Home Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

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Common Invertebrates with Stripes

Does the animal have stripes? OK, sometimes the stripes aren't the most prominent feature, but usually they are!     Go back to color/pattern menu:    

Longitudinal Stripes

   
Leafhopper (Stirellus bicolor), Durham, NC, 8/21/09 Leafhopper (Sibovia occatoria), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/20/06 Leafhopper (Sibovia occatoria), Duke Gardens (Asian section), Durham, 7/19/05. Leafhopper (Sibovia occatoria), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 6/17/06  

         
Leafhopper (Graphocephala versuta),  Durham, 6/30/08.  Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea), Durham, NC, 8/21/08          

         
Colorful foliage ground beetle (Lebia vittata, tribe Lebiini, subfamily Harpalinae), Durham, NC, 9/7/08.  This beetle is a carnivore, even though it's on a leaf.  Flea beetle, Durham, NC, 7/6/07.  A very tiny beetle. Flea Beetle (Disonycha fumata, Alticini tribe), Durham, 7/5/05.  This one was about ¼ inch long.  Flea Beetle (Disonycha genus, Alticini tribe), Durham, NC, 4/19/06.  This beetle was visiting a dandelion.           


         
Burdock Beetle (Leptinotarsa juncta), Durham, NC, 6/30/16 Broad-bodied leaf beetle (Zygogramma suturalis, Chrysomelinae subfamily), Durham, 10/31/05.  Spined Micrathena  spider (Micrathena gracilis), Riverbend Park, Catawba County, 9/24/09.  Northern Pine Sphinx (Lapara Bombycoides), Appalachian Trail, Botetourt County, VA,  9/15/04.  This is only one of the many species of caterpillars that feed on pine needles. Azalea Moth(Datana major) caterpillar, Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 9/18/07.  ID thanks to William Kimler.          

Transverse Stripes

         
White-backed Garden Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/17/07  Dorsal view.  Spider (Neoscona genus, maybe species crucifera), ventral view, Durham, 9/28/08 Neoscona domiciliorum, Johnston's Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 8/25/05 Ground sac spider (Castaneira longipalpa), American Tobacco Trail (miles 0-2), Durham, NC, 5/2/10          

 

Oak Treehopper(Platycotis vittata),   nymph, Duke Forest, Korstian Division, Orange County, NC, 5/3/06.  This is the only one of its species and probably its genus I've ever seen.  Nevertheless, Stephen Cresswell, who identified it, apparently sees them all the time!  Order a product with this photo at our online store. Two-lined Froghoppers, Airlie Gardens, Wilmington, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/06 Wheel Bug nymph, late instar, Durham, NC, 6/13/09 Pselliopus Cinctus nymph, American Tobacco Trail (Miles 4-6), Durham, NC, 7/8/10.  See other true bugs. Katydid (Scudderia genus) nymph, Eno River State Park, Old Cole access, 6/23/09 Green Stink Bug nymph, Boone, Watauga County, 8/31/05.  ID according to Iowa State University's Entomology Image Gallery website.  This is apparently an early instar (2nd or 3rd), but later than the one on the left.           

 

 

       
Male Ornate Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus ornatus), North Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 5/24/07 Female Ornate Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus ornatus), Durham, 6/17/05. Chloropid fly (Thaumatomyia genus, Chloropinae subfamily), Durham, NC, 7/4/08 Horntail (Tremex columba), Penny's Bend, Durham County, NC, 6/4/06.  This was an especially large insect, at least 2 inches long.         

 

 
Sawfly (Abia genus), Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC, 4/1/10.  Not a bee, but an Abia! Cuckoo Bee (Nomada ruficornis).  ID thanks to John S. Ascher.  Full ID: BugGuide page. Black Saddlebags Dragonfly (Tramea lacerata), Goose Creek State Park, 9/21/08 Clear-winged moth (Sesiidae family), maybe Peachtree Borer Locust Borer (Megacyllene robiniae, subfamily Cerambycinae), Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/29/05.  The Cerambycinae taxon is valid according to the ITIS.  Pennsylvania Leatherwing (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 8/28/06.  Actually, the stripes are often hidden.  


