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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey September 4, 2014


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

It was hot and partly sunny as seven volunteers completed this week's survey. The white fluff produced by cochineal insects on cactus is familiar to most people, as is the red dye that appears when the fluff is squished. The actual insects concealed underneath are rarely seen, so we carefully uncovered one of these soft, nondescript, grayish bugs for the photograph shown below.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Sciurus niger (eastern fox squirrel)
photo by Val Bugh


Baeolophus atricristatus (black-crested titmouse)
photo by Harriett Wolf


Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus (eastern blackneck garter snake)
photo by Val Bugh


Rana berlandieri (Rio Grande leopard frog - it still has a remnant tail!)
photo by Val Bugh


Ormia sp. (tachinid fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Mallophora leschenaulti (a very large robber fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Pygarctia roseicapitis (tiger moth)
photo by Dan Zinn


Fernaldella fimetaria (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Dichomeris inversella (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Honora mellinella (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary pupa)
photo by Val Bugh


Agraulis vanillae (gulf fritillary pupa, after being touched)
photo by Val Bugh


Polistes exclamans (paper wasp with damselfly prey)
photo by Val Bugh


Chelinidea vittiger (opuntia bug nymphs)
photo by Val Bugh


Oebalus pugnax (rice stink bugs)
photo by Val Bugh


Dactylopius sp. (cochineal insect revealed)
photo by Val Bugh


Tibicen texanus (cicada)
photo by Val Bugh


Eleodes goryi (darkling beetle)
photo by Val Bugh


Argiope trifasciata (banded garden spider)
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 Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
    Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

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

  • Reptiles & Amphibians:
    Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)
    Eastern Blackneck Garter Snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus)
    Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary (adult & pupa)
        Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Danaus plexippus  Monarch
        Asterocampa celtis  Hackberry Emperor
        Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye
      pieridae  Eurema nicippe  Sleepy Orange
      lycaenidae  Callophrys gryneus  Juniper Hairstreak
        Strymon melinus  Gray Hairstreak
        Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
      papilionidae  Battus philenors  Pipevine Swallowtail
        Papilio polyxenes  Black Swallowtail (pupa)
      hesperiidae  Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
        Nastra lherminier  Swarthy Skipper
      noctuidae  Ponometia candefacta  Olive-shaded Bird Dropping Moth
        Tarache quadriplaga  Bird Dropping Moth
        Cobubatha lixiva  Moth
      arctiidae  Hypoprepia miniata  Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth
        Pygarctia roseicapitis  Tiger Moth
      geometridae  Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria  Blackberry Looper Moth
        Pimaphera percata  Moth
        Lobocleta peralbata  White Wave
        Fernaldella fimetaria  Moth
      crambidae  Microtheoris vibicalis  Moth
        Aethiophysa lentiflualis  Moth
      pyralidae  Ephestiodes sp.  Moth
        Honora mellinella  Moth
        Peoria opacella  Grass-veneer Moth
      tortricidae  Acleris minuta  Yellow-headed Fireworm Moth
        Ecdytolopha mana  Leafroller Moth
        Platynota rostrana  Omnivorous Platynota Moth
      zygaenidae  Acoloithus novaricus  False Skeletonizer Moth
      gelechiidae  Battaristis sp.  Moth
        Dichomeris inversella  Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Asphaera lustrans  Flea Beetle
      coccinellidae  Cycloneda sanguinea  Red Lady Beetle
      carabidae  Plochionus timidus  Ground Beetle
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
      cerambycidae  Sphaenothecus bivittata  Longhorn Beetle
      scarabaeidae  Cotinis nitida  Green June Beetle

    hemiptera  coreidae  Leptoglossus sp.  Leaf-footed Bug (nymph)
        Mozena lunata  Mesquite Bug (nymph)
        Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Chelinidea vittiger  Opuntia Bug (nymph)
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug
      largidae  Largus sp.  Largus Bug (adult & nymph)
      pentatomidae  Euschistus servus  Brown Stink Bug
        Banasa euchlora  Stink Bug
        Oebalus pugnax  Rice Stink Bug

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Homalodisca vitripennis  Glassy-winged Sharpshooter
        Texananus excultus  Leafhopper
      flatidae  Ormenis sp.  Planthopper
      dactylopiidae  Dactylopius sp.  Cochineal Insect
      coccidae  Pulvinaria sp.  Scale
      cicadidae  Tibicen texanus  Cicada

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
        Xylocopa parkinsoniae  Large Carpenter Bee
      halictidae  Lasioglossum sp.  Sweat Bee
        Agapostemon sp.  Green Sweat Bee
        Unknown sp.  Green Sweat Bee
      megachilidae  Dianthidium sp.  Resin Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Polistes carolina  Red Wasp
        Polistes bellicosus  Paper Wasp
      sphecidae  Sphex ichneumoneus  Great Golden Digger Wasp
        Sceliphron caementarium  Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber
      pteromalidae  Unknown sp.  Pteromalid Wasp

    diptera  syrphidae  Ocyptamus fascipennis  Flower Fly
        Copestylum mexicanum  Black Flower Fly
      stratiomyidae  Hoplitimyia mutabilis  Soldier Fly
      asilidae  Efferia sp.  Robber Fly
        Mallophora leschenaulti  Robber Fly
      tachinidae  Ormia sp.  Tachinid Fly
        Microphthalma sp.  Tachinid Fly
      dolichopodidae  Condylostylus sp.  Long-legged Fly
      culicidae  Aedes albopictus  Asian Tiger Mosquito

    odonata  coenagrionidae  Ischnura ramburii  Rambur's Forktail
        Ischnura posita  Fragile Forktail
        Argia immunda  Kiowa Dancer
        Argia translata  Dusky Dancer
      libellulidae  Libellula croceipennis  Neon Skimmer
        Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
        Erythemis simplicicollis  Eastern Pondhawk
        Tramea onusta  Red Saddlebags
      aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner

    orthoptera  acrididae  Chortophaga viridifasciata  Northern Green-striped Grasshopper
        Orphulella pelidna  Spotted-wing Grasshopper
        Mermiria bivittata  Two-striped Mermiria
        Schistocerca nitens  Gray Bird Grasshopper
        Schistocerca lineata  Spotted Bird Grasshopper
      tettigoniidae  Scudderia furcata  Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (nymph)
      gryllidae  Oecanthus sp.  Tree Cricket (nymph)
        Unknown sp.  Ground Cricket (nymph)

    mantodea  mantidae  Stagmomantis carolina  Carolina Mantis (nymph)

    embioptera  oligotomidae  Oligotoma sp.  Webspinner

    araneae  araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider
        Argiope trifasciata  Banded Garden Spider
      theridiidae  Argyrodes elevatus  Silver Dewdrop Spider
      thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider
      salticidae  Anasaitis canosa  Jumping Spider

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