby.

    Move slowly, fix your looks in the ground, along the trunk, the nearby light gap can be very rewarding, some mushrooms and fungi are still in use by indigenous people to treat, diseases or food in some cases.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. All were taken at Shiripuno Amazon Lodge in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.

    The diversity of Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador is captured in photos after a short walk around the trails of Shiripuno Amazon Lodge. Enjoy it.

    Where to find them?

    You can find almost everywhere in the forest, here are some locations:

    • Light Gaps

    Light Gaps in the forest form predominantly when trees fall by wind and storms. After a few months, we can find a whole series of fungi over time.

    • Rotting Trees

    Rotting Giant Trees can be a perfect place to watch a timelapse of the different fungi community coming with different fruiting over and over.

    • The soil in Terra Firme

    The Soil in the Terra Firme habitat is poor by nature in terms of nutrients for life, specialization is the key for those species living in here, many unique Jelly Fungi can be found around

    • Soil in Varzea

    The Soil in the Varzea is a sediment-rich habitat, and species of fungi need to be faster decomposing all the flooded community.

    • Territories

    The are many species of Mushrooms and Fungi with territories of more than 10 years!

    Have fun finding them in the forest.

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Rainforest

    The true fungi (kingdom: Mycota) are divided into four divisions:

    • Chytridiomycota,

    • Zygomycota,

    • Ascomycota

    • Basidiomycota

    ASCOMYCOTA: CUP FUNGI

    The family of fungi  Ascomycota produces mushrooms that tend to grow in the shape of a “cup”. Spores are formed on the inner surface of the fruit body (mushroom)

    • Cookenia tricholoma

    • Cookenia speciosa

    • Phillipsia domingensi

    • Daldinia eschscholzii

    • Entonaema pallida

    ASCOMYCOTA: CORDYCEPS & ALLIES

    -discovered by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in 1859.

    • Cordyceps cylindrica

    • Metacordyceps martialis

    • Ophiocordyceps amazonica

    • Ophiocordyceps nutans

    • Ophiocordyceps australis

    ASCOMYCOTA:  XYLARIA & ALLIES

    • Camillea leprieurii

    • Xylobotryum portentous

    • Xylaria telfairii

    • Xylaria sp

    • Thamnomyces chordallis

    Basidiomycetes mushrooms comprise a diversity of gill fungi that occur in most terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, their diversity and biological applications in tropical ecosystems remain almost unknown.

    Some Basidiomycetes species from Amazon tropical rainforests have been described as sources of primary and secondary bioactive compounds with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiparasitic, and antitumoral metabolites and as nutraceutical foods.

    In addition, some Basidiomycetes have demonstrated potential as producers of interesting prototype molecules for the development of drugs useful in medicine.

    BASIDIOMYCOTA: JELLY FUNGI, GASTEROMYCETES, CORAL

    • Auricularia fuscosuccinea

    • Auricularia delicata

    • Dacryopinax spathularia

    • Tremella fuciformis

    • Tremellodendron schweinitzii

    BASIDIOMYCOTA: GASTEROMYCETES

    • Laternea dringii

    • Phallus sp.

    • Staheliomyces cintus

    • Clathrus sp

    • Geastrum schweinitzii

    • Myriostoma coliforme

    • Lycoperdon nigrescens

      • Calvatia cyathiformis

    BASIDIOMYCOTA: CORAL

      • Ramaria sp.

      • Scytinopogon angulisporus

      • Deflexula sprucei

      • Deflexula subsimplex

      • Phlebopus sp

    MYXOGASTRIA: SLIME MOLDS

    • Arcyria denudata

    • Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa

    BASIDIOMYCOTA: NON-AGARIC

    • Cymatoderma dendriticum

    • Cymatoderma dendriticum

    • Hydnopolyporus sp.

    • Cotylidia aurantiaca

    • Hymenochaete damaecornis

    BASIDIOMYCOTA: AGARICALES – GILLED MUSHROOMS

    • Pleurotus djamor

    • Neonothopanus sp

    • Oudemansiella canari

    • Macrolepiota colombiana

    • Lepiota hemisclera

    • Leucocoprinus birnbaumii

    • Marasmius haematocephalus

    • Marasmius berteroi

    • Marasmius cladophyllus

    • Marasmiellus volvatus

    • Marasmiellus sp

    • Tetrapyrgos nigripes

    • Collybia nivea

    • Collybia aurea

    • Hygrocybe sp

    • Xeromphalina tenuipes

    • Trogia cantharelloides

    • Favoloschia sp

    • Schizophyllum commune

    • Psilocybe cubensis

    • Coprinellus disseminatus

    • Agaricus sp

    • Vovariella sp

    • Polyporus trichloma

    • Favolus tenuiculus

    • Lentinus concavus

    • Lentinus strigosus

    • Earliella scabrosa

    • Pycnoporus sanguineus

    • Lenzites elegans

    • Amauroderma sprucei

    • Ganoderma applanatum

    • Rigidoporus microporus

    Common Mushroom and Fungi

    Cookeina

    The Mushrooms and Fungi from the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
    Cookeina is a genus of cup fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae, members of which may be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Species may be found on fallen branches of angiosperms, trunks, and sometimes on fruits. (Source: Wikipedia )

    Coprinellus

    Ecuador Mushrooms and Fungi Trip
    Coprinellus is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Psathyrellaceae. Accepted 62 species of Coprinellus.
    Mushrooms and Fungi from the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.

    Ecuador Mushrooms and Fungi Trip

    Come and Enjoy the Diversity of Mushrooms and Fungi on Our trip to Ecuador.