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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey June 16, 2011


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Our party of eight endured scorching temperatures under sunny skies. Even the American Lady was resting in the shade rather than fluttering around flowers. The blue dasher pictured below is obelisking, a behavior of some dragonflies to avoid getting overheated, in which the abdomen is pointed toward the sun to minimize the surface exposed to the rays. The scorpion we found had several tiny orange mite larvae attached to its front legs. These parasitic larvae will drop off to become predatory adults.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Vanessa virginiensis (American lady)
photo by Val Bugh


Lycomorpha pholus (black-and-yellow-lichen moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Manduca sexta (Carolina sphinx larva, parasitized by braconid wasp)
photo by Val Bugh


Hemaris diffinis, Epargyreus clarus, Agraulis vanillae
(eggs: snowberry clearwing, silver-spotted skipper, gulf fritillary)
photo by Val Bugh


Centruroides vittatus (striped bark scorpion)
photo by Val Bugh


Argiope aurantia (black and yellow garden spiders: two stages of immatures)
photo by Val Bugh


Euptilon sp. (antlion)
photo by Val Bugh


Schistocerca sp. (bird grasshopper, nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Schistocerca lineata (spotted bird grasshopper, nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Cryptocephalus fulguratus (leaf beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer, female just molted)
photo by Val Bugh


Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer, male)
photo by Val Bugh


Erythemis simplicicollis (eastern pondhawk, male)
photo by Val Bugh


Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher, obelisking)
photo by Val Bugh


Megachile sp. (leaf-cutter bee, with full load of pollen)
photo by Val Bugh


Polistes aurifer (paper wasp)
photo by Val Bugh


Rana berlandieri (Rio Grande leopard frog)
photo by Val Bugh


Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
    Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
    Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
    Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
    Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

  • Mammals:
    Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

  • Reptiles & Amphibians:
    Redstripe Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus)
    Texas Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri)
    Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
    Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
    Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri), adult & tadpole

  • Misc.:
    Millipede (Unknown sp.)
    Harvestman (Unknown sp.)
    Striped Bark Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus)
    Mites (Leptus sp.), larvae on scorpion

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary (adult & egg)
        Phyciodes texana  Texan Crescent
        Vanessa virginiensis  American Lady
        Asterocampa celtis  Hackberry Emperor
        Danaus gilippus  Queen
      lycaenidae  Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
        Leptotes marina  Marine Blue
      papilionidae  Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
      pieridae  Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
      hesperiidae  Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
        Epargyreus clarus  Silver-spotted Skipper (adult & egg)
        Euphyes vestris  Dun Skipper
        Pyrgus philetas  Desert Checkered-skipper
      arctiidae  Lycomorpha pholus  Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth
      sphingidae  Hemaris diffinis  Snowberry Clearwing (adult & egg)
        Manduca sexta  Carolina Sphinx (larva)
      geometridae  Lobocleta ossularia  Drab Brown Wave
        Lobocleta peralbata  White Wave
        Pimaphera percata  Moth
      crambidae  Aethiophysa lentiflualis  Moth
        Uresiphita reversalis  Genista Caterpillar
      pyralidae  Peoria tetradella  Grass-veneer Moth
        Elasmopalpus lignosellus  Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Asphaera lustrans  Flea Beetle
        Donacia sp.  Aquatic Leaf Beetle
        Cryptocephalus fulguratus  Leaf Beetle
        Anomoea sp.  Leaf Beetle
      coccinellidae  Harmonia axyridis  Multi-colored Asian Ladybird
        Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Ladybird
      buprestidae  Agrilus sp.  Metallic Woodborer
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
      anthribidae  Trigonorhinus limbatus  Fungus Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Leptoglossus phyllopus  Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
        Hypselonotus punctiventris  Coreid Bug
      rhyparochromidae  Ligyrocoris sp.  Seed Bug
      rhopalidae  Jadera haematoloma  Red-shouldered Bug
      tingidae  Corythuca sp.  Lace Bug
      reduviidae  Zelus renardii  Assassin Bug (nymph)
      berytidae  Jalysus sp.  Stilt Bug
      cydnidae  Pangaeus sp.  Burrowing Bug
      pentatomidae  Euschistus servus  Brown Stink Bug
        Euschistus sp.  Stink Bug (nymph)

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Homalodisca vitripennis  Glassy-winged Sharpshooter
        Penthimia americana  leafhopper (nymph)
        Cuerna costalis  Leafhopper
        Neokolla dolobrata  Leafhopper (adult & nymph)
      cicadidae  Tibicen sp.  Cicada (exuviae & wings)

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Xylocopa virginica  Eastern Carpenter Bee
        Xylocopa tabaniformis  Large Carpenter Bee
      halictidae  Unknown sp.  Sweat Bee
      megachilidae  Megachile sp.  Leaf-cutter Bee
        Anthidiellum gilense  Bee
      vespidae  Polistes metricus  Paper Wasp
        Polistes carolina  Red Wasp
        Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Polistes aurifer  Paper Wasp
      sphecidae  Prionyx sp.  Thread-waisted Wasp
        Sceliphron caementarium  Yellow-and-Black Mud Dauber
      crabronidae  Bicyrtes sp.  Sand Wasp
      pompilidae  Unknown sp.  Spider Wasp
      braconidae  Cotesia congregata  Braconid Wasp (larvae in hornworm)
      ichneumonidae  Unknown sp.  Ichneumon

    diptera  asilidae  Atomosia sp.  Robber Fly
      sarcophagidae  Unknown sp.  Flesh Fly
      conopidae  Physocephala sp.  Thick-headed Fly
      dolichopodidae  Condylostylus sp.  Long-legged Fly
      tephritidae  Tomoplagia obliqua  Fruit Fly

    odonata  coenagrionidae  Ischnura ramburii  Rambur's Forktail
        Ischnura posita  Fragile Forktail
        Argia immunda  Kiowa Dancer
        Enallagma civile  Familiar Bluet
      libellulidae  Libellula croceipennis  Neon Skimmer
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
        Erythemis simplicicollis  Eastern Pondhawk
        Tramea onusta  Red Saddlebags

    orthoptera  acrididae  Schistocerca sp.  Bird Grasshopper (nymph)
        Schistocerca lineata  Spotted Bird Grasshopper (nymph)
        Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing
      tettigoniidae  Scudderia furcata  Fork-tailed Bush Katydid
        Pediodectes sp.  Shieldback

    dermaptera  anisolabididae  Euborellia annulipes  Ring-legged Earwig

    neuroptera  myrmeleontidae  Euptilon sp.  Antlion
      ascalaphidae  Ululodes macleayanus  Owlfly

    araneae  salticidae  Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper
        Platycryptus undatus  Jumping Spider
        Thiodina puerpera  Jumping Spider
      araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider
      thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider
      oxyopidae  Peucetia viridans  Green Lynx

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