Orchids on Komodo Island

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Over 30 species of orchids occur on Komodo island, though most occur in the mountainous regions. Vanda cf. limbata thrive year-round, and in certain spots in the lowland forest they seemed fairly abundant. They are mostly epiphytic and in contrast to some other members of the genus, V. limbata doesn’t have elongated nectar spurs, so perhaps bees, wasps, and flies play a larger role as pollinators than hawkmoths in this species.

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A dark striated hawk moth (Hippotion velox) from Komodo island; photographed in situ [1]

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