Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes

Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Nest

NPS Photo

Insects are rarely listed when we ask visitors what's their favorite creature in the park. People are often afraid of spiders, complaining about mosquitoes, or tiptoeing around fire ants. Although these creatures can bite, sting, and annoy, they also sustain an amazing food web, indicate healthy eco-systems, and pollinate our favorite plants.

Dragonflies and damselflies are seen flying around the park. The eastern pondhawk is an athletic, swift-flying predator, able to catch damselflies and other insect prey. When newly emerged, the dragonflies at first hunt away from water. After about two weeks they return to the ponds and males set up territories, chasing away rivals.

Another amazing insect predator, best known in its larvae stage, is the antlion. These ambush predators lie in wait and seize small insects, they even dig dig puts, waiting at the bottom to catch and eat falling ants.

Decomposers like the Eastern Hercules beetle can be found in a log on the forest floor. They are one of the largest insects in the United States. They feed on logs, stumps, fallen leaves and rotten fruit. What would your visit to the park look like with out the work of decomposers?

 

Female banana spiders are much larger than the males.

NPS

Spiders and their notable webs are a common sighting in Timucuan Preserve. The golden silk orb weaver, or banana spider as many locals call it, builds large asymmetrical circular webs attached to trees and low shrubs. Look out during early morning hikes as you may walk though an overnight construction. The spiders are generally harmless to humans and in fact their webs provide two-fold benefits. One, they catch mosquitoes which may carry harmful disease, and two, their silk is use in spider silk research with biomedical applications.

 

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve

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Species attribute definitions

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