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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey May 23, 2013


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Five volunteers participated in this week's survey under warm and heavily overcast conditions. Because solitary wasps, unlike those of social species, cannot continually provide fresh food as their babies grow, they must instead provision each nest when they create it. The Great Golden Digger Wasp shown below is dragging a katydid that she has paralyzed into a hole she has just excavated. She will never return to the nest, but when her egg hatches, the wasp larva will dine on the immobilized insect.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Eleodes goryi (darkling beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Flohria subcoerulea (rove beetle)
photo by Harriett Wolf


Haplorhynchites sp. (flower weevil)
photo by Val Bugh


Ataxia hubbardi (long-horned beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Strangalia virilis (flower longhorn)
photo by Val Bugh


Lucilia sp. (blow fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Boopedon gracile (graceful range grasshopper nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Sphex ichneumoneus (great golden digger wasp
dragging paralyzed shieldback nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Ceresa sp. & Neokolla dolobrata (treehopper & leafhopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Cuerna costalis (leafhopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Xerophloea minor (leafhopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Dictyonissus griphus (issid planthopper nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (geometrid moth larva, or inchworm)
photo by Val Bugh


Hyalophora cecropia (Cecropia moth larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Lipocosma polingi (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Cudonigera houstonana (juniper budworm moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Capperia raptor (plume moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Papilio cresphontes (giant swallowtail)
photo by Val Bugh


Danaus gilippus (queen)
photo by Val Bugh


Phidippus audax (bold jumper)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
    Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
    Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
    Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
    Hummingbird (Archilochus sp.)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
    Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

  • Mammals:
    Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye (adult & larva)
        Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
        Euptoieta claudia  Variegated Fritillary
        Vanessa virginiensis  American Lady
        Vanessa atalanta  Red Admiral
      pieridae  Nathalis iole  Dainty Sulphur
        Eurema lisa  Little Yellow
        Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange
        Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
      lycaenidae  Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
        Satyrium favonius  Oak Hairstreak
        Atlides halesus  Great Purple Hairstreak
      papilionidae  Papilio polyxenes  Black Swallowtail
        Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
      hesperiidae  Pyrgus communis/albescens  Common/White Checkered-skipper
        Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
        Euphyes vestris  Dun Skipper
      noctuidae  Ponometia candefacta  Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia fasciatella  Moth
        Tarache quadriplaga  Bird Dropping Moth
        Plusiodonta compressipalpis  Moonseed Moth
        Catabena lineolata  Fine-lined Sallow
      arctiidae  Estigmene acrea  Saltmarsh Moth (larva)
        Virbia sp.  Moth
        Hypercompe scribonia  Great Leopard Moth (larva)
      saturniidae  Hyalophora cecropia  Cecropia Moth (larva)
      geometridae  Cyclophora nanaria  Dwarf Tawny Wave
        Lobocleta ossularia  Drab Brown Wave
        Eubaphe unicolor  Moth
        Pimaphera percata  Moth
        Eupithecia miserulata  Common Pug (larva)
        Nemoria zygotaria  Emerald
        Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria  Blackberry Looper (adult & larva)
        Unknown sp.  Inchworm (larva)
        Glena quinquelinearia  Five-lined Glena
        Rindgea cyda  Moth
      crambidae  Lipocosma polingi  Moth
        Diastictis fracturalis  Moth
        Mimoschinia rufofascialis  Moth
        Glaphyria sequistrialis  White-roped Glaphyria
      pyralidae  Homoeosoma electella  Sunflower Moth
        Galasa nigrinodis  Boxwood Leaftier Moth
        Ephestiodes sp.  Moth
      tortricidae  Aethes seriatana  Serieated Aethes Moth
        Cudonigera houstonana  Juniper Budworm Moth
      pterophoridae  Capperia raptor  Plume Moth
        Unknown sp.  Plume Moth
      gelechiidae  Polyhymno luteostrigella  Moth
        Dichomeris costarufoella  Moth
        Isophrictis similiella  Moth
      lacturidae  Lactura sp.  Moth
      glyphidoceridae  Glyphidocera lactiflosella  Five-spotted Glyphidocera
      acrolophidae  Acrolophus texanella  Tubeworm Moth

