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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 1, 2015


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

Although it was sunny, slightly cooler fall temperatures are starting to prevail, much to the delight of our six participants in this week's survey. The most commonly seen mantis in our area is the Carolina Mantis (shown below). The smaller Scudder's Mantis is not so often noticed. Males of both species can fly, but the females cannot.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Centruroides vittatus (striped bark scorpion)
photo by Val Bugh


Oligonicella scudderi (Scudder's mantis, male)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Stagmomantis carolina (Carolina mantis, female)
photo by Val Bugh


Leucochrysa pavida (green lacewing)
photo by Val Bugh


Hoplitis sp. (leaf-cutter bee with very colorful pollen!)
photo by Val Bugh


Trichopoda lanipes (feather-legged fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Sceliphron caementarium (yellow-and-black mud dauber gathering mud)
photo by Val Bugh


Polistes carolina (red wasp drinking water)
photo by Val Bugh


Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm, larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Battus philenor (pipevine swallowtail, larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Strymon melinus (gray hairstreak, larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Atteva aurea (ailanthus webworm moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Phaneta raracana (reddish phaneta moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Hileithia magualis (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Ommatochila mundula (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Virbia sp. (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Dargida rubripennis (pink streak moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Schinia tertia (flower moth)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Schinia alencis (flower moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Xylophanes tersa (tersa sphinx)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)
    Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
    Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
    Western Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

  • Mammals:
    Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
    Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

  • Reptiles & Amphibians:
    Texas Spotted Whiptail (Cnemidophorus gularis gularis)
    Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)
    Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)
    Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri)

  • Misc.:
    Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis)
    Striped Bark Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus)
    Harvestman (Leiobunum sp.)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Danaus plexippus  Monarch
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary
        Euptoieta claudia  Variegated Fritillary
        Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye
        Vanessa cardui  Painted Lady
        Asterocampa celtis  Hackberry Emperor
      pieridae  Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
      papilionidae  Papilio cresphontes  Giant Swallowtail
        Papilio multicaudata  Two-tailed Swallowtail
        Battus philenor  Pipevine Swallowtail (adult, larva & eggs)
      lycaenidae  Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
        Everes comyntas  Eastern Tailed Blue
      hesperiidae  Chioides albofasciatus  White-striped Longtail
        Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
        Thorybes pylades  Northern Cloudywing
        Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
        Wallengrenia otho  Southern Broken-dash
        Atalopedes campestris  Sachem
      noctuidae  Tripudia quadrifera  Moth
        Cobubatha lixiva  Moth
        Tarache quadriplaga  Bird Dropping Moth
        Ponometia phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Galgula partita  The Wedgling
        Plagiomimicus manti  Moth
        Ogdoconta cinereola  Common Pinkband
        Phosphila miselioides  Spotted Phosphila
        Dargida rubripennis  Pink Streak Moth
        Spodoptera ornithogalli  Yellow-striped Armyworm Moth
        Spodoptera frugiperda  Fall Armyworm Moth
        Schinia chrysellus  Broomweed Flower Moth
        Schinia alencis  Flower Moth
        Schinia tertia  Flower Moth
      erebidae  Aon noctuiformis  Moth
        Melipotis cellaris  Moth
        Ommatochila mundula  Moth
      nolidae  Garella nilotica  Black-olive Caterpillar Moth
      arctiidae  Virbia sp.  Moth
      notodontidae  Litodonta hydromeli  Prominent
      sphingidae  Sphinx dollii  Doll's Sphinx
        Xylophanes tersa  Tersa Sphinx
      geometridae  Lobocleta peralbata  White Wave
        Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria  Blackberry Looper Moth
        Iridopsis defectaria  Brown-shaded Gray Moth
      crambidae  Urola nivalis  Snowy Urola
        Glaphyria sequistrialis  White-roped Glaphyria
        Aethiophysa lentiflualis  Moth
        Hymenia perspectalis  Spotted Beet Webworm Moth
        Hileithia magualis  Moth
        Crambus quinquareatus  Grass-veneer Moth
        Euchromius ocelleus  Grass-veneer Moth
        Microcrambus croesus  Grass-veneer Moth
      tortricidae  Eumarozia malachitana  Sculptured Moth
        Eucosma consobrinana  Leafroller Moth
        Phaneta raracana  Reddish Phaneta Moth
        Cudonigera houstonana  Juniper Budworm Moth
        Goditha bumeliana  Leafroller Moth
        Ecdytolopha mana  Leafroller Moth
        Platynota flavedana  Black-shaded Platynota Moth
        Cochylis sp.  Moth
      glyphidoceridae  Glyphidocera lactiflosella  Five-spotted Glyphidocera
      coleophoridae  Blastobasis glandulella  Acorn Moth
      gelechiidae  Battaristis concinusella  Moth
        Anacampsis paltodoriella  Moth
        Aristotelia sp.  Moth
      yponomeutidae  Atteva aurea  Ailanthus Webworm Moth
      zygaenidae  Harrisina coracina  Grapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth
        Acoloithus novaricus  False Skeletonizer Moth
      acrolophidae  Acrolophus texanella  Tubeworm Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Mimosestes amicus  Seed Beetle
        Diabrotica undecimpunctata  Spotted Cucumber Beetle
      coccinellidae  Harmonia axyridis  Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetle
        Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
        Olla v-nigrum  Ashy Gray Lady Beetle
        Cycloneda sanguinea  Red Lady Beetle
        Psyllobora renifer  Lady Beetle
      tenebrionidae  Eleodes goryi  Darkling Beetle
      carabidae  Pasimachus californicus  Ground Beetle
      curculionidae  Curculio sp.  Nut Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Hypselonotus punctiventris  Coreid Bug (nymph)
        Leptoglossus phyllopus  Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
        Narnia femorata  Cactus Bug (adult & nymph)
      alydidae  Hyalymenus tarsatus  Texas Bowlegged Bug
      rhopalidae  Niesthrea louisianica  Scentless Plant Bug (adult & nymph)
      rhyparochromidae  Neopamera bilobata  Seed Bug
      miridae  Hesperolabops gelastops  Cactus Plant Bug (adult & nymph)
      reduviidae  Emesaya brevipennis  Thread-legged Bug

