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Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists

Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists

Appreciate the natural wonders of Sabino Canyon

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Insects

Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda (from Greek árthron, “joint”, and pous (gen. podos), i.e. “foot” or “leg,” which together mean “jointed leg”).

Class distinctions include

  • insects (grasshoppers, butterflies, beetles, ants, etc. 1,000,000 described world species),
  • arachnids (spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, etc. 65,000 described world species),
  • crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, barnacles, isopods etc. 44,000 described world species),
  • chilopods (centipedes. 2,800 described world species), and
  • diplopods (millipedes. 10,000 described world species)

Arthropods are highly diverse. It is the largest of all animal phyla and accounts for over three quarters of all currently known living and fossil organisms. The exact number of living arthropod species is unknown since many have yet to be identified, especially those inhabiting tropical rainforests.

American Snout Butterfly

American Snout Butterfly grasping a Palo Verde leaflet

When perched with its wings closed, the butterfly can look much like a dead leaf, the snout appearing to be the stem of …

Black Widow Spider

Black Widow Spider

The Black widow has the worst reputation of any spider, but is not aggressive unless defending her cocoon. The male does …

Flame Skimmer Dragonfly

Flame Skimmer Dragonfly 1

The Flame Skimmer is a large robust bright orange dragonfly with extensive amber color in the wings. Dragonflies and …

Funnel-Web Spider

Funnel-Web Spider

These spiders are are very shy and usually stay hidden until they sense a vibration in the web made by a prey item …

Great Purple Hairstreak

Great Purple Hairstreak 1

The message to people who want to get rid of all their desert mistletoe is “no mistletoe, no butterfly” and that would …

Green Lynx Spider

Green Lynx Spider

Unlike many spiders, it does not spin a web to trap its food. This beautiful creature is in the Phylum: Arthropoda, …

Iron-Cross Blister Beetle

Iron-Cross Blister Beetle

The red front looks ant-like and their rear looks beetle-like. Each spring in April, brightly colored Iron-Cross …

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly chrysalis

A diet of milkweed makes this butterfly distasteful to predators and the orange coloration is a warning that says to …

Mydas Fly

Mydas Fly

Mydas flies are wasp mimics and resemble a large Tarantula Hawk when in flight but are harmless to humans This …

Palo Verde Root Borer

Palo Verde Root Borer

The female lays eggs in holes about a foot deep under host Palo Verde trees where the grubs then feed on the …

Queen Butterfly

Queen Butterfly

In warmer climates they are active year round. They like warm sunny days and they don’t like wind. Queen butterflies, …

Sara Orangetip

Sara Orangetip 3

Sara Orangetips are quite distinctive. They are a small 1½-inch white butterflies with bright orange wing tips. I am …

Tarantula Hawk Wasp

Tarantula Hawk Wasp

Tarantula hawks are easily recognized by their robust, iridescent blue-black bodies and (usually) shiny orange wings.  …

Veined Ctenucha

Gneiss News November 2017 6

Moths ordinarily fly at night and rest with their wings in a horizontal position. I remember well the first time I …

Yellow Paper Wasp

Yellow Paper Wasp 2

The thin paper hexagonal-shaped nest (comb) is often found under a building overhang. These large wasps are easy to …

Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists
5700 N Sabino Canyon Road
Tucson, AZ 85750

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