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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey July 15, 2010


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Oppressive heat made this survey a little uncomfortable for our party of five. The high temperature makes invertebrates especially active and we caught brief glimpses of many creatures that we could not see well enough to identify. Some notable exceptions though, were a pair of mating robber flies, hummingbirds in the Gardens, and a female digger wasp searching for a site in which to dig her nest.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Arphia sp. (band-winged grasshopper nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Blastobasis sp. (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Harmostes sp. (scentless plant bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Dichopetala catinata (spoon-tailed short-winged katydid, female)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (ladybird beetle larva eating aphid)
photo by Val Bugh


Mecidea major (grass stink bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Mermiria sp. (slant-faced grasshopper nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Homophoberia apicosa (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Prionyx sp. (thread-waisted wasp)
photo by Val Bugh


Paratettix sp. (pygmy grasshopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Promachus hinei (robber flies mating)
photo by Val Bugh


Apollophanes sp. (running crab spider)
photo by Val Bugh


Eurema nicippe (sleepy orange larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Thyanta custator (stink bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Spissistilus sp. (treehopper)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
    Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
    Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Asterocampa celtis  Hackberry Emperor
        Phyciodes texana  Texan Crescent (adult & eggs)
        Phyciodes phaon  Phaon Crescent
        Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye
        Chlosyne lacinia  Bordered Patch
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
      papilionidae  Papilio polyxenes  Black Swallowtail
        Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
      pieridae  Eurema lisa  Little Yellow
        Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange (adult & larva)
        Nathalis iole  Dainty Sulphur
      lycaenidae  Callophrys gryneus  Juniper Hairstreak
        Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
      hesperiidae  Euphyes vestris  Dun Skipper
        Lerodea eufala  Eufala Skipper
        Lerema accius  Clouded Skipper
        Epargyreus clarus  Silver-spotted Skipper (larva)
        Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
      noctuidae  Bleptina caradrinalis  Bent-winged Owlet
        Homophoberia apicosa  Moth
      arctiidae  Estigmene acrea  Saltmarsh Moth
      geometridae  Anavitrinella atristrigaria  Gulf Coast Gray
        Glenoides texanaria  Texas Gray Moth
      notodontidae  Lochmaeus bilineata  Double-lined Prominent
      sphingidae  Dolba hyloeus  Pawpaw Sphinx
      tortricidae  Platynota flavedana  Black-shaded Platynota Moth
      blastobasidae  Blastobasis sp.  Moth

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

    diptera  asilidae  Promachus hinei  Robber Fly
        Mallophora fautrix  Robber Fly
      neriidae  Odontoloxozus longicornis  Cactus Fly
      syrphidae  Dioprosopa clavata  Flower Fly (larva & pupa)

    coleoptera  coccinellidae  Unknown sp.  Ladybird Beetle (larva)

    hemiptera  reduviidae  Zelus renardii  Assassin Bug (adult & nymph)
      coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug (nymph)
      rhopalidae  Harmostes sp.  Scentless Plant Bug
      pentatomidae  Thyanta custator  Stink Bug (adult & nymph)
        Mecidea major  Grass Stink Bug
        Chlorochroa ligata  Conchuela (adult & nymph)
        Brochymena sp.  Rough Stink Bug

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Graphocephala versuta  Leafhopper
        Hymetta anthisma  Leafhopper
      membracidae  Spissistilus sp.  Treehopper
      aphididae  Unknown sp.  Aphid

    hymenoptera  sphecidae  Sceliphron caementarium  Yellow-and-black Mud Dauber
        Chalybion sp.  Blue Mud Dauber
        Prionyx sp.  Thread-waisted Wasp
      crabronidae  Bicyrtes quadrifasciata  Sand Wasp
      apidae  Bombus pensylvanicus  Bumble Bee
        Xylocopa tabaniformis  Large Carpenter Bee
        Anthophora abrupta  Digger Bee

    orthoptera  acrididae  Mermiria sp.  Slant-faced Grasshopper (nymph)
        Chortophaga viridifasciata  Northern Green-striped Grasshopper
        Arphia sp.  Band-winged Grasshopper (nymph)
        Melanoplus differentialis  Differential Grasshopper
        Melanoplus ponderosus  Ponderous Spurthroat
      tettigoniidae  Conocephalus strictus  Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid
        Dichopetala catinata  Spoon-tailed Short-winged Katydid
      tetrigidae  Paratettix sp.  Pygmy Grasshopper
      gryllidae  Gryllus sp.  Field Cricket
        Oecanthus sp.  Tree Cricket

    araneae  araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider
      philodromidae  Apollophanes sp.  Running Crab Spider

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