Within the last hour, Giraldo Alayon Garcia identified a spider never before recorded in the Dominican Republic, yet exists in the amber fossil record. The exciting discovery of the Plectreurys, was found in a sample expertly collected by Lauren Esposito under a rock on a hillside in Monte Cristi national park. Giraldo states, “The discovery of this spider is the highlight of my entire trip!” Giraldo, leaves the team tomorrow in high spirits and with the intention of describing the species upon his return to Cuba.
The team currently resides above 6,000 ft elevation in Parque Valle Nuevo. Arriving here was no menial task, especially for the vehicles without 4x4. Fragments of undercarriages were undoubtedly left behind as the SUVs bottomed out on the deep furrows in the dirt road steadily climbing the mountainside. Fortunately our rustic accommodations at the summit, free of electricity aside from a few hours of solar, provided a nice place to sleep and breathtaking panoramas.
The habitat here is primarily pine forest scattered with evergreen broadleaves. Each evening the temperature drops drastically to a degree where warm jackets and hot cocoa are necessities, an oddity in the Caribbean. Spider diversity here is fascinating and collection has been extraordinarily fun and fast passed. Today thirteen of the team overflowed the seats of the pickup and into the bed as we traveled deeper into the park. We collected at three localities along the way, one being the proposed center of the island marked by 4 pyramids and another legitimately named Jurassic Park. Despite an irrational fear of pterodactyls lurking above the tree fern canopy, the team proceeded to fill vials with amazing specimens. In a few hours we will return to this site for night collecting. Tomorrow, we move to a new locality.
The team currently resides above 6,000 ft elevation in Parque Valle Nuevo. Arriving here was no menial task, especially for the vehicles without 4x4. Fragments of undercarriages were undoubtedly left behind as the SUVs bottomed out on the deep furrows in the dirt road steadily climbing the mountainside. Fortunately our rustic accommodations at the summit, free of electricity aside from a few hours of solar, provided a nice place to sleep and breathtaking panoramas.
The habitat here is primarily pine forest scattered with evergreen broadleaves. Each evening the temperature drops drastically to a degree where warm jackets and hot cocoa are necessities, an oddity in the Caribbean. Spider diversity here is fascinating and collection has been extraordinarily fun and fast passed. Today thirteen of the team overflowed the seats of the pickup and into the bed as we traveled deeper into the park. We collected at three localities along the way, one being the proposed center of the island marked by 4 pyramids and another legitimately named Jurassic Park. Despite an irrational fear of pterodactyls lurking above the tree fern canopy, the team proceeded to fill vials with amazing specimens. In a few hours we will return to this site for night collecting. Tomorrow, we move to a new locality.
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