Home    Thumbnail Guide  Places to Go      Basic Information    Latest Photos    Acknowledgements   Contact Us

Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

        

Other Insects (infraclass Neoptera, subclass Pterygota, class Insecta, subphylum Hexapoda, phylum Arthropoda, kingdom Animalia, domain Eukaryota) 

This is a very miscellaneous assortment of insects.  Go to True Bugs, Flies, Moths, Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies),  Mantids or Beetles to see yet others.

Validity of taxa was checked against the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

  Dobsonflies and Fishflies (Megaloptera order)
Dobsonfly (family Corydalidae), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 5/29/05.   Fishfly (family Corydalidae), Durham, NC, 6/8/07

Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulotermes flavipes, Rhinotermitidae family, Isoptera order)

These termites have moniliform antennae: each segment has several little hairs on it.
 
Worker termites, Cox Mountain, Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 10/21/07, found under a log.  They were very tiny, less than 2 mm long. Worker termites, Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area, Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 3/22/08 Soldier termite, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 3/14/08  


     
Winged termites about to mate, Durham, NC, 4/18/08.  Note that the female has removed her big wings for this purpose. Worker ant subduing a winged termite, Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area, Orange County, NC, 4/9/06      

Scorpionflies (Panorpa genus, Panorpidae family, Mecoptera order)

Male Common Scorpionfly (Panorpa genus, order Mecoptera, family Panorpidae), Blue Ridge Parkway, Marker 299, NC, 8/5/08. Male Common Scorpionfly, Macon County, NC, 8/9/05. Female Common Scorpionfly,  Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/27/07. Female Common Scorpionfly, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 9/18/05. Common Scorpionfly, Durham, NC, 11/8/08.  Common Scorpionfly, Durham, 4/28/06

Hangingflies (Bittacidae family, Mecoptera order)

At first glance, hangingflies seem similar to crane flies, but hangingflies have four wings and can seize insect prey with their unusual legs.

Hangingfly, Durham, NC, 6/8/07 Hangingfly, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 5/20/09

Stoneflies (Plecoptera order)

These insects need very clean water to survive.  Both stoneflies below were seen near New Hope Creek at Johnston Mill Nature Preserve.

       
Stonefly, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, 4/18/09 Common Stonefly (perhaps Agnetina flavescens, Perlidae family).  One antennae was truncated.  Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/24/09        

Barklice (Psocoptera order)

These tiny animals are amazingly diverse, common and typically overlooked where I live, at least when they're outside!

     
Barklouse nymph (Liposcelididae family, Nanopsocetae infraorder, Troctomorpha suborder) was less than 1 mm long.  ID according to Marshall (2006), p. 159 Adult Narrow Barklouse (Graphosocus cruciatus), about 2 mm long, caught in flight.  Greenville, SC, 6/11/10.  In order of lower to higher taxa, it's classified as belonging to Stenopsocidae, Caeciliusetae, Psocetae, Psocomorpha and Psocodea, according to the relevant Tree of Life Web page.  According to this page, Psocodea replaces the traditional Psocoptera order.  Adult Narrow Barklouse  (Graphosocus cruciatus, family Stenopsocidae), Durham, NC, 6/30/08.  It has spun a web close to this leaf's surface.  Order ID thanks to v belov Adult barklouse (Hemipsocus chloroticus), Durham, NC, 8/1/08.  ID thanks to v belov. Barklouse nymph? Durham, NC, 5/25/09, about 1 mm long.  ID uncertain.      

Mayflies (Ephemeroptera order)

The Eurylophella enoensis species, peculiar to the Eno River State Park (Durham and Orange Counties, NC), is not represented here.

Mayfly, Eno River State Park,
Pea Creek Trail, Orange County, NC, 9/12/07. 
Mayfly, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/30/07 Mayfly, Cox Mountain Trail, Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 5/6/07 Mayfly exuvia, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 7/15/07

Earwigs (Dermaptera order)

       
Earwig (Forficula auricularia), Durham, NC, 5/25/08        

Silverfish (Lepismatidae family, Zygentoma order)

   
Silverfish (outside), Durham, NC, 5/9/08    

Eggs

Egg?, Durham, 6/16/05.  You can see a dark head and a light body inside.  These eggs were each about an eighth of an inch long. Egg, Durham, 6/20/05.  The growing insect is mostly obscured. This seems to be farther along: the head is emerging, and organs seem to be visible.  It moved when I touched it. Egg mass, most probably those of a Horse Fly, Durham, near mini-swamp, 7/13/06

 

Eggs, Durham, NC, 6/17/07.  This egg mass, laid on a cattail leaf, was about 6 mm long.

 

  © 2006 Dorothy E. Pugh

 

Google