    coleoptera  coccinellidae  Hippodamia convergens  Convergent Ladybird
        Harmonia axyridis  Multi-colored Asian Ladybird
        Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Ladybird
        Olla v-nigrum  Ashy Gray Ladybird
        Scymnus sp.  Ladybird Beetle (larva)
      chrysomelidae  Diabrotica undecimpunctata  Spotted Cucumber Beetle
        Colaspis sp.  Leaf Beetle
        Asphaera lustrans  Flea Beetle
      cerambycidae  Ataxia hubbardi  Long-horned Beetle
        Strangalia virilis  Flower Longhorn
      elateridae  Unknown sp.  Click Beetle
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
        Eleodes fusiformis  Darkling Beetle
      buprestidae  Acmaeodera ornatoides  Metallic Woodborer
      cleridae  Cymatodera sp.  Checkered Beetle
      staphylinidae  Flohria subcoerulea  Rove Beetle
      hybosoridae  Hybosorus illigeri  Scavenger Scarab
      attelabidae  Haplorhynchites sp.  Flower Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Leptoglossus phyllopus  Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
        Leptoglossus sp.  Leaf-footed Bug (nymph)
        Hypselonotus punctiventris  Coreid Bug
        Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug (adult & nymph)
      rhyparochromidae  Ozophora picturata  Seed Bug
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug
      miridae  Prepops sp.  Plant Bug
        Poecilocapsus lineatus  Four-lined Plant Bug
        Calocoris barberi  Plant Bug (nymph)
      gerridae  Unknown sp.  Water Strider (adult & nymph)
      reduviidae  Zelus renardii  Assassin Bug (adult & nymph)
        Sinea sp.  Spined Assassin Bug
      pentatomidae  Chinavia hilare  Green Stink Bug
        Euschistus sp.  Stink Bug (nymph)
        Euschistus servus  Brown Stink Bug
        Chlorochroa ligata  Conchuela (nymph)

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Neokolla dolobrata  Leafhopper
        Cuerna costalis  Leafhopper
        Homalodisca sp.  Sharpshooter (nymph)
        Homalodisca vitripennis  Glassy-winged Sharpshooter
        Ollarianus strictus  Leafhopper
        Xerophloea minor  Leafhopper
      membracidae  Ceresa sp.  Treehopper
      issidae  Dictyonissus griphus  Planthopper (nymph)

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Centris atripes  Digger Bee
        Xylocopa parkinsoniae  Large Carpenter Bee
        Xylocopa virginica  Eastern Carpenter Bee
      halictidae  Agapostemon sp.  Green Sweat Bee
        Lasioglossum sp.  Sweat Bee
      andrenidae  Protandrena sp.  Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Polistes metricus  Paper Wasp
        Vespula squamosa  Southern Yellowjacket (queen)
      sphecidae  Sphex ichneumoneus  Great Golden Digger Wasp
      chrysididae  Unknown sp.  Cuckoo Wasp
      braconidae  Unknown sp.  Braconid Wasp

    diptera  syrphidae  Allograpta obliqua  Flower Fly
      dolichopodidae  Condylostylus sp.  Long-legged Fly
      calliphoridae  Lucilia sp.  Blow Fly

    odonata  coenagrionidae  Ischnura ramburii  Rambur's Forktail
      libellulidae  Libellula croceipennis  Neon Skimmer
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus ponderosus  Ponderous Grasshopper (nymph)
        Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing
        Chortophaga viridifasciata  Northern Green-striped Grasshopper (nymph)
        Mermiria sp.  Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)
        Boopedon gracile  Graceful Range Grasshopper (nymph)
      tetrigidae  Paratettix mexicanus  Pygmy Grasshopper
      tettigoniidae  Scudderia furcata  Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)
        Dichopetala catinata  Spoon-tailed Short-winged Katydid (nymph)
        Conocephalus strictus  Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid (nymph)
        Pediodectes nigromarginatus  Black-margined Shieldback (nymph)
      gryllidae  Unknown sp.  Ground Cricket

    neuroptera  ascalaphidae  Ululodes macleayanus  Owlfly

    araneae  thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider
      oxyopidae  Peucetia viridans  Green Lynx
      salticidae  Phidippus carolinensis  Carolina Jumper
        Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper
      araneidae  Metepeira sp.  Orbweaver

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