FROG BLOG MANCHESTER

I thought you may be interested to hear about a most unusual spider I’ve encountered whilst here in Corfu. It belongs to the spider Genus Eresus, and its extremely colourful – it has similar patterning to that of a ladybird, from which it takes its common name. The male spider I photographed today never stopped moving for a second – I think he has the female of the species on his mind!

Ladybird Spider (c) Andrew Gray (click on image to see in more detail)

These spiders are very rare to come across, and even in the UK they are probably one of the rarest spiders of all. They prefer living on south-facing hillside slopes, such as the one behind where I am staying. Females construct a silk-lined burrow then wait for the males to approach. At this time of year, the males, like the one pictured, are actively searching for females, which are velvety black and much larger. Unfortunately for this particular male, when he  finds a female and mates with her it will be the last thing he ever does – as with many spiders, the female, who in this instance will see his red coloration, then kills the male on the spot.

One thing I did notice when photographing this spider was that he seemed very aware of everything around him – he had excellent eyesight and seemed to be thinking of where to go before doing so. His behaviour and intelligence enthralled me. When feeling threatened he also dipped his head and raised his bright body up as a defence strategy, similar behaviour to that of some frogs I’ve seen. These spiders, which eat beetles and millipedes, appear to have pretty decent sized jaws (something I only saw in scary detail when photographing the male after filming the video below!) Anyhow, he didn’t bite me, and I very much hope he finds his female – and that she then turns out to be colourblind!

Martin Nicolas shows me some slightly larger spiders 

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On the very last night of my previous visit to Corfu, I was told an almost fairytale-like story about a special flower that is said to exist here: the tale tells of a very rare white wild rose which was found on the island, and of which only very few people know anything about. It was a sacred rose that only existed as one or two plants, it only flowered for a very short time, and it had the most beautifully scented flowers you could ever imagine …

Today, rather than a reptile hunt, my quest was to look for it.

I set off early, and headed north on foot towards the bay of Agni, where the tale arose (forgive the pun!) The sun was up to meet me, and so were the beautiful goldfinches, which appear to be even more abundant here than the sparrows. The rocky coastline, where tall Cypress trees meet turquoise waters, just increases in beauty as you near Agni – it’s stunning. To make my hike even more of a pleasure, many fast-moving reptiles slithered ahead of me as the heat from the midday sun started to bake my path.

The path twisted through scented olive and lemon groves until I finally reached Agni, where the sweet smell of Jasmine hit me as I entered the small bay. Time for a break, and lunch at Toulas, my favourite restaurant, before continuing my quest. But not before being told a secret…

The Wild Rose, Corfu (c) Andrew Gray

Armed with new knowledge, I finally found the Rose today – stood, in all its majesty, over ten feet tall, like some mythological golden fleece, its flowers basking in the sunshine.

It was beautiful, and its fragrance was like a kiss to the senses.

Herbology Manchester 

Plant Sciences

Toulas       

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Whilst in Corfu I will be checking my footwear a little more closely from now on!

What was it that ran up my arm!

Leftfield

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This morning I woke to the sound of what I thought was a gardner strimming the grass outside the room where I am staying in Corfu. The noise was loud and incessant, ceaseless and unforgiving. Waking more fully, I realized the noise was coming from inside the room. I turned back the curtains to the patio to  find a huge and formidable looking hornet was up against the glass. At approx 35mm, it was the largest I have ever seen! Only yesterday I was discussing such insects with the manager of this superb hotel, which is situated at the very foot of Pantokrator mountain.

The hillsides here are carpeted in colourful wild flowers at the moment, and yesterday I spent all day hiking through them with the overwhelming scent of the flowers and wild herbs in my nostrils. I saw 3 beautiful giant legless lizards, but talking of insects, there are so many incredible species to be seen here it would be a real entomologists paradise: All the species are out enjoying the sunshine, breeding, and egg laying at this time of year – it really is a spectacle to behold!

Awakened to the fascinating world of insects, here are just a few photos taken yesterday, with more to be added soon!

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Entomology Manchester       Previous posts from Corfu        Pantokrator Hotel

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As you may already be aware from previous posts, to mark the 50^th anniversary of its original opening, we are embarking upon a major programme of improvements to the Vivarium. This will involve undertaking a comprehensive redisplay of the gallery this summer, and through the creation of new, world-class displays, we aim to offer unprecedented levels of public access to the animals.

