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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey September 18, 2014


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

After drenching overnight rain, the morning was hot and partly sunny as five volunteers completed this week's survey. While subterranean termites are notorious for the damage they do to wooden structures, members of a different family (termitidae, known as the "higher" termites) are important foragers of dead grass and other plant debris. Both examples shown below belong to this latter group.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Pasimachus californicus (ground beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Cryptocephalus fulguratus (leaf beetle)
photo by Dan Zinn


Zopherus concolor (ironclad beetle)
photo by Dan Zinn


Cotinis nitida (green June beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Tarache quadriplaga (bird dropping moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Ponometia phecolisca (bird dropping moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Schinia thoreaui (Thoreau's flower moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Lochmaeus bilineata (double-lined prominent)
photo by Val Bugh


Haplochrois bipunctella (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Eumarozia malachitana (sculptured moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Eucosma persolita (leafroller moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Papilio polyxenes (black swallowtail)
photo by Dan Zinn


Barce sp. (thread-legged bug)
photo by Val Bugh


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


Oxidus gracilis (garden millipedes mating)
photo by Val Bugh


Libellula croceipennis (neon skimmer, teneral female with exuviae)
photo by Val Bugh


Tenuirostritermes sp. (nasutiform termite wings, just shed)
photo by Val Bugh


Tenuirostritermes sp. (nasutiform termite, seconds after dropping its wings)
photo by Val Bugh


Gnathamitermes perplexus (long-jawed desert termite, alate)
photo by Val Bugh


Solenopsis invicta (imported fire ant attacking termite shown in previous photo)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)
    Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)
    Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
    Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia)

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

  • Reptiles:
    Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)

  • Misc.:
    Globular Drop (Helicina orbiculata)
    Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
        Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Danaus plexippus  Monarch
      pieridae  Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange
        Phoebis agarithe  Large Orange Sulphur
      papilionidae  Papilio polyxenes  Black Swallowtail (adult & pupa)
        Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
      hesperiidae  Thorybes pylades  Northern Cloudywing
      noctuidae  Aon noctuiformis  Moth
        Acronicta lepetita  Dagger Moth
        Plusiodonta compressipalpis  Moonseed Moth
        Ponometia phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Tarache quadriplaga  Bird Dropping Moth
        Heliothis virescens  Tobacco Budworm Moth
        Schinia chrysellus  Broomweed Flower Moth
        Schinia thoreaui  Thoreau's Flower Moth
      arctiidae  Hypoprepia miniata  Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth
        Estigmene acrea  Saltmarsh Moth
      notodontidae  Lochmaeus bilineata  Double-lined Prominent
        Schizura errucata  Prominent
      sphingidae  Hemaris diffinis  Snowberry Clearwing
      geometridae  Tornos scolopacinaria  Dimorphic Gray
      crambidae  Lipocosma polingi  Moth
        Microtheoris vibicalis  Moth
        Nomophila nearctica  Lucerne Moth
        Lineodes interrupta  Moth
      tortricidae  Cudonigera houstonana  Juniper Budworm Moth
        Eucosma persolita  Leafroller Moth
        Eumarozia malachitana  Sculptured Moth
        Cydia latiferreana  Filbertworm Moth
      oecophoridae  Inga cretacea  Chalky Inga
      ypsolophidae  Ypsolopha unicipunctella  Agarita Slug Moth
      elachistidae  Haplochrois bipunctella  Moth
      coleophoridae  Blastobasis sp.  Moth
      acrolophidae  Acrolophus sp.  Tubeworm Moth
      gelechiidae  Battaristis sp.  Moth
        Anacampsis fullonella  Moth
      yponomeutidae  Atteva aurea  Ailanthus Webworm Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Asphaera lustrans  Flea Beetle
        Cryptocephalus fulguratus  Leaf Beetle
        Donacia sp.  Aquatic Leaf Beetle
      coccinellidae  Cycloneda sanguinea  Red Lady Beetle
        Olla v-nigrum  Ashy Gray Lady Beetle
      carabidae  Pasimachus californicus  Ground Beetle
      elateridae  Diplostethus texanus  Click Beetle
      cerambycidae  Ataxia hubbardi  Longhorn Beetle
      scarabaeidae  Diplotaxis sp.  Scarab
        Cotinis nitida  Green June Beetle
      zopheridae  Zopherus concolor  Ironclad Beetle
      curculionidae  Curculio sp.  Nut Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Narnia femorata  Cactus Bug
      alydidae  Hyalymenus tarsatus  Texas Bow-legged Bug
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug (adult & nymph)
        Ochrimnus mimulus  Seed Bug
      rhyparochromidae  Ozophora picturata  Seed Bug
      reduviidae  Emesaya brevipennis  Stilt-legged Bug (nymph)
        Barce sp.  Thread-legged Bug
      aradidae  Unknown sp.  Flat Bug
      pentatomidae  Euschistus obscurus  Stink Bug
        Tylospilus acutissimus  Predatory Stink Bug

    homoptera  aphididae  Aphis nerii  Oleander Aphid
      delphacidae  Delphacodes sp.  Planthopper
      cixiidae  Oliarus sp.  Planthopper

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
      tiphiidae  Tiphia sp.  Tiphiid Wasp
      sphecidae  Sphex texanus  Digger Wasp
      formicidae  Solenopsis invicta  Imported Fire Ant

    diptera  dolichopodidae  Condylostylus sp.  Long-legged Fly

    odonata  coenagrionidae  Argia immunda  Kiowa Dancer
      libellulidae  Libellula croceipennis  Neon Skimmer
        Libellula pulchella  Twelve-spotted Skimmer
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
        Orthemis ferruginea  Roseate Skimmer
      aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus flabellatus  Dallas Short-winged Grasshopper
        Melanoplus plebejus  Plebeian Grasshopper
        Melanoplus ponderosus  Ponderous Grasshopper
        Schistocerca lineata  Spotted Bird Grasshopper
        Schistocerca obscura  Obscure Bird Grasshopper
      tetrigidae  Paratettix mexicanus  Pygmy Grasshopper
      tettigoniidae  Microcentrum rhombifolium  Greater Angle-wing
      gryllidae  Gryllus sp.  Field Cricket

    mantodea  mantidae  Stagmomantis carolina  Carolina Mantis

    isoptera  termitidae  Gnathamitermes perplexus  Long-jawed Desert Termite (alate)
        Tenuirostritermes sp.  Nasutiform Termite (alate)

    neuroptera  hemerobiidae  Sympherobius sp.  Brown Lacewing

    embioptera  oligotomidae  Oligotoma sp.  Webspinner

    araneae  araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider
      lycosidae  Unknown sp.  Wolf Spider
      salticidae  Anasaitis canosa  Jumping Spider
        Hentzia palmarum  Long-jawed Jumper
        Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper
        Phidippus arizonensis  Arizona Jumper

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