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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 29, 2015


The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fauna Project

A cool, sunny morning warmed up quickly as five volunteers completed this week's survey. The mantis egg case, or ootheca, shown below contains dozens of eggs. The hardened foamy covering protects them through the winter. In the spring, the hatchlings will emerge through openings in the white zipper-like strip and quickly disperse; their predatory instincts kick in at birth and they will eat anything they can catch.

Select Photos and Complete List of Sightings:


Palpita quadristigmalis (four-spotted palpita)
photo by Val Bugh


Diacme elealis (moth)
photo by Dan Zinn


Ephestiodes sp. (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Hammaptera parinotata (moth)
photo by Val Bugh


Cobubatha dividua (moth)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Eupithecia miserulata (common eupithecia larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Schinia nundina (goldenrod flower moth larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Lintneria istar (istar sphinx larva)
photo by Val Bugh


Sympetrum vicinum (autumn meadowhawk)
photo by Val Bugh


Lomamyia sp. (beaded lacewing)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (slant-faced grasshopper)
photo by Val Bugh


Stagmomantis carolina (Carolina mantis egg case)
photo by Val Bugh


Lygaeus kalmii (small milkweed bug)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (midge)
photo by Val Bugh


Rhagoletis sp. (fruit fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (tachinid fly)
photo by Val Bugh


Unknown sp. (ichneumon)
photo by Barbara Ribble


Ammophila sp. (thread-waisted wasp)
photo by Val Bugh


Haplorhynchites sp. (flower weevil)
photo by Val Bugh


Euphoria inda (hairy flower scarab)
photo by Val Bugh

  • Birds:
    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
    Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
    Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
    Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
    Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
    House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
    Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
    Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
    Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
    Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

  • Reptiles & Amphibians:
    Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
    Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Rana berlandieri)

  • Mammals:
    Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)
    White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), fresh tracks

  • Misc.:
    Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis)
    Millipede (Aniulus sp.)
    Harvestman (Leiobunum sp.)
    Halloween Harvestman (Dalquestia formosa)

  • Insects & Spiders:
    orderfamilygenus/speciescommon name

    lepidoptera  nymphalidae  Danaus plexippus  Monarch (adult & pupa)
        Danaus gilippus  Queen
        Agraulis vanillae  Gulf Fritillary (adult & larva)
        Mestra amymone  Common Mestra
        Junonia coenia  Common Buckeye
        Vanessa atalanta  Red Admiral
        Vanessa cardui  Painted Lady
        Polygonia interrogationis  Question Mark
      pieridae  Phoebis sennae  Cloudless Sulphur
        Colias eurytheme  Orange Sulphur
        Nathalis iole  Dainty Sulphur
      papilionidae  Battus philenor  Pipevine Swallowtail (adult & larva)
      lycaenidae  Hemiargus isola  Reakirt's Blue
      hesperiidae  Lerodea eufala  Eufala Skipper
        Hylephila phyleus  Fiery Skipper
        Atalopedes campestris  Sachem
        Chioides albofasciatus  White-striped Longtail
        Erynnis horatius  Horace's Duskywing
      noctuidae  Cobubatha dividua  Moth
        Ponometia phecolisca  Bird Dropping Moth
        Galgula partita  The Wedgling
        Lacinipolia erecta  Moth
        Agrotis venerabilis  Venerable Dart
        Feltia subterranea  Subterranean Dart
        Spodoptera frugiperda  Fall Armyworm Moth
        Heliothis virescens  Tobacco Budworm Moth
        Schinia arcigera  Flower Moth
        Schinia nundina  Goldenrod Flower Moth (larva)
      erebidae  Hypena scabra  Green Cloverworm Moth
        Anticarsia gemmatalis  Velvetbean Caterpillar Moth
        Mocis latipes  Small Mocis
      arctiidae  Cisseps fulvicollis  Yellow-collared Scape Moth
      sphingidae  Lintneria istar  Istar Sphinx (larva)
        Erinnyis obscura  Obscure Sphinx
      geometridae  Scopula compensata  Moth
        Unknown sp.  Moth (larva)
        Eupithecia miserulata  Common Eupithecia (adult & larva)
        Rindgea nigricomma  Moth
        Digrammia pallidata  Moth
        Digrammia californiaria  Moth
        Digrammia atrofasciata  Moth
        Psamatodes abydata  Dot-lined Angle
        Pleuroprucha insulsaria  Common Tan Wave
        Cyclophora nanaria  Dwarf Tawny Wave
        Hammaptera parinotata  Moth
      crambidae  Uresiphita reversalis  Genista Caterpillar Moth
        Petrophila jaliscalis  Moth
        Hymenia perspectalis  Spotted Beet Webworm Moth
        Glaphyria sequistrialis  White-roped Glaphyria
        Palpita quadristigmalis  Four-spotted Palpita
        Diacme elealis  Moth
        Herpetogramma phaeopteralis  Dusky Herpetogramma
        Euchromius ocelleus  Grass-veneer Moth
        Udea rubigalis  Celery Leaftier Moth
      pyralidae  Homoeosoma electella  Sunflower Moth
        Ephestiodes sp.  Moth
        Elasmopalpus lignosellus  Lesser Cornstalk Borer Moth
      tortricidae  Clepsis peritana  Garden Tortrix
        Decodes basiplagana  Leafroller Moth
        Platynota stultana  Omnivorous Leafroller Moth
      pterophoridae  Adaina ambrosiae  Ambrosia Plume Moth
      gelechiidae  Battaristis concinusella  Moth
        Unknown sp.  Moth
        Isophrictis similiella  Moth

