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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 31, 2019


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

The morning was sunny, windy and so cold there was ice in a birdbath as eight volunteers participated in this week's survey. Harvestmen and cellar spiders look superficially similar, as shown below. They both have insanely long legs and share the common name of "Daddy Long-legs." But cellar spiders possess venom glands and live in webs they create, two features harvestmen lack.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Latrodectus mactans (southern black widow)
photo by Val Bugh


Clubiona sp. (sac spider)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (wolf spider & hatchlings)
photo by Val Bugh


Holocnemus pluchei (marbled cellar spider)
photo by Val Bugh


Leiobunum sp. (harvestman)
photo by Beth Kirkhart


Acanthocephala declivis (coreid bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Solenopsis invicta (imported fire ants & pupae)
photo by Val Bugh


Anolis carolinensis (very cold green anole)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Mimus polyglottos (northern mockingbird)
photo by Harriett Wolf


Cardinalis cardinalis (northern cardinal)
photo by Beth Kirkhart


Megascops asio (eastern screech-owl)
photo by Joe Fernandes


Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer)
photo by Beth Kirkhart


Anax junius (common green darner)
photo by Val Bugh


Thaumatomyia sp. (frit fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Microcentrum rhombifolium (greater angle-wing)
photo by Val Bugh


Danaus plexippus & Papilio cresphontes
(monarch & giant swallowtail pupae)
photo by Val Bugh


Megalopyge opercularis (southern flannel moth cocoon)
photo by Val Bugh


Chrysolina auripennis (leaf beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Cotinis nitida (green June beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Limax flavus (slug)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
    Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Eastern Screech-owl (Megascops asio)
    Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)

  • Mammals:
    White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
    Coyote (Canis latrans)
    Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)
    Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)

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

  • Misc.:
    Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis)
    Crested Millipede (Abacion sp.)
    Julid Millipede (Aniulus sp.)
    Stone Centipede (Unknown sp.)
    Harvestman (Leiobunum sp.)
    Earthworm (Unknown sp.)
    Garden Snail (Otala lactea)
    Land Snail (Mesodon sp.)
    Slug (Limax flavus)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary (larva)
        Danaus plexippus  Monarch (adult & pupa)
      papilionidae  Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail (pupa)
      hesperiidae  Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
      arctiidae  Estigmene acrea  Saltmarsh Caterpillar Moth
      saturniidae  Automeris io  Io Moth (larva)
      sphingidae  Hemaris diffinis  Snowberry Clearwing (larva)
        Manduca sexta  Carolina Sphinx (larva)
      megalopygidae  Megalopyge opercularis  Southern Flannel Moth (pupa)

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Diabrotica undecimpunctata  Spotted Cucumber Beetle
        Chrysolina auripennis  Leaf Beetle
      coccinellidae  Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
      carabidae  Harpalus paratus  Ground Beetle
      scarabaeidae  Cotinis nitida  Green June Beetle

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Acanthocephala declivis  Coreid Bug
      lygaeidae  Nysius sp.  False Chinch Bug
      rhyparochromidae  Pseudopamera setosa  Seed Bug
      miridae  Hesperolabops gelastops  Cactus Plant Bug
        Polymerus basalis  Plant Bug
      reduviidae  Zelus renardii  Assassin Bug

    homoptera  cixiidae  Melanoliarus sp.  Planthopper
      aphalaridae  Pachypsylla sp.  Hackberry Psyllid

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Vespula maculifrons  Eastern Yellowjacket
        Vespula squamosa  Southern Yellowjacket
      formicidae  Solenopsis invicta  Imported Fire Ant
        Camponotus festinatus  Carpenter Ant

    diptera  tachinidae  Unknown sp.  Tachinid Fly
      chloropidae  Thaumatomyia sp.  Frit Fly

    odonata  libellulidae  Sympetrum corruptum  Variegated Meadowhawk
      aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus ponderosus  Ponderous Grasshopper
        Melanoplus flabellatus  Dallas Short-winged Grasshopper
        Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing
        Chortophaga viridifasciata  Northern Green-striped Grasshopper (nymph)
        Trimerotropis maritima  Seaside Grasshopper (nymph)
        Schistocerca nitens  Gray Bird Grasshopper
      tettigoniidae  Microcentrum rhombifolium  Greater Angle-wing
      gryllidae  Gryllus sp.  Field Cricket

    isoptera  rhinotermitidae  Reticulitermes sp.  Subterranean Termite

    neuroptera  chrysopidae  Unknown sp.  Green Lacewing

    zygentoma  lepismatidae  Ctenolipisma sp.  Silverfish

    araneae  araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider (egg sac)
        Neoscona crucifera  Orbweaver
      salticidae  Habronattus fallax  Jumping Spider
      amphinectidae  Metaltella simoni  Spider
      theridiidae  Latrodectus mactans  Southern Black Widow
      lycosidae  Unknown sp.  Wolf Spider
      clubionidae  Clubiona sp.  Sac Spider
      pholcidae  Holocnemus pluchei  Marbled Cellar Spider

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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 31, 2019