FLORA AND FAUNA OF MISSIONS (ARGENTINA): REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES - BIOLOGY - 2024

The flora and fauna of Misiones (Argentina) is characterized by species such as the guatambú, the rosewood, the tapir or the red carayá. Misiones is one of the 23 provinces that exist in Argentina. Geographically it is located in the Metropolitan area, in the northeast of the country.

This region, the second smallest in the country, is a geographical continuity of the Paraná plateau, located in Brazil. Therefore, in the middle of the subtropical forests, there could be elevations of 200 to 800 meters.

Yaguarete. Source: Charles J Sharp Ceibo Source: Frank Vincentz

The province has the Iguazú National Park, where the Iguazú Falls are located. These were designated by UNESCO, in 1984, as World Heritage of humanity.

The Misiones jungle could host more than 2000 species of plants and numerous animals. Thus, within the animal diversity you can find the waterfall swifts, the toucan and the jaguar.

Flora of Misiones

Guatambú (

This tree, which belongs to the Rutaceae family, is found in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. It usually has a growth of 1.6 meters per year, due to which it can reach up to 18 meters in height.

The guatambú has a straight trunk, with an approximate diameter of 0.75 meters. The crown is globose and is made up of trifoliate leaves in green tones.

It is a tree that grows in subtropical climates. In the high forest, this species has a high density per hectare, despite being poorly tolerant to drought.

The wood obtained from this tree has a yellowish-white color, being widely used in the lumber industry. It is used, for example, in the manufacture of parquet flooring, furniture and the manufacture of skateboards.

Rosewood (Aspidosperma polyneuron)

Palo rosa, also popularly called peroba rosa, is a tree native to Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. In 1986, the rosewood was declared a natural monument in the Argentine province of Misiones.

It is an emergent tree that grows approximately 40 meters tall. The crown dominates the rest of the trees that surround it, thus forming extensive and dense stands. Flowering occurs from September to November, while fruiting takes place during the months of October to November.

The wood of Aspidosperma polyneuron is dark pink, weighing 0.7 g / cm3. Due to its high resistance and strength, it is used in carpentry, in the manufacture of furniture and in construction. It is also widely used in beekeeping, as a honey species.

Curupáy (

This tree, native to South America, grows rapidly from 1 to 1.5 meters a year. Due to this it could reach a maximum height of 30 meters. Its bark is dark gray, with numerous spines. In relation to the leaves, they have the peculiarity that they bend at night. The flowering of this species occurs from September to December.

Curupay is distributed in Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay and Chile. It grows on rocky hills near rivers, where the soil is well drained.

The wood is used to build doors, beams, floors, and window frames. On farms it is usually used to build fences, because they are not attacked by termites.

Ceibo (

This South American species belongs to the Faboideae subfamily, being found distributed to the center-east and northeast of Argentina, in Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. The ceibo tree and flower are national natural symbols of Uruguay and Argentina.

The ceibo or bucaré is a tree that has a height between 5 and 10 meters, although it could reach 20 meters. It has a taproot, with various nodes. These are due to the presence of nitrifying bacteria that live in symbiosis in the roots, where they fix the absorbed nitrogen.

The stem is irregular, tortuous and woody, with thorny branches that dry up after flowering. The flowers are red and appear in the form of clustered inflorescences. These are complete, pentameric, and bilaterally symmetrical.

Misiones fauna

Carayá red (

This monkey has a robust body, the male being larger and stronger than the female. The coat is rough and long, with a particular coloration, which distinguishes the species. Thus, it could vary from brown to reddish-orange, highlighting certain shades of gold in the dorsal region.

He has a bulging beard, in a dark brown or reddish hue. In the male it is more noticeable than in the female, due to the fact that the lower jaw and the hyoid bone have more developed. These characteristics allow the red carayá to emit very loud sounds, due to which it is also known as a howler monkey.

It is an arboreal animal, thus inhabiting the treetops of forests, jungles and humid savannas. On the other hand, it feeds on shoots, leaves and fruits.

South American tapir (

The tapir is a placental mammal that has a large, robust body. This species could weigh between 225 and 300 kilograms and have a length, without the tail, of 180 to 220 centimeters. The tail could measure between 5 and 10 centimeters.

At the dorsal level and at the sides it has a blackish brown fur. On the contrary, on the chest, the extremities and on the belly they have a dark brown color.

The eyes of the Terrestrial Tapirus are small and sunken. This characteristic is beneficial for the animal, because the eyes are less exposed to friction with the branches, with which they could impact while running through the undergrowth.

The head is short, with the upper lip developed. This, when joining with the nose, forms a small tube. This structure is prehensile, flexible and covered with sensory vibrissae. With its trunk, the tapir can reach the shoots and leaves to feed on them.

Yaguareté (

The yaguareté or yaguar is a feline belonging to the Panthera genus. It is characterized by being a muscular and robust animal, with a weight that could vary between 56 and 96 kilograms.

Its length can be between 162 and 183 centimeters, to which is added about 75 centimeters from the tail. However, the female could be up to 20% smaller than the male.

This carnivorous mammal is light yellow to reddish brown in color, with rose-shaped spots. These, on the neck and on the head, are solid. However, on the tail they can join to form a strip. On the other hand, the ventral area, the inside of the legs and the neck are white.

It is a fierce predator, having a powerful jaw. Thus, with his bite, he could pierce the shell of a turtle. Apart from this, the strong and short structure of its limbs makes the jaguar into a skilled climber and swimmer.

This feline is capable of capturing prey that exceed it in weight and size, being able to drag its body up to 8 meters.

Yarara (

This poisonous snake belongs to the Crotalinae subfamily, being endemic to Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. It also lives in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a thick and large reptile, with a length that could exceed two meters. However, females tend to be longer and heavier than males.

On both sides of the head, in the middle of the eye and the muzzle, it has a deep depression in the lorum, known as the loreal pit. Regarding its function, this thermoreceptor cavity serves to detect those animals that produce infrared electromagnetic radiation.

Specialists have shown that, although this snake is deprived of its sight and smell, it could attack any animal with high precision, if it is at least 0.2 ° C warmer than the ambient temperature.

The Bothrops alternatus attacks only when threatened. Their bites are rarely fatal, but frequently cause severe damage to body tissues.

References

1. Wikipedia (2019). Misiones province. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.
2. Encyclopedia britannica (2019). Misiones, Province, Argentina. Recovered from britannica.com.
3. Fontana, José. (2014). Northeastern Argentine rheophile vegetation. Plant communities with Podostemaceae of the Misiones Province. Bulletin of the Argentine Botanic Society. ResearchGate. Recovered from researchgate.net.
4. Velazco, Santiago, Keller, Héctor, Galvão, Franklin. (2018). Small but important: The woody vegetation communities on the sandstone outcrops of Teyú Cuaré (Misiones, Argentina). Bulletin of the Argentine Botanic Society. ResearchGate. Recovered from researchgate.net.
5. Diego Eduardo Gutiérrez Gregoric, Verónica Núñez, Roberto Eugenio Vogler,
6. Ariel Aníbal Beltramino, Alejandra Rumi (2013). Terrestrial gastropods from the province of Misiones, Argentina. CONICET digital. Recovered from ri.conicet.gov.ar.
7. Ministry of Tourism, Misiones, Province. (2019) Flora and fauna of Misiones. Recovered from missions.tur.ar.