Jacaratia costaricensis and Socratea spp.. The submontane rainforest above 800m at this site had a similar composition. The palm is not especially common in most types of moderately drained rainforest on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, but it is a frequently seen species on the Atlantic side. In Nicaragua this type of rainforest commonly occurs in valleys and lower elevations in hilly terrain, and vegetation largely mixes with that of more well-drained soils on the hills. This type of woodland has a complex species composition, a few dozen tree species are recorded as frequent here and there are also many bushes and epiphytes. In Nicaragua it is one of the seven most common palms in this habitat. Animal associations In Nicaragua it flowers throughout the year, but it fruits in October to May, although fruit and seeds appear to fall to ground and be available year-round in Costa Rica. The scarab beetle Cyclocephala amazona was found to visit the flowers in Panama, among a number of other palms and other plants. In Costa Rica C. stictica and Mimeoma acuta visit the flower of this palm and certain other plants, in the case of M. acuta only other palms. The palm hosts two planthopper species from the new genus Agoo in Costa Rica, A. dahliana and A. luzdenia. As nymphs, these insects (probably) only feed on the fungi growing on the dead fronds which hang from the base of the crown of this palm. The caterpillars of the small cryptic moth Dunama jessiehillae has been recorded feeding on the leaves of this palm. They feed exclusively on palms, but of 506 food plant records, only five are from A. alatum (almost two thirds are from Chamaedorea tepejilote, the rest from another twelve species). D. jessiehillae is restricted in distribution to mid-elevation rainforests on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A. alatum has very large seeds, and it may occur at higher elevations, so something large must be helping it get uphill. Like a number of other Astrocaryum investigated, it appears to be almost completely dependent on a single species, an agouti (Dasyprocta punctata), for most of the seed dispersal. This is a large rodent weighing 2–4 kg. The agouti collects the fruits, cleans them of their pulp to stop that from attracting other animals, and caches the seeds, burying them in the soil usually near an object such as a