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As part of REGUA's land purchase strategy for conserving the Guapiacu watershed, "km 12" area was acquired in 2021 with the generous support of Boden Company. Seven hectares of degraded land were restored (with over 100 different Atlantic Forest species grown in REGUA's nursery) through Projeto Guapiaçu. REGUA's Km 12 restoration initiative was included in "Bosques da Memória" national campaign which consisted in the planting of native trees in memory of those lost to Covid-19 and in gratitude to front-line health professionals working in Brazil. A young, healthy and vibrant forest is developing under REGUA's surveillance for posterity.

Luísa Genes, a PhD student from Stanford University in the USA, together with Ângelo Correia (Esalq/USP), expert in the identification of plants, seeds and fruits of the Atlantic Rainforest, study the diet of tapirs in support of the local reintroduction program for this species led by Refauna. Since the tapirs were released in REGUA, these researchers have been helping us to understand more about the Tapir diet as they transition into their new life in the reserve. Today they walked the forest with REGUA’s ranger Rildo, documenting the seeds and fruits present at REGUA and cross-referencing their findings with analysis of the contents of samples of the local tapirs’ diet. A key objective is to ascertain what the released tapirs diet consists of and whether it changes across the seasons.

The Common Parauque (Nyctidromus albicollis) is indeed one of the more common nightbirds that we hear when walking our paths at night. Rubies of light reflect our car’s headlights warning that it's on the path just ahead of us. The Parauque's characteristic call is distinctive as is its circular flight to land. However, where does it go during the day? The Common Parauque is very well camouflaged on the forest's leaf litter. Occasionally, we have the opportunity to see a couple of miniature ghostly white oval eggs on the forest floor with no evidence of a nest. What an interesting and enigmatic bird this is!

Found in all Brazilian biomes, with the exception of a part of the Amazon, this friendly mammal has nocturnal and lonely habits, as it is a pray for various species, such as jaguars, ocelot, some snakes, among other animals, has the habit of living in silence and with a lot of discretion. They are herbivorous animals and their diet consists of fruits, sprouts and vegetable stalks. These rabbits make their nest with leaves or dry grass, lining the inside with their own hair to raise their puppies and usually give birth between one and six puppies. Has anyone ever thought that rabbits are rodents? We think this can be a normal confusion, but for science, the feature that most distinguish the rabbits from rodents is their dentition: they have four incisive teeth (two upper and two lower), while rodents have only two. In addition to the fact that rabbits have beautiful long ears! Data: 07/07/2021

For some reason, green is not a common or popular color among neotropical butterflies. Unlike other tropical regions of the old world, only a dozen green butterflies occur in the American tropics (some hairstreaks like Cyanophrys , Evenus , Arcas , Erora , some papilionids and Nessaea ). Among them the most flashy example is the large malachite green butterfly, with brown lines and large square wings of jagged margins. This butterfly is an imitation of the heliconians (long - wing butterflies) Philaethria wernickei and P. dido , from which is virtually distinguished only by its larger size, less elongated wings and the outer margin of the posterior wing strongly serrated with 3 small indentations. It is a common species found in a vast area of ​​the Americas from southern Texas, Florida and the West Indies to Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil. Adults are typical butterflies of open forest, found from sea level to 1,500 meters in moist or seasonally disturbed forest habitat, such as clearing, rivers, roads, edges, secondary vegetation and even orchards where many herbaceous Acanthaceae species thrive ( Blechum , Justicia , Ruelia ). Adults are attracted to flowers and fermented fruits, they often rest and sunbathe on the lower foliage on trails, roads or gardens, and females patrol small stretches of this habitat in search of their host plants to lay eggs from where caterpillars hatch and become the next generation. These are black olive with pink and white tubercles, remembering the toxic caterpillars of Parides and Battus (papilionids). The pupae are light-green with some short thorns. Data: 09/04/21

Braúna is an endemic tree species of the Atlantic Forest, belonging to the Leguminosae family, found in the south of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states. Its conservation status under the “vulnerable” category by the IUCN refers to the intensive use of its compact and heavy wood in the civil industry as well as in the making of musical instruments, tool cables, poles and fence stumps. Brauna is a semi-deciduous, heliophyte species found in both primary and late secondary forests. Its dispersion occurs by the action of the (anemocoric) wind. This individual is in the area of the ​​“Frenchman”, which are our neighbors and partners. Data: 14/07/21

