Sendero la Laguna. Gamboa, Colón, Panamá.
Thanks to Bernhard Jacobi on flickr for the species id!
These Trigona bees chewed the tops off the Justicia flowers apparently to get at the pollen. McDade & Kinsman 1980 describe similar behavior of Trigona bees on Aphelandra:
"Trigona bees often removed both pollen and nectar in one extended visit. Bees typically settled on the upper corolla lip and chewed through the folded corolla lobes to collect pollen from the concealed anthers, then flew to the base of the flower and chewed holes through the corolla tube to extract nectar. Since the stigma is exserted several mm beyond the anthers, the bees are unlikely to contact the stigma in a pollen-gathering bout and are thus not pollinating. In fact, while in the process of gathering pollen, bees frequently chewed through or severely damaged the style at the level of the anthers, resulting in no chance of seed set from such flowers."
McDade, L.A. and Kinsman, S. 1980. The Impact of Floral Parasitism in Two Neotropical Hummingbird-Pollinated Plant Species. Evolution 34(5):944-958.
Telebasis sp. Ammo Dump Ponds. Gamboa, Colón, Panamá
Video of Phaethornis longirostris feeding on Aphelandra sinclairiana. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012. Thanks to Andres Hernandez S. for the Aphelandra id!
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 22 January 2012.
Micropezidae. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 20 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Odontomachus sp. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 22 January 2012. Check out the trigger hairs at the edge of the mandibles. Also see Quick bites and quirky adaptations.
Alouatta palliata. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 20 January 2012.
Niphidium crassifolium. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Dalechampia dioscoreifolia. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012. Thanks to Andres Hernandez S. for the id!
Trogon massena. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 21 January 2012.
Erythrodiplax fusca. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 21 January 2012.
Eurybia elvina. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Adelpha iphiclus. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Pseudophyllodromia. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Erythemis attala. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Notharchus hyperrhynchus. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 21 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 22 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 22 January 2012.
Hylophylax naevioides. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 21 January 2012.
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Mucuna mutisiana. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.
Hylophylax naevioides. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 21 January 2012.
Cecropia longipes. Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012. Thanks to Andres Hernandez S. for the id!
Along Pipeline Road, Soberania National Park, Panama. 23 January 2012.