What Did the Monsoons Yield in the Anza Borrego Desert?

A quick trip to see.

Gary and I headed down to Coyote Canyon in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, and then set up a couple black lights in Borrego Springs after dark. Four days previously the area had a great deal of rain (and flooding) from some monsoonal moisture that moved into the area.

Coyote Canyon:

We only made it as far as First Crossing, and the road in to that point was pretty rough and showed places where there had been massive mud piles a couple days earlier.

There had been much more water than this at its peak, judging from the mud and flood-signs. The leading edge of the stream receded and then moved forward again while we watched - strange.

Just past where we parked the truck. The flowering shrub appears to be Petalonyx thurberi.

Nemognatha sp. on Petalonyx. These little blister beetles were abundant on one bush that I saw, and absent on all the others I looked at. They were actively feeding on nectar with their long mouthparts, then would clean their mouthparts carefully after sipping (as shown below)!

Tidying up.

I also saw these stink bugs on the Petalonyx. After a bit of searching on Bugguide.net after returning home I found that they appear to be Agonoscelis puberula (the African Cluster Bug), a non-native True Bug, first collected in the U.S. in 1990.

Honey Bees were out and about (no surprise there).

A carpenter bee at Desert Willow, which was also flowering.

Asbolus verrucosus, a darkling beetle. We had seen these in Coyote Canyon in the spring of this year also.

Raccoon tracks in the mud.

"Cat" or "dog" track? Since there's some debate, I'll attach a couple photos below that are very typical "cat" tracks. The "M" shaped leading edge of the large pad is at least hard to see here, but there is a lack of good claw marks and the spread and overall gestalt seems cat-like, which would mean Bobcat (and not Coyote as I originally thought).

Bobcat track, just west of Shelter Valley, Anza Borrego Desert, August 2012. Better "M" shape...

Mountain Lion track, NAS Miramar, mid-1990s. Nice "M" plus massive size.

Roadrunner track. Very recognizable with two toes forward and two toes back.

After leaving the peaceful retreat of Coyote Canyon, we headed into Borrego Springs proper and set up black lights at a motel (closed for the hot season) with advance permission from the owners. There had been rumor of large beetles there last September, following monsoonal rainfall, and so I was hoping for Derobrachus sp. to come to the lights.

Here are some of the beetles that DID show (no Derobrachus this time!). They are shown roughly in the order in which they arrived at the sheets.

Hybosorus illigeri, a small shiny black beetle, in the Scavenger Scarab Beetle family. This is another non-native, originally from Europe and elsewhere in the Old World. Many came to the light, when in the past, in other locations, I have only seen a couple at a time at lights.

Cyclocephala sp. (possibly C. longula). 

Osmidus guttatus. This is the first I have seen of this species in San Diego County, although I have seen them regularly in Imperial County in the past. This one is a female (the male's antennae would be much longer).

Omorgus suberosus, a type of Hide Beetle. 

At first I thought this was the "common" Diplotaxis that seem to always appear at lights in our deserts in the summer. Then I noticed the hairiness and wondered what it was, as I did not remember hairiness on Diplotaxