Wildlife of Proto-Town/Bugs

Wildlife guide: Overview · Plants · Fungi · Animals · Birds · Bugs · Microbial life

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“Bugs” is used here in the everyday sense and includes insects, spiders, ticks, and scorpions. Most small arthropods are harmless or beneficial; avoid handling an unfamiliar specimen solely to obtain a closer identification.

Red imported fire ant

Red imported fire ant
Type	Insect; ant
Scientific name	Solenopsis invicta
Texan regional name	Fire ant
Origin	Introduced; invasive
Conservation status	Regulated pest; not endangered
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Workers swarm and sting repeatedly, producing burning pain and sterile pustules; large numbers of stings can be medically serious.

Red imported fire ants build loose-soil mounds, often without an obvious central opening, in lawns, roadsides, pastures, and electrical equipment. Colonies respond rapidly when a mound is disturbed and harm native wildlife as well as people and livestock.

Encounter guidance: Step away quickly, brush ants off, and wash the area. Do not rupture pustules. Call 911 for breathing difficulty, throat swelling, faintness, or other signs of a severe allergic reaction; use an established integrated pest-management program for colonies.

Southern black widow

Southern black widow
Type	Arachnid; cobweb spider
Scientific name	Latrodectus mactans
Texan regional name	Black widow
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Venom affects the nervous system and can cause severe muscle cramping, abdominal or chest pain, sweating, and nausea.

Adult females are glossy dark spiders that often have a red hourglass on the underside of the abdomen. They build irregular, strong webs in sheltered undisturbed spaces such as meter boxes, stored materials, crawl spaces, and outdoor furniture. They do not pursue people and usually bite only when trapped or pressed.

Encounter guidance: Do not reach into a web or blind cavity with bare hands. For a suspected bite, wash the site and contact Poison Control or a clinician promptly; call 911 for severe symptoms.

Brown recluse

Brown recluse
Type	Arachnid; recluse spider
Scientific name	Loxosceles reclusa
Texan regional name	Brown recluse; fiddleback
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Bites can cause painful skin injury and, rarely, serious systemic illness. Many unrelated wounds are incorrectly blamed on this spider.

Brown recluses are plain tan-brown spiders with six eyes arranged in three pairs; the often-mentioned violin mark is not a reliable identification by itself. They favor dry, dark, rarely disturbed spaces in boxes, closets, sheds, and stored materials and may become trapped against skin in clothing or bedding.

Encounter guidance: Shake out stored clothing and use gloves when moving boxes or scrap. If bitten, wash the area, photograph the spider from a safe distance if possible, and seek medical advice; do not attempt home surgery on the wound.

Texas brown tarantula

Texas brown tarantula
Type	Arachnid; tarantula
Scientific name	Aphonopelma hentzi
Texan regional name	Texas brown tarantula
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Large and intimidating but generally reluctant to bite; defensive hairs can irritate skin and eyes.

This heavy-bodied brown spider lives in burrows and hunts insects at night. Mature males may wander across roads and open ground during the warm-season mating period. Its size is conspicuous, but medically significant bites are not expected in ordinary encounters.

Encounter guidance: Do not handle or crowd it. Give it room to walk away; keep the face and eyes away from a defensive spider and wash exposed skin if irritating hairs are contacted.

Striped bark scorpion

Striped bark scorpion
Type	Arachnid; scorpion
Scientific name	Centruroides vittatus
Texan regional name	Bark scorpion; striped scorpion
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Sting is usually not life-threatening but can be intensely painful and cause swelling, numbness, or muscle symptoms.

The striped bark scorpion is the most frequently encountered scorpion in much of Texas. It shelters beneath bark, rocks, lumber, debris, shoes, and equipment by day and hunts small arthropods at night. Under ultraviolet light it fluoresces blue-green.

Encounter guidance: Shake out shoes and gloves and avoid placing bare hands under stored objects. For a sting, wash the area and contact Poison Control for guidance; seek urgent care for severe or spreading symptoms.

Texas kissing bug

Texas kissing bug
Type	Insect; assassin bug
Scientific name	Triatoma gerstaeckeri
Texan regional name	Kissing bug; cone-nose bug
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Can carry Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Transmission normally involves infected feces entering a bite, eye, or broken skin—not the bite alone.

This large, dark, nocturnal true bug has an elongated cone-shaped head and orange or red markings along the abdomen. It feeds on vertebrate blood and may occur near wildlife nests, kennels, porches, and buildings. Similar-looking wheel bugs and leaf-footed bugs do not share the same public-health role.

Encounter guidance: Do not crush it against bare skin. Trap it in a closed container without direct contact, clean the area, and photograph or submit it through an appropriate Texas identification program; consult a clinician or veterinarian about suspected exposure.

Lone star tick

Lone star tick
File:Amblyomma americanum tick.jpg
Type	Arachnid; hard tick
Scientific name	Amblyomma americanum
Texan regional name	Lone star tick
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Bites can transmit ehrlichiosis and other pathogens and can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to mammalian meat and products.

Adult females have a single pale spot on the back, while nymphs are much smaller and lack the prominent mark. Lone star ticks actively pursue hosts in brush, tall grass, and leaf litter and are common in the south-central United States.

Encounter guidance: Use repellent and perform full-body tick checks after outdoor work. Remove an attached tick promptly with fine-tipped tweezers by pulling steadily near the skin; record the date and seek medical advice if fever, rash, or other illness follows.

Southern house mosquito

Southern house mosquito
Type	Insect; mosquito
Scientific name	Culex quinquefasciatus
Texan regional name	House mosquito
Origin	Native or longstanding cosmopolitan population
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Some mosquitoes can transmit West Nile virus and other pathogens; an individual mosquito cannot be judged infectious by appearance.

Southern house mosquitoes are plain brown mosquitoes that breed in stagnant, nutrient-rich water and often bite from dusk through the night. Containers, clogged drains, tires, and neglected water features can produce many adults close to buildings.

Encounter guidance: Use EPA-registered repellent and protective clothing. Empty or treat standing water, maintain screens, and report unusual mosquito abundance or clusters of illness through local public-health channels.

Western honey bee

Western honey bee
File:Apis mellifera flying.jpg
Type	Insect; bee
Scientific name	Apis mellifera
Texan regional name	Honey bee
Origin	Introduced; naturalized and managed
Conservation status	Not federally endangered
Hazard	NUISANCE / USE CARE Workers sting defensively and leave a barbed stinger; colony defense can result in many stings.

Honey bees are social pollinators that live in managed hives or cavities and visit many flowers. A compact swarm hanging from a branch is usually temporary and less defensive than an established colony, but it should still be given space.

Encounter guidance: Do not strike, spray, or disturb a swarm or colony. Move indoors or into a vehicle if many bees attack, protect the face, and call 911 for severe allergic symptoms; arrange removal through an experienced beekeeper or pest professional.

Red velvet ant

Red velvet ant
File:Dasymutilla occidentalis 02.jpg
Type	Insect; wingless female wasp
Scientific name	Dasymutilla occidentalis
Texan regional name	Cow killer; velvet ant
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not federally listed
Hazard	PAINFUL OR SIGNIFICANT DANGER Females can deliver an exceptionally painful sting, although the sting is not ordinarily fatal.

Despite the name, velvet ants are parasitoid wasps. The conspicuous red-orange and black female is wingless and walks rapidly across open ground, while males have wings. The bright color and squeaking defensive sound advertise a strong sting rather than aggression.

Encounter guidance: Do not pick it up or pin it with a shoe. Let it pass; if stung, wash the area, use basic first aid, and contact Poison Control for severe or unusual symptoms.

Monarch butterfly

Monarch butterfly
File:Danaus plexippus Male 3000px.jpg
Type	Insect; butterfly
Scientific name	Danaus plexippus
Texan regional name	Monarch
Origin	Native migrant
Conservation status	Conservation concern; verify current federal listing status before management action
Hazard	No special hazard label

Monarchs pass through Central Texas during spring and autumn migrations. Adults are orange with black veins and borders; caterpillars are banded black, white, and yellow and feed on native milkweeds. The insects store milkweed toxins that deter many predators, but ordinary observation is harmless to people.

Sources

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: fire ant management
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: spiders
• CDC: preventing mosquito and tick bites
• CDC: preventing Chagas disease