    coleoptera  chrysomelidae  Diabrotica undecimpunctata  Spotted Cucumber Beetle
      coccinellidae  Cycloneda sanguinea  Red Lady Beetle
        Coccinella septempunctata  Seven-spotted Lady Beetle
        Harmonia axyridis  Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetle
      carabidae  Pasimachus californicus  Ground Beetle
      scarabaeidae  Euphoria inda  Hairy Flower Beetle
      attelabidae  Haplorhynchites sp.  Flower Weevil

    hemiptera  coreidae  Acanthocephala terminalis  Coreid Bug
        Leptoglossus phyllopus  Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
        Hypselonotus punctiventris  Coreid Bug
      alydidae  Alydus pilosulus  Broad-headed Bug
      rhopalidae  Niesthrea louisianica  Scentless Plant Bug (adult & nymph)
      lygaeidae  Oncopeltus fasciatus  Large Milkweed Bug
        Lygaeus kalmii  Small Milkweed Bug
      rhyparochromidae  Pseudopamera setosa  Seed Bug
      miridae  Halticotoma valida  Yucca Plant Bug
        Hesperolabops gelastops  Cactus Plant Bug (adult & nymph)
        Taylorilygus apicalis  Plant Bug

    homoptera  pseudococcidae  Unknown sp.  Mealybug

    hymenoptera  apidae  Apis mellifera  Honey Bee
      megachilidae  Megachile sp.  Leaf-cutter Bee
      vespidae  Vespula squamosa  Southern Yellowjacket
        Polistes exclamans  Paper Wasp
      sphecidae  Ammophila sp.  Thread-waisted Wasp
      braconidae  Unknown sp.  Braconid Wasp
      ichneumonidae  Unknown sp.  Ichneumon
        Enicospilus sp.  Ichneumon
        Vulgichneumon brevicinctor  Ichneumon

    diptera  culicidae  Unknown sp.  Mosquito
      chironomidae  Unknown sp.  Midge
      tephritidae  Rhagoletis sp.  Fruit Fly
      syrphidae  Eristalis transversa  Transverse Flower Fly
      tachinidae  Unknown sp.  Tachinid Fly

    odonata  aeshnidae  Anax junius  Common Green Darner
      libellulidae  Sympetrum vicinum  Autumn Meadowhawk
      coenagrionidae  Enallagma civile  Familiar Bluet

    orthoptera  acrididae  Melanoplus plebejus  Plebeian Grasshopper
        Eritettix abortivus  Texas Short-winged Slant-faced Grasshopper
        Syrbula montezuma  Montezuma's Grasshopper
        Unknown sp.  Slant-faced Grasshopper
        Schistocerca nitens  Gray Bird Grasshopper (nymph)
        Lactista aztecus  Aztec Bandwing

    mantodea  mantidae  Stagmomantis carolina  Carolina Mantis (eggs)

    neuroptera  chrysopidae  Chrysoperla sp.  Green Lacewing
      berothidae  Lomamyia sp.  Beaded Lacewing
      hemerobiidae  Micromus sp.  Brown Lacewing

    araneae  araneidae  Argiope aurantia  Black and Yellow Garden Spider
      thomisidae  Mecaphesa sp.  Crab Spider
        Xysticus sp.  Crab Spider
      oxyopidae  Peucetia viridans  Green Lynx
        Hamataliwa grisea  Gray Lynx
      oecobiidae  Oecobius sp.  Wall Spider

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  ABC > Home > THE FAUNA PROJECT > Survey October 29, 2015