    homoptera  cicadellidae  Illinigina illinoiensis  Leafhopper
      delphacidae  Javesella pellucida  Planthopper
      aphididae  Aphis nerii  Oleander Aphid

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
        Bombus pensylvanicus  American Bumble Bee
        Xylocopa micans  Southern Carpenter Bee
        Xylocopa virginica  Eastern Carpenter Bee
      megachilidae  Megachile sp.  Leaf-cutter Bee
        Hoplitis sp.  Leaf-cutter Bee
      vespidae  Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
        Polistes carolina  Red Wasp
      scoliidae  Scolia dubia  Scoliid Wasp
      pompilidae  Pepsis sp.  Spider Wasp
      sphecidae  Sceliphron caementarium  Yellow-and-black Mud Dauber
      formicidae  Pseudomyrmex pallidus  Golden Twig Ant
      braconidae  Unknown sp.  Braconid Wasp
      ichneumonidae  Unknown sp.  Ichneumon

    diptera  dolichopodidae  Condylostylus sp.  Long-legged Fly
      stratiomyidae  Hermetia illucens  Black Soldier Fly
      syrphidae  Copestylum avidum  Flower Fly
        Copestylum tamaulipanum  Flower Fly
        Copestylum mexicanum  Black Flower Fly
        Allograpta obliqua  Flower Fly
        Toxomerus marginatus  Flower Fly
      calliphoridae  Cochliomyia macellaria  Secondary Screwworm
      tachinidae  Microphthalma sp.  Tachinid Fly
        Trichopoda lanipes  Feather-legged Fly
        Juriniopsis sp.  Tachinid Fly

    odonata  libellulidae  Pachydiplax longipennis  Blue Dasher
      aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus ponderosus  Ponderous Grasshopper
        Melanoplus differentialis  Differential Grasshopper
        Melanoplus plebejus  Plebeian Grasshopper
        Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing
        Schistocerca nitens  Gray Bird Grasshopper (nymph)
      gryllidae  Gryllus sp.  Field Cricket
        Unknown sp.  Ground Cricket

    mantodea  mantidae  Stagmomantis carolina  Carolina Mantis
      thespidae  Oligonicella scudderi  Scudder's Mantis

    neuroptera  chrysopidae  Chrysoperla sp.  Green Lacewing
        Leucochrysa pavida  Green Lacewing

    trichoptera  hydropsychidae  Hydropsyche sp.  Netspinning Caddisfly
      philopotamidae  Chimarra sp.  Black Caddisfly
      leptoceridae  Oecetis sp.  Long-horned Caddisfly

    araneae  salticidae  Thiodina sylvana  Jumping Spider
        Thiodina puerpera  Jumping Spider
        Phidippus audax  Bold Jumper
      araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black-and-yellow Garden Spider
      uloboridae  Uloborus glomosus  Feather-legged Orbweaver

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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 1, 2015