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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey July 7, 2016


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Six volunteers sweated through this week's survey under hot and mostly sunny conditions. When an adult butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, it is actually molting. Once it flies off, it leaves behind the old pupa skin, which is called an exuviae. That of a Cloudless Sulphur is shown below; it was not far from the caterpillar host plant, Partridge-pea.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Sciurus niger (eastern fox squirrel)
photo by Dan Zinn


Passerina ciris (painted bunting)
photo by Harriett Wolf


Anolis carolinensis (green anole)
photo by Val Bugh


Maevia poultoni (jumping spider)
photo by Val Bugh


Desmia sp. (moth larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Plusiodonta compressipalpis (moonseed moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Eubaphe unicolor (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Isophrictis similiella (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Phoebis sennae (cloudless sulphur exuviae)
photo by Val Bugh


Mestra amymone (common mestra)
photo by Harriett Wolf


Danaus gilippus (queen larva, less than 4 mm long!)
photo by Val Bugh


Delphinia picta (picture-winged fly eating scat)
photo by Val Bugh


Dythemis velox (swift setwing)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Crematogaster laeviuscula & Entylia carinata
(acrobat ants & treehopper nymphs)
photo by Val Bugh


Solenopsis sp. & Vanduzea sp. (fire ants & treehopper nymphs)
photo by Val Bugh


Cosmopepla lintneriana (stink bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Chariesterus antennator (euphorbia bug nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Chariesterus antennator (euphorbia bugs mating)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
    Purple Martin (Progne subis)
    Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
    Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

  • Mammals:
    Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)
    Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

  • Reptiles:
    Texas Spotted Whiptail (Cnemidophorus gularis gularis)
    Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

  • Misc.:
    Harvestman (Leiobunum sp.)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Danaus gilippus  Queen (adult & larva)
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
        Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye
        Mestra amymone  Common Mestra
      pieridae  Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange
        Eurema lisa  Little Yellow
        Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur (adult & exuviae)
      papilionidae  Battus philenor  Pipevine Swallowtail
      lycaenidae  Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
        Strymon melinus  Gray Hairstreak
        Calycopis isobeon  Dusky-blue Groundstreak
      hesperiidae  Euphyes vestris  Dun Skipper
        Lerodea eufala  Eufala Skipper
        Lerema accius  Clouded Skipper
        Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
        Erynnis funeralis  Funereal Duskywing
        Pyrgus philetas  Desert Checkered-skipper
      noctuidae  Anicla infecta  Green Cutworm Moth
      erebidae  Plusiodonta compressipalpis  Moonseed Moth
      sphingidae  Hemaris diffinis  Snowberry Clearwing (larva)
      geometridae  Lobocleta peralbata  White Wave
        Pleuroprucha insulsaria  Common Tan Wave
        Cyclophora nanaria  Dwarf Tawny Wave
        Eubaphe unicolor  Moth
        Iridopsis defectaria  Brown-shaded Gray Moth
      crambidae  Pyrausta laticlavia  Southern Purple Mint Moth
        Desmia sp.  Moth (larva)
      gelechiidae  Isophrictis similiella  Moth

    coleoptera  tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle

    hemiptera  coreidae  Chariesterus antennator  Euphorbia Bug (adult & nymph)
        Hypselonotus punctiventris  Coreid Bug
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug
      reduviidae  Zelus renardii  Assassin Bug
      cydnidae  Sehirus cinctus  Burrowing Bug
      pentatomidae  Banasa euchlora  Stink Bug
        Cosmopepla lintneriana  Stink Bug
        Dendrocoris humeralis  Stink Bug

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Homalodisca vitripennis  Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (adult & nymph)
        Neokolla dolobrata  Leafhopper (adult & nymph)
        Graphocephala versuta  Leafhopper
      flatidae  Metcalfa pruinosa  Citrus Planthopper
      membracidae  Vanduzea sp.  Treehopper (adult & nymph)
        Entylia carinata  Treehopper (nymph)
      cicadidae  Tibicen superbus  Superb Cicada
        Tibicen texanus  Cicada
      aphididae  Aphis nerii  Oleander Aphid
      diaspididae  Unknown sp.  Scale Insect

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
      megachilidae  Megachile fortis  Leaf-cutter Bee
      halictidae  Unknown sp.  Green Sweat Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Polistes rubiginosus  Red Wasp
      sphecidae  Sphex ichneumoneus  Great Golden Digger Wasp
        Sceliphron caementarium  Yellow-and-black Mud Dauber
      formicidae  Solenopsis sp.  Fire Ant
        Solenopsis invicta  Imported Fire Ant
        Crematogaster laeviuscula  Acrobat ant

    diptera  syrphidae  Copestylum tamaulipanum  Flower Fly
        Ocyptamus fascipennis  Flower Fly
      tachinidae  Microphthalma sp.  Tachinid Fly
      sarcophagidae  Unknown sp.  Flesh Fly
      ulidiidae  Delphinia picta  Picture-winged Fly
      dolichopodidae  Condylostylus sp.  Long-legged Fly
      culicidae  Aedes albopictus  Asian Tiger Mosquito
        Aedes aegypti  Yellow-fever Mosquito

    odonata  libellulidae  Libellula croceipennis  Neon Skimmer
        Tramea onusta  Red Saddlebags
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
        Dythemis fugax  Checkered Setwing
        Dythemis velox  Swift Setwing
      coenagrionidae  Argia fumipennis  Variable Dancer

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus plebejus  Plebeian Grasshopper (nymph)
        Schistocerca nitens  Gray Bird Grasshopper (nymph)
        Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing
        Sybula admirabilis  Handsome Grasshopper (nymph)
      tettigoniidae  Scudderia furcata  Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)
        Orchelimum silvaticum  Long-spurred Meadow Katydid (nymph)
      gryllidae  Oecanthus argentinus  Prairie Tree Cricket

    neuroptera  ascalaphidae  Ululodes macleayanus  Owlfly
      chrysopidae  Unknown sp.  Green Lacewing (egg)

    trichoptera  philopotamidae  Chimarra sp.  Black Caddisfly

    araneae  salticidae  Pelegrina galathea  Peppered Jumper
        Maevia poultoni  Jumping Spider
      oxyopidae  Peucetia viridans  Green Lynx
      lycosidae  Rabidosa rabida  Rabid Wolf Spider (exuviae)
      araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black & Yellow Garden Spider
        Cyclosa turbinata  Trashline Orbweaver
        Mangora placida  Orbweaver

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