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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 15, 2015


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

The weather was hot and sunny as six volunteers participated in this week's survey. Wolf spiders carry their egg sacs under their abdomens as they hunt (see image below). To withstand this rough treatment, the silk case is extremely sturdy. It is so tough, in fact, that the mother must puncture it so the hatchlings can escape.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Manduca rustica (rustic sphinx larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm)
photo by Val Bugh


Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Rindgea cyda (mesquite looper moth)
photo by Dan Zinn


Embola ionis (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary with damaged wings)
photo by Val Bugh


Panoquina ocola (ocola skipper)
photo by Val Bugh


Atalopedes campestris (sachem)
photo by Val Bugh


Melissodes sp. (digger bee male sleeping)
photo by Val Bugh


Eristalis transversa (transverse flower fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Odontoloxozus longicornis (cactus fly)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Oncopeltus fasciatus (large milkweed bug nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Banasa euchlora (stink bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Eritettix abortivus (Texas short-winged slant-faced grasshopper nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Chloroplus cactocaetes (Texas cholla grasshopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Syrbula admirabilis (handsome grasshopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Xysticus sp. (mating crab spiders; female eating beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Rabidosa rabida (rabid wolf spider with egg sac)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (wolf spider)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
    Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
    Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
    Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), flying pair
    Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), tail feather
    Hummingbird (Archilochus sp.)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)

  • Reptiles & Amphibians:
    Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)
    Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
    Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus)
    Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri)

  • Misc.:
    Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Danaus plexippus  Monarch (adult & larva)
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
        Vanessa atalanta  Red Admiral
        Mestra amymone  Common Mestra
      pieridae  Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
        Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange
        Eurema lisa  Little Yellow
        Nathalis iole  Dainty Sulphur
      papilionidae  Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
        Battus philenor  Pipevine Swallowtail (adult & larva)
      lycaenidae  Strymon melinus  Gray Hairstreak
        Everes comyntas  Eastern Tailed Blue
      hesperiidae  Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
        Chioides albofasciatus  White-striped Longtail
        Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
        Lerodea eufala  Eufala Skipper
        Atalopedes campestris  Sachem
        Euphyes vestris  Dun Skipper
        Wallengrenia otho  Southern Broken-dash
        Panoquina ocola  Ocola Skipper
      noctuidae  Tripudia quadrifera  Moth
        Cobubatha lixiva  Moth
        Tarache aprica  Exposed Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Micrathetis triplex  Moth
        Lacinipolia erecta  Moth
        Spodoptera frugiperda  Fall Armyworm Moth
        Heliothis virescens  Tobacco Budworm (larva)
        Unknown sp.  Moth (larva)
        Schinia chrysellus  Broomweed Flower Moth
        Helicoverpa zea  Corn Earworm Moth
      erebidae  Hypena scabra  Green Cloverworm Moth
        Hypena minualis  Moth
        Goniapteryx servia  Moth
      sphingidae  Manduca rustica  Rustic Sphinx (larva)
      geometridae  Glenoides texanaria  Texas Gray Moth
        Iridopsis defectaria  Brown-shaded Gray Moth
        Tornos scolopacinaria  Dimorphic Gray
        Rindgea disparcata  Moth
        Rindgea cyda  Mesquite Looper Moth
        Digrammia pallidata  Moth
        Pleuroprucha insulsaria  Common Tan Wave
        Eupithecia miserulata  Common Eupithecia
      crambidae  Urola nivalis  Snowy Urola
        Diastictis fracturalis  Moth
        Udea rubigalis  Celery Leaftier Moth
        Glaphyria sequistrialis  White-roped Glaphyria
        Spoladea recurvalis  Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth
        Oenobotys texanalis  Moth
        Euchromius ocelleus  Grass-veneer Moth
      pyralidae  Homoeosoma electella  Sunflower Moth
        Ephestiodes sp.  Moth
        Unknown sp.  Moth
        Alberada parabates  Cactus Borer Moth
      tortricidae  Crocidosema plebejana  Cotton Tipworm Moth
        Platynota flavedana  Black-shaded Platynota Moth
        Cochylis sp.  Moth
      carposinidae  Carposina sasakii  Peach Fruitworm Moth
      oecophoridae  Antaeotricha humilis  Moth
      coleophoridae  Blastobasis glandulella  Acorn Moth
        Coleophora sp.  Moth
      glyphipterigidae  Glyphipterix circumscriptella  Sedge Moth
      gelechiidae  Battaristis concinusella  Moth
        Stegasta bosqueella  Red-necked Peanutworm Moth
        Aristotelia sp.  Moth
        Isophrictis similiella  Moth
        Chionodes phalacra  Moth
      tineidae  Stenoptinea auriferella  Fungus Moth
      xyloryctidae  Scythris trivinctella  Moth
      heliodinidae  Embola ionis  Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Diabrotica undecimpunctata  Spotted Cucumber Beetle
        Mimosestes amicus  Seed Beetle
      coccinellidae  Cycloneda sanguinea  Red Lady Beetle
        Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
      carabidae  Unknown sp.  Ground Beetle
      curculionidae  Curculio sp.  Nut Weevil
        Conotrachelus naso  Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
      alydidae  Hyalymenus tarsatus  Texas Bow-legged Bug
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug (nymph)
      miridae  Hesperolabops gelastops  Cactus Plant Bug
        Phytocoris sp.  Plant Bug
        Neurocolpus sp.  Plant Bug
        Dichrooscytus sp.  Plant Bug
      pentatomidae  Thyanta custator  Stink Bug
        Banasa euchlora  Stink Bug
        Oebalus pugnax  Rice Stink Bug