   
Most likely a Drone fly (Eristalis tenax, Eristalinae subfamily), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 10/11/06.   This was a relatively large fly that flew wildly about, somewhat like a Yellow Jacket. Flower fly (Eristalis dimidiatus, Eristalinae subfamily), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 10/20/06 American Hoverfly (Eristalis transversa, Eristalinae subfamily), New Hanover Botanical Garden, Wilmington, NC, 7/17/04 Flower fly (Helophilus fasciatus), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 10/20/06 Syrphid Fly (Temnostoma balyras, subtribe Philippimyiina, tribe Milesiini), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07 Flower Fly (Syrphus genus, Syrphinae subfamily), Boone, Watauga County, 8/31/05. Toxomerus Hoverfly (Toxomerus geminatus), Durham, 4/15/05.  Flower fly (Toxomerus marginalis), Southern Village, Orange County, NC, 11/13/07    

 

Bee fly (Exoprosopa fascipennis), Fort Fisher Recreational Area, New Hanover County, NC, 6/24/08 Bee fly (Exoprosopa fasciata), Ft. Fisher, New Hanover County, NC, 9/16/07
       
         


       
European Honeybee (Apis mellifera, subfamily Apinae, family Apidae), Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 3/17/06.  Cicada Killer (Sphecius speciosus, Handlirschiina subgenus, Bembicini tribe, Bembicinae subfamily), Durham, NC, 8/1/08 Yellow Jackets (Vespula vulgaris?) mating.  Durham, NC, 11/20/08 Yes, wasps have predators, although you don't hear about them too much.  This robber fly is subduing a hornet with what seems like very unflylike behavior: note the hornet's stinger.  Duke Forest Gate #12, Durham, NC, 8/23/06.        

 

         
Cuckoo Bee (Nomada genus, Heminomada subgenus, most likely Imbricata species).  ID thanks to John S. Ascher. Crabronid wasp (Philanthus gibbosus), NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 8/28/06.  This is a predator of halictid bees. Ichneumonid Wasp, Durham, 10/29/05.  Members of the Ichneumonidae family Tiphiid wasps (Myzinum genus), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/07, struggling to get into one little hole in the sand. Wasp (Scolia nobilitata).  NOTE: The ITIS does not list the species nobilitata. Picture-winged Fly (Meliera genus), Southpoint Swamp, Durham, NC, 7/12/07          


 
Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Durham, NC, 8/23/10 Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus), Durham, 8/9/04.  This butterfly typically stays in the Deep South, but is occasionally seen in Piedmont NC. Gray hairstreak (Stryman melinus), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/2/06 Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), Durham, 9/4/05. Nessus Sphinx (Amphion floridensis), Durham, NC, 7/10/04.  This moth was about an inch long.  

 

         
Tiger Moth (Spilosoma congrua) caterpillar, found by Meg Millard on the ground on her street. ID thanks to John and Jane Balaban. 5th instar Monarch caterpillar, Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC, 8/28/10          

 

         
Male Calico Pennant Dragonfly (Celithemis elisa), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 5/20/10          

Complex Stripe Patterns

         
Oak Treehopper (Platycotis vittata), Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County, NC, 5/22/08.  That's a pants leg it's hanging onto. Monarch, Durham, NC, 10/19/04.  Notice how the hind wing is pale orange, in contrast with most of the forewing. From this side, the same Queen looks a lot more like a Monarch.  But note that both wings are the same medium brown, and the white spots are more widely scattered. Viceroy, Durham, NC, 9/14/05.          

Copyright © 2010 by Dorothy E. Pugh.  All rights reserved.  Please contact for rights to use photos.

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