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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey August 23, 2012


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Four volunteers completed this week's survey under mostly sunny and hot conditions. One particular family of moths, the prominents, have caterpillars that are generally more interesting than the adult insects. Two examples are illustrated below. While the gregarious Datana larvae conspicuously display warning colors to discourage predators, the solitary Schizura caterpillar instead relies on cryptic camouflage for protection.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Ommatospila narcaeusalis (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Pero meskaria (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Synchlora frondaria (southern emerald)
photo by Val Bugh


Ponometia virginalis (bird dropping moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Spragueia obatra (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Cisthene tenuifascia (lichen moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Suleima helianthana (sunflower bud moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Zamagiria australella (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Datana perspicua (spotted datana caterpillars)
photo by Val Bugh


Schizura errucata (prominent caterpillar)
photo by Val Bugh


Hemiargus ceraunus (ceraunus blue)
photo by Val Bugh


Erynnis horatius (Horace's duskywing)
photo by Val Bugh


Chelinidea tabulata (opuntia bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Sphyrocoris obliquus (shield bug nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Ataxia hubbardi (long-horned beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Curculio sp. (nut weevil)
photo by Val Bugh


Conocephalus strictus (straight-lanced meadow katydid nymph)
photo by Val Bugh


Anasaitis canosa (jumping spider, with ant)
photo by Val Bugh


Phidippus mystaceus (jumping spider)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    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)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)

  • Mammals:
    Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)
    White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

  • Reptiles & Amphibians:
    Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
    Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri)

  • Misc.:
    Globular Drop (Helicina orbiculata)
    Striped Bark Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
        Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye
        Phyciodes tharos  Pearl Crescent
        Phyciodes texana  Texan Crescent
        Danaus gilippus  Queen
      papilionidae  Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
      pieridae  Nathalis iole  Dainty Sulphur
        Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange
        Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
      lycaenidae  Callophrys gryneus  Juniper Hairstreak
        Hemiargus ceraunus  Ceraunus Blue
        Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
      hesperiidae  Pyrgus communis/albescens  Common/White Checkered-skipper
        Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
        Systasea pulverulenta  Texas Powdered-skipper (adult & larva)
        Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
        Lerodea eufala  Eufala Skipper
        Lerema accius  Clouded Skipper
      noctuidae  Tarache tetragona  Four-spotted Bird Dropping Moth
        Tarache phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Acontia cretata  Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia candefacta  Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia semiflava  The Half-yellow
        Ponometia virginalis  Bird Dropping Moth
        Spragueia obatra  Moth
        Plusiodonta compressipalpis  Moonseed Moth
        Megalographa biloba  Bilobed Looper Moth
        Xerociris wilsonii  Wilson's Wood-nymph
        Catabena lineolata  Fine-lined Sallow
        Caenurgina erechtea  Forage Looper Moth
        Micrathetis triplex  Moth
      arctiidae  Cisthene tenuifascia  Lichen Moth
        Pareuchaetes insulata  Yellow-winged Pareuchaetes (larva)
        Pygarctia roseicapitis  Tiger Moth
        Hypoprepia miniata  Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth
      notodontidae  Schizura errucata  Prominent (adult & larva)
        Datana perspicua  Spotted Datana (larva)
      sphingidae  Hemaris diffinis  Snowberry Clearwing
      geometridae  Digrammia sp.  Moth
        Scopula umbilicata  Moth
        Iridopsis gemella  Moth
        Synchlora frondaria  Southern Emerald
        Pero meskaria  Moth
      crambidae  Microtheoris ophionalis  Yellow-veined Moth
        Unknown sp.  Moth (larva)
        Euchromius ocelleus  Grass-veneer Moth
        Parapediasia sp.  Grass-veneer Moth
        Lineodes interrupta  Moth
        Ommatospila narcaeusalis  Moth
        Spoladea recurvalis  Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth
      pyralidae  Peoria tetradella  Grass-veneer Moth
        Peoria opacella  Grass-veneer Moth
        Parachma ochracealis  Moth
        Tampa dimediatella  Tampa Moth
        Alpheioides parvulalis  Moth
        Amyelois transitella  Moth
        Zamagiria australella  Moth
        Salebriaria turpidella  Moth
      tortricidae  Eucosma consobrinana  Leafroller Moth
        Suleima helianthana  Sunflower Bud Moth
        Unknown sp.  Leafroller Moth
      gelechiidae  Dichomeris costarufoella  Moth
      oecophoridae  Inga cretacea  Chalky Inga
      glyphidoceridae  Glyphidocera lactiflosella  Five-spotted Glyphidocera
      acrolophidae  Acrolophus sp.  Tubeworm Moth
      xyloryctidae  Scythris trivinctella  Moth

    coleoptera  coccinellidae  Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Ladybird
        Scymnus sp.  Ladybird beetle (larva)
        Cycloneda sanguinea  Red Ladybird
      cerambycidae  Ataxia hubbardi  Long-horned Beetle
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
      scarabaeidae  Diplotaxis sp.  Scarab
      curculionidae  Curculio sp.  Nut Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Narnia femorata  Cactus Bug (adult & nymph)
        Chelinidea tabulata  Opuntia Bug
      alydidae  Hyalymenus tarsatus  Texas Bow-legged Bug (nymph)
      reduviidae  Zelus renardii  Assassin Bug (adult & nymph)
        Zelus tetracanthus  Four-spined Assassin Bug
      scutelleridae  Sphyrocoris obliquus  Shield Bug (nymph)
      cydnidae  Pangaeus sp.  Burrowing Bug

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Homalodisca vitripennis  Glassy-winged Sharpshooter
        Neokolla sp.  Leafhopper (nymph)
      cixiidae  Oliarus sp.  Planthopper
      aphididae  Unknown sp.  Aphid

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
        Centris atripes  Digger Bee
        Anthophora californica  Digger Bee
      halictidae  Lasioglossum sp.  Sweat Bee
      vespidae  Polistes carolina  Red Wasp
        Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Vespula squamosa  Southern Yellowjacket
      sphecidae  Sphex lucae  Digger Wasp
        Sphex ichneumoneus  Great Golden Digger Wasp
        Sceliphron caementarium  Yellow-and-Black Mud Dauber
      formicidae  Solenopsis invicta  Imported Fire Ant

    diptera  culicidae  Aedes albopictus  Asian Tiger Mosquito
      dolichopodidae  Unknown sp.  Long-legged Fly
      syrphidae  Allograpta obliqua  Flower Fly
      tachinidae  Crocinosoma cornuale  Tachinid Fly

    odonata  coenagrionidae  Ischnura ramburii  Rambur's Forktail
      libellulidae  Libellula croceipennis  Neon Skimmer
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
        Orthemis ferruginea  Roseate Skimmer
      aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner

    orthoptera  acrididae  Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing
        Schistocerca lineata  Spotted Bird Grasshopper
        Melanoplus plebejus  Plebeian Grasshopper
      tettigoniidae  Conocephalus strictus  Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid (nymph)
        Pediodectes nigromarginatus  Black-margined Shieldback

    mantodea  mantidae  Stagmomantis carolina  Carolina Mantis

    neuroptera  berothidae  Lomamyia sp.  Beaded Lacewing
      ascalaphidae  Ululodes macleayanus  Owlfly

    araneae  salticidae  Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper
        Phidippus arizonensis  Arizona Jumper
        Phidippus mystaceus  Jumping Spider
        Anasaitis canosa  Jumping Spider
      araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider
      thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider

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