Moruga Bouffe - The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club

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Page 14 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 2/2011Moruga Bouffe Mike G. Rutherford(Continued from page 13)found a couple of harvestmen, a type of arachnidwith very long legs. I took them back to the UWIZoology Museum to look at them under the microscope,I was amazed by their appearance, like miniaturetriceratops they had three large spines comingout the top of their bodies and this helped me toidentify them as a male and female Stygnoplusclavotibialis.The next botanical pause came when Dan foundsome fruits of the Toporite tree (Hernandia sonora).This tree, which was often grown as a shade treefor cocoa, produces small fruits which when driedout have a small hole in the top allowing them to beused as a whistle hence its other common name ofwhistling fruit. The timber from the tree was oftenused for housing due to its strength and durability.Beside the edge of the path I observed some usedshotgun shells, the first of many we would find onthe walk. Although Petrotrin has attempted to imposea hunting ban in the area, the evidence seemedto suggest that it is not enforced. The path continuedover a very overgrown metal bridge which if ithadn’t been for the stream underneath would havebeen easy to mistake for just another part of theforest.Further along the trail Dan was showing everyonethe fruits of the Prickly Palm (Bactris major) whichgrows to around 4 metres high. From the samefamily as the coconut this tree produces small whitefruits which can be used to make an alcoholic drink,a juice and also processed to make oil.At this point a light rain started which did nothingfor the already treacherous mud. After a bit moreslipping and sliding and trying not to grab onto moreprickly palms and then scrambling across some fallenlogs to get past a very muddy part we suddenlyheard the cry of ―snake, snake‖ up ahead. Racingforward to get a look I found Stevland using a longstick to move a juvenile Mapepire Balsain (Bothropsatrox) from off the path to behind a rotting log.Pausing to allow people to take photographs, from asafe distance of course, Stevland and I put thevenomous snake down on the ground in order toget some close up shots and to observe itsbehaviour. The snake was quite easy going andallowed us to get several close up photographs.Juvenile Mapepire BalsainPhoto: Mike RutherfordWhen I had satiated my curiosity I looked up andrealised that we were already at our firstdestination. Partly hidden by the vegetation but stillvery impressive I could see the huge trunk of thelargest Silk Cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra) in Trinidad.This tree is over 56 metres tall and has a circumferenceof 10.3 metres above the buttresses.For a full account of its measurement see the 2003issue of Living World. Everyone wandered aroundthe base of the tree looking at the huge buttressroots and trying to peer between the branches ofthe smaller surrounding trees to see the top. Thesides of the tree reminded me more of a cliff facerather than a living organism and the lianas hangingdown certainly tempted me to climb up for a betterlook. However, common sense and being wet andmuddy put a halt to any tree climbing plans.After people had taken photos and admired thegiant tree we set off again. Paul Christopher sighteda male White-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus luctuosusflaviventris) flying through the forest, whilstlower down Bonnie Tyler found a beautiful spidercrawling across the leaf litter. I took some photosand later identified it as a male Trinidad Dwarf Tarantula(Cyriocosmus elegans). With silvery legs andorange colouring on its cephalothorax and part ofits abdomen it is probably the most striking(Continued on page 16)
Page 15 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 2/2011Below leftTricky stream Crossing(Dan Jaggernauth assisting)Photo: Mike Rutherford(above) left to right - Paula Smith, Bonnie Tyler,and Mike RutherfordCradled in the huge buttress rootsat the base of the largest Silk Cotton Tree(Ceiba pentandra) in Trinidad.Photo: Eddison BaptisteRightDos Cocorite or liana snake(Pseustes poecilonotus polylepis)pretending to be a piece of vegetation.Photo: Mike Rutherford
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Moruga Bouffe - The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club

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