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Caranavi hills, Yungas, elev. 1000/1400 m. part 2.

Enero 2012

sitio 75

first update d. 20 March 2012

last update d. 21 March 2012

Redactor: Lars Andersen

Caranavi hills, Bolivia

January 2012

by Lars Andersen

Caranavi region in the northern Yungas on the eastern Andean slopes, in valleys from 400 meters in Guarnay to Caranavi, 600 meters further to Yolosa at Coroico in the 1000 meters has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The mountains around up to 1400 meters altitude also contains some species which are different than those lower down in the valleys, I suppose there are about 1500 to 1800 species of butterflies with Skippers family in Yungas. I myself have seen approx. half of these species over seven visits from the first time in January 2005, January 2006, February 2007, February 2008, February 2009, January 2010 and January 2012. Through the years I have formed an impression of the various butterfly populations in the area. Because in 2010 I started making BOLIVIAN BUTTERFLIES CHECKLIST.

Up in the hills around Caranavi, there are some small villages that cultivate small areas with tea, coffee and coca. The coffee they grow has a very high quality and is sold by Fair Trad, named Caranavi coffee.

There are some very fine rare butterflies up in the hills around Caranavi valley, one must be very lucky to observe. It is very rainy up there in the hills up there, it's not every day you can see the butterflies up there, so it requires a little time in the area. The best habitat is small streams with varied forest around.

D. 9 January 2012; Peter Møllmann have seen the rare Prepona praeneste buckleyana (Hewitson, 1876), this is probably the first time ever it has been filmed and photographed in the wild! The locality was up in the 1400 meters in some mountainous forests near Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia. This species are protectet by Cites (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.