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Menosoma cincta  Leafhopper
      delphacidae  Stenocranus sp.  Planthopper

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
        Melissodes sp.  Digger Bee
        Xylocopa virginica  Eastern Carpenter Bee
      megachilidae  Megachile sp.  Leaf-cutter Bee
      vespidae  Polistes carolina  Red Wasp
        Vespula squamosa  Southern Yellowjacket
        Eumenes fraternus  Potter Wasp
      formicidae  Camponotus festinatus  Carpenter Ant
      ichneumonidae  Enicospilus sp.  Ichneumon

    diptera  syrphidae  Ocyptamus fascipennis  Flower Fly
        Toxomerus marginatus  Flower Fly
        Eupeodes americanus  Flower Fly
        Eristalis transversa  Transverse Flower Fly
      tephritidae  Rhagoletis sp.  Fruit Fly
      calliphoridae  Lucilia sp.  Blow Fly
      neriidae  Odontoloxozus longicornis  Cactus Fly
      tachinidae  Crocinosoma cornuale  Tachinid Fly

    odonata  libellulidae  Sympetrum corruptum  Variegated Meadowhawk
      coenagrionidae  Enallagma civile  Familiar Bluet

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus femurrubrum  Red-legged Grasshopper
        Melanoplus differentialis  Differential Grasshopper
        Chloroplus cactocaetes  Texas Cholla Grasshopper
        Syrbula admirabilis  Handsome Grasshopper
        Eritettix abortivus  Texas Short-winged Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)
      tettigoniidae  Conocephalus strictus  Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid (nymph)
      gryllidae  Gryllus sp.  Field Cricket

    mantodea  mantidae  Stagmomantis carolina  Carolina Mantis

    neuroptera  chrysopidae  Chrysoperla sp.  Green Lacewing
        Unknown sp.  Green Lacewing (larva)

    trichoptera  philopotamidae  Chimarra sp.  Black Caddisfly

    araneae  salticidae  Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper
        Habronattus texanus  Jumping Spider
      thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider
        Xysticus sp.  Crab Spider
      oxyopidae  Peucetia viridans  Green Lynx
      lycosidae  Rabidosa rabida  Rabid Wolf Spider (adult & eggs)
        Unknown sp.  Wolf Spider

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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 15, 2015