In 2020 the tapirs Eva and Valente gave us Curumim, the first calf born in the state of Rio in 100 years. This year, what a joy, Flora and Jupiter gave us another tapir baby! With this second baby, our population is growing. This fills us with pride and confidence in the future where the Atlantic Forest will have tapirs again in abundance. Flora and Jupiter were released in 2018, coming from Klabin's Ecological Park, and since then they are never far away from each other (although they walk alone, as it is normal for Tapirs). In the camera trap video you see Mom Flora and the puppy, which should have about 6 months. We don't know its gender yet, and he was probably born in January, like Curumin last year. We know this thanks to the monitoring we do together with @projetoguapiacu, our super partner in the contract to reintroduce the tapirs here at Regua. We hope the news of this new life will warm your heart! Data: 21/07/21

Mimicry is a widespread phenomenon in Nature, where some species imitate the morphological and chromatic patterns of others, benefiting from some form of protection due to this similarity with the model. Usually, the model has some physical or biochemical characteristic that makes it detestable to predators. In the case of butterflies, this is usually the presence of toxic substances (usually alkaloids) and/or unpalatable substances in the organism of the models. In the Americas, there is an endemic tribe of the Danainae subfamily of Nymphalidae: the Ithomiini butterflies, around 350 species – many of them popularly nicknamed ‘glasswing butterflies’ due to the transparency of a large part of the surface of their wings – where the majority participate in mimetic rings among themselves and with other Lepidoptera, including the Heliconiinae subfamily and some diurnal moths. In most cases, the mentioned toxic, (unpalatable) chemical compounds in the “bad-tasting” butterfly’s are taken up in the larval stage from the plants on which they feed. In the case of the “glasswings,” the plants used by the larvae are partly Apocynaceae (a source shared with the Danaiini tribe), but most feed on Solanaceae, a botanical family that includes popular vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and 'giló'. However, many species sequester these alkaloid compounds as adults; males in particular suck alkaloids from the flowers and roots of shrubs, vines or small trees of the Asteraceae family or from the decaying leaves of Boraginaceae. During a walk along one of the butterfly monitoring transects (a section of the Yellow Trail) that had recently been cleared for maintenance, I was able to observe over the course of a week how groups of several species of ‘glasswings’ congregated on the roots of an Eupatorium shrub (Asteraceae) – especially in the early morning and late afternoon – as exemplified in the photo. The species observed sequestering alkaloids from these exposed roots were the following: Episcada striposis , Episcada sylvo , Hypothiris ninonia daeta , Hypothiris euclea lapria , Ithomia agnosia zikani , Ithomia drymo and Pseudoscada erruca. Data: 17/08/21

In 2011, REGUA published its first field guide, A Guide to the Hawkmoths of the Serra dos Órgãos, Southeast Brazil, which described and illustrated the 110 species that can be found in this area. However, since then, a number of taxonomic changes have occurred, which are covered and compiled in a comprehensive article recently published in European Entomologist (Vol 11, No 3 + 4) by J. Haxaire and C. G. Mielke, which provides the most recent list of all species occurring in Brazil, but also introduces several new species. All of these species have been updated on the Hawkmoths of Brazil website, but of particular interest to the REGUA area are: a new species Protambulyx pearsoni has been separated from P. sulphurea and replaces it in Serra dos Órgãos. A new species, Manduca exiguus , was separated from M. contracta and was recorded for the State of Rio de Janeiro, but as far as we know it has not yet been found in the Serra dos Órgãos. Manduca paphus is now recognized as a distinct species and has been split from M. sexta . Nyceryx nephus was elevated to species status based on a single specimen collected at Cachoeiras de Macacu. Isognathus brasiliensis has been split from I. swainsonii and replaces it in the Serra dos Órgãos and southeastern Brazil. Eumorpha orientis is now recognized as a distinct species, having been split from E. obliquus . Xylophanes reussi has been separated from X. marginalis , but both appear to share the same general distribution. A new species, Xylophanes crenulata, has been separated from X. ceratomioides . Only X. crenulata is believed to occur in the Serra dos Órgãos. Two new species Xylophanes alineae and X. soaresi have been separated from X. porcus continentalis , both of which are found in the Serra dos Órgãos. Apparently, it is likely that Errinyis ello will also be divided into two distinct species: the population that feeds mainly on cassava, becoming a pest of this crop, and those that live in the forest, and the entire complex group of the genus Nycerx is also under analysis. Data: 26/11/21

