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Team shot for this trip. From L-R: Ben Vignaud, Andrew Smith, Dr. Stuart Longhorn and myself.
Another target species for this trip - the real Aphonopelma crinirufum.
A ghostly Planthopper (Derbidae). Adults feed on plants, and nymphs feed on fungi. The family Derbidae contains nearly 1700 species!
A male Yellow-headed Gecko (Gonatodes albogularis), a small species reaching up to 90mm in length.
The perfectly named Pretty Orbweaver (Eriophora nephiloides) photographed as it had just finished spinning its web.
Did you know certain wasps can spin silk? This is the nest of a tiny Silk wasp (Microstigmus adelphus).
No trip to Costa Rica wouldn't be complete without finding and photographing the iconic zebra tarantula (Aphonopelma seemanni).
A good sized Dung beetle (Copris sp.). Only males have the large horns on their heads, used to fight off rival males.
Assassin bugs use their needle-like mouthparts to inject a lethal saliva that liquefies the insides of their prey. (Rhiginia sp.)
An adult pair of the Red leg tarantula (Abdomegaphobema mesomelas).
Something a bit special. We only found one Sericopelma sp. tarantula on this trip but she was a big one!
Found under bark and fallen wood, this impressive scorpion (Centruroides edwardsii) is an impressive sight.
The flag-footed bug (Anisoscelis affinis), Widely referred to as leaf-footed bugs because of the leaf-like expansions on the legs.
Now here's something special! One of the rarest animals on the planet - the Velvet worm (Peripatidae)!
An impressive harvestman.
Anole lizards are active during the day and feed mostly on small animals such as insects.
Reaching up to 10cm in length the Python millipede (Nyssodesmus python) is one of Costa Rica's largest.
Check out the stunning colour of this Tiger beetle (Pseudoxycheila tarsalis)!
One of the target spiders of the trip - the stunning and perfectly named Curly hair tarantula (Tliltocatl albopilosus)!
Reaching up to 7cm in length, Lubber grasshoppers (Xyleus sp.) are large but usually brown so it was great to find a bright yellow one.
One reason to be extra careful when looking for spiders in burrows! A sleeping Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper).
One of the largest lizards of the trip, the Brown basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus).
Another target species for this trip - the Costa Rican Horned Tarantula (Sphaerobothria hoffmanni).
With bright colours and thorn-like projections, this Spiny orbweaver (Micrathena sexspinosa) is well protected against predators.
A nicely coloured Click beetle (Semiotus exsolutus).
Night lizards (Lepidophyma sp.) are secretive, terrestrial, nocturnal lizards of tropical wet and moist forests.
Weevils (Cholus sp.) are known for their elongated snouts. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known worldwide.
Stick insects such as this Pseudophasma unicolor are easier to spot at night when they're more active.
A large unidentified huntsman spider (Olios sp.). These free-roaming spiders are active at night.
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