GUMO Arthropod Identification Monograph References

Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Arthropod Identification References

The following reference list is inserted for information purposes only. The materials do not specifically apply to the Park but persons wishing to identify, or learn more about, specimens or other arthropod artifacts found in the Park may find them useful. This list is not exhaustive. References to more technical material can often be found by consulting these sources. There are more orders of arthropods than covered in this listing. If you are unsure what you have or saw, consult the general guides for comparable photographs. If you can't find a reasonble match (you are unlikely to find an exact match), consult a general entomology textbook or someone with some expertise.

Authors often divide the country into two parts, the east and the west with the dividing line falling at 100 degrees west longitude. Since arthropods distributions are governed by real environmental factors rather than artificial designations like longitude lines, some species will naturally occur on both sides of this dividing line. Since the Park lies near this line, reference materials applicable to both the east and the west may be useful for the identification of arthropods found in the Park. Materials specifically for nearby states, especially New Mexico and Arizona, may also be useful.

Note: Most of these references do not in any way claim to be complete. Most of the species found in the Park will not be found in these references but the references will help you determine their identification and hopefully point you in the right direction if you want something more exact.

General Field Guides

General Field Guides: Guide to the Common Texas Insects by B.M. Drees and J.A. Jackman; Learn About ... Texas Insects from Texas Parks and Wildlife Press; Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders; Simon and Schuster's Guide to the Insects; Peterson Field Guide to the Insects; Golden Guide (one to insects, one to plant pests); any introductory entomology textbook will help you get started

Aquatic Invertebrates (more than just arthropods): Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States by R.W. Pennak; Introduction to Aquatic Insects of North America by R.W. Merritt and K.W. Cummins

Order Specific Materials

Ephemeroptera (mayflies): consult books on aquatic insects; for example: Introduction to Aquatic Insects of North America by R.W. Merritt and K.W. Cummins

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies): Note: Many species, but not all species, can be confidently identified visually; Dragonflies of North America by J.G. Needham, M.J. Westfall and M.L. May; Damselflies of North America by M.J. Westfall and M.L. May; Dragonflies through Binoculars by S. Dunkle

Phasmida (walkingsticks): How to Know the Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches and their Allies by J. Helfer

Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids and crickets): There are a number of issues surrounding the identification of grasshoppers.
The following problems are sited by Otte (1981) on page 3:
    sexes may differ in color, wing length and size (some display pronounced sexual dimorphism)
    geographic variation is a problem since background matching is important
    in some species several major color pattern morphs exist and varieties in each
    other variations may be present
    the visibility of some features may be affected by the color variant.
In addition the following should be noted:
    some species have long-winged and short-winged variants
    the colors of pinned specimens may differ significantly from those found in the field
    (compare Richman et al. with the drawings and Otte or the photos in the Wyoming database).

Mantodea (praying mantids): How to Know the Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches and their Allies by J. Helfer

Blattaria (cockroaches): How to Know the Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches and their Allies by J. Helfer

Isoptera (termites): How to Know the Grasshoppers, Crickets, Cockroaches and their Allies by J. Helfer

Hemiptera (true bugs): no specific references - some of these cause agricultural problems; check with your local agricultural representatives

Homoptera (cicadas, leaf & plant hoppers, psyllids, whiteflies, aphids and scale insects): no specific references - many of these cause agricultural problems; check with your local agricultural representatives

Neuroptera (nerve-winged insects): no specific references

Coleoptera (beetles): Peterson Field Guide to the Beetles

Diptera (flies or true flies): Manual of Nearctic Diptera Vol 1 and 2 from Agriculture Canada; The Flies of Western North America by F. Cole

Trichoptera (caddisflies): consult books on aquatic insects; for example: Introduction to Aquatic Insects of North America by R.W. Merritt and K.W. Cummins

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths): Note: Butterflies are the most completely covered group of insects.; Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies; Peterson Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America East of the Great Plains; Peterson Field Guide to the Western Butterflies; Butterflies through Binoculars - A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Eastern North America by J. Glassberg; Butterflies through Binoculars - the West by J. Glassberg; A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Texas by R. Neck; A Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas by E. Knudson and C. Bordelon; Peterson Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America; Peterson First Guide to the Caterpillars

Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants): Bee Genera of North and Central America by C.D. Michener, R.J. McGinley and B.N. Danforth; The Ants by B. Holldobler and E.O. Wilson; Fire Ants by S. W. Taber; World of the Harvester Ant By S. W. Taber

Araneae (spiders): Note: For exact identification, sexually mature spiders are usually required.; Spiders of North America - an identification manual editors D. Ubick, P. Paquin, P.E. Cushing and V. Roth c 2005; Spider Genera of North America by V. Roth - 3rd edition c 1993 (technical); A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of Texas by J. Jackman; Golden Guide to the Spiders and Their Kin; Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders

Other Arachnids (scorpions, harvestmen, ticks, sunspiders, etc.): A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of Texas by J. Jackman; Golden Guide to the Spiders and Their Kin

Class Diplopoda (millipedes): Golden Guide to the Spiders and Their Kin

Class Chilopoda (centipedes): Golden Guide to the Spiders and Their Kin

Subphylum Crustacea (crustaceans including isopods - pillbugs, sowbugs): Golden Guide to the Spiders and Their Kin

Links

Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park Arthropod Identification References

General Field Guides

Order Specific Materials

Links

Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Arthropod Identification References