The creation of a new viewing section straight through to the back of house area, so that visitors can, for the first time, see for themselves the active conservation work taking place with our rare leaf frog collection behind the scenes will be one new feature.

The infrastructure of the Vivarium and its back of house conservation area means that the animals will continue to be kept to the highest standards. However, the gallery displays were last renovated in 2000 and, as one of the Museum’s most heavily used areas, now show extensive signs of wear and tear and are in need of updating. This need for renovation has also provided us with a perfect opportunity to reinterpret the displays, creating new themes and harnessing new knowledge and technologies that will significantly enhance the visitor experience.

At the heart of one new theme covered will be two adjacent exhibits, which will contrast the abundant biodiversity of a Central American rainforest in one, against the other showing the graduated but stark effect of a totally deforested habitat.

A range of fundamental and contemporary issues will be addressed through the comprehensive reinterpretation of the gallery. Retaining what is most effective in the existing Vivarium, coupled with a host of visually-stunning new treatments, displays will be arranged around a number of new central themes: Human impact on the Natural World (Rainforest biodiversity and deforestation), Local and Global Reptiles and Amphibians, How humans help these animals, and How these animals help humans.

Through the Vivarium redisplay, our aim is to create a truly memorable experience for our visitors; one which inspires new generations of enthusiasts with a love for amphibians and reptiles and a commitment to their conservation and habitat protection.

We close on the 21^st July, and re-open with stunning effect on 26^th October, 2013.

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The past week or so has probably been the busiest period of teaching for me ever. I have been running practical teaching sessions in the museum for our zoology, biology, plant science and environmental science students, as well as teaching children of all ages from a large number of local schools.

Last week was particularly full on, as it was National Science Week and I also took animals out to schools in Cheshire and Lancashire, including Elton High School in Bury and Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford (pictured above). It was such a pleasure for me to deliver the sessions and I would very much like to thank Dave Thompson and Andy Sinnott for organising these two sessions in particular. Following my visit to Manor Park nursery, the older pupils from the school came to the museum for a special visit and animal session, which the children really seemed to enjoy.

Photo kind courtesy of Alex Gabb

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to contribute to the many superb activities being organised by Emma Lewis and my university colleagues from our Widening Participation Department for National Science and Engineering week 2013, after I was invited to present a special guest lecture.  All in all we had a total of 857 young people visit as part of the initiative!

The last lesson I ran at the museum was on Friday, where I taught our undergraduate students whilst also using the live animal’s from our collection. Being able to incorporate the use of the live specimens really brings these sessions to life and this particular lesson focuses on adaptation in reptiles and amphibians, as well as how to develop and use dichotomous keys.

I would like to say a very big thanks to all the colleagues and demonstrators who helped me deliver the sessions, you were all stars! I very much hope that the session was useful and enjoyed by the many students who attended and would be very grateful for any feedback from the students I have taught over the past couple of weeks so as to further improve what is being offered. Below are some photos taken during the sessions which I thought you might like to see, and please follow this link if you would like to see more photos from the past 4 year’s Undergraduate Teaching.

Although the many activities and sessions over the past few weeks have kept me extremely busy, I feel so lucky to be able to share my subject and interest with others. Seeing the eyes of children light up when they hear about and see such wonderful creatures is a treasure to behold – and what a wonderful reward that is for me. Thank you to all who have made it possible for me to have such opportunities, I really appreciate it.

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Pseudophilautus stellatus. Photo by L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe

In 1853, a single specimen of an unusual tree frog was first discovered by Dr Edward Kelaarton on the Island of Sri Lanka – the bright green specimen was about 5.5 cm long and its skin had a covering of  black outlined speckles on its back. The spotting provided Dr Edward with a name for his new frog  - a ‘Starry frog’, but the frog was a one off, and no-one has seen or heard of it since (even the specimen went missing!)

…That was until a recent expedition into the remote Peak Wilderness area of Sri Lanka came across a most stunning speckled frog – and the rediscovery of  Kelaart’s starry shrub frog, Pseudophilautus stellatus, was made. L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, the lead author of the paper announcing the discovery, mentions that between himself and the other scientists involved only 78 specimens were found during their surveys. The paper also highlights that one of the worst threats to the newly rediscovered frogs is the fact that the surrounding forest is now struggling to regenerate and grow properly,  a phenomenon possibly caused by pollution and/or climate change, and something never documented in this particular region before.

L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe et al.: Lost and found: One of the world’s most elusive amphibians, Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart 1853) rediscovered In: Zootaxa 3620 (1): 112–128 (March, 2013)

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