Birdwatching requires a lot of attention and physical endurance from any birdwatcher who proposes to venture into REGUA. The hot and humid climate, characteristic of the Atlantic Forest, the winding and steep trails, added to the natural shyness of birds, makes this hobby a real challenge. Even the forest litter consisting of remains of plants and accumulation of living organic material at different stages of decomposition, can disturb this activity, because the noise treading in this material, denounces the presence of someone on the trails. One of the most difficult birds to spot is the Macuco ( Tinamus lolitarius ), a large terrestrial bird that was historically persecuted and highly prized by its meat. The Solitary tinamou is endemic of the Atlantic Forest, feeds mainly on insects and is classified as “almost threatened” by the red list of threatened IUCN species. Although hunting has significantly diminished inside REGUA land and occasionally one can listen to the call of these birds in a forest corner, even so it is still quite difficult to see it. It is probably easier to find a nest on the ground with some turquoise green eggs than the birds themselves. Adilei da Cunha in one of his forest walks reported back his enthusiasm to hear an adult vocalizing and, trying to localize and follow it, found only a chick trying to camouflage itself between the leaves. As it was well hidden, it was difficult to capture a clear image. It was a moment of joy to Adilei, as he rarely sees these birds in nature. This is a good sign that the efforts of the REGUA for the protection and conservation of forests are contributing to the increase of the population of many species of the local fauna. Data: 04/04/21

Most moths feed on flower nectar and thus act as pollinators. Others live for a few hours or days and accumulate fat in the larval stage, so that the adults barely eat, drinking only water. However, several groups of the family Erebidae (ex-Noctuidae latu sensu + Arctiidae) are frugivorous, feeding on ripe fruits that are beginning to decompose. They include the well-known and popular genus Catocala from the northern temperate region, which can be attracted by brushing fruit puree on tree bark and trunks. Some genera of the Calpinae subfamily have specialized in piercing the skin of intact fruits with their proboscis or spiritrompa, a typical mouthpart of 99% of adult Lepidoptera, which in this case has a pointed and barbed tip, allowing the moth to pierce the skin of the fruit and sip its juice, with some of them being considered pests of citrus fruit orchards. In our region, the colorful genus Eudocima occurs, with a pantropical distribution (species in all tropical regions), exemplified by the individual seen here on a fallen fruit. Finally, as a matter of ‘curiosity’, Nature went a little further and the modifications of the moth proboscis that facilitated it to pierce intact fruits, with further 'improvements' allowed the appearance of some hematophagous species in Southeast Asia capable of piercing the skin of mammals to feed on the blood of large animals, including local cattle. These are the ‘vampire’ moths of the genus Calyptra . The typical thing in this Asian genus is to feed on the tear secretion of these animals, but half a dozen species have specialized in hematophagy, just like mosquitoes. Data: 22/06/21

For our guests and visitors who love nature photography, insects and arachnids, a popular spot to visit on their REGUA tours is the ‘Onofre Cunha’ forest fragment. It is one of the largest extant lowland forest fragments in the region, roughly cut in two by the paved road that connects Funchal to Guapiaçu. Despite having suffered selective logging, hunting and some degradation by surrounding agricultural activities, many interesting, rare or hard-to-find species can still be seen with some regularity (as opposed to reforested areas that exhibit much population fluctuations) and many new records over the years have originated there. It is no surprise, then, that after 12 years of regular visits, sampling, and monitoring of butterflies in this fragment, a specimen of the rarest of South America's emperor butterflies (genus Doxocopa) suddenly appeared, showing itself in a sunny spot on the trail in the early morning for long enough to be photographed! Doxocopa laurona is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest known only from half a dozen locations scattered throughout the South and Southeast of Brazil, from sea level to about 900 m: the Rio Doce valley (states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo), Petrópolis (type locality), and forested hills in the lake region from Saquarema to Cabo Frio (RJ), Antonina (PR) and Joinville (SC). The photo above depicts an unmistakable male of Doxocopa laurona , which belongs to a group of four species where both sexes are mimetic of Adelpha (generally only the females of Doxocopa resemble Adelpha ). In this group, only the males of three of them have the typical purple-violet reflection according to the wing openinng angle. Thus, it is easy to distinguish the males of D. laurona from those of the most common and widespread species of the group – Doxocopa linda – since, like the females, the males of the latter lack this purple-violet reflection. Interestingly, this later species flies throughout continental Tropical America along with the other species in the group whose males have the reflex, while these reflexive species have mutually exclusive geographic distributions, with no overlap in their respective flight areas. Given that the violet reflex of males is a secondary sexual characteristic that probably guides the respective females in the selection of the appropriate conspecific male, it helps avoiding hybridization between distinct species in nature. This would explain why D. linda is the only species that flies together with all the purplish ones, given that its males unmistakable lack that reflex, thus sharing territory locally with D. laurona over South and Southeast of Brazil. On the same day, a female from this group was spotted during monitoring on the same trail, originally identified as D. linda . However, as it turned out, it could either be that one or a female of D. laurona (previously unknown in the area), because all females are devoid of violet reflection and very similar to each other. Date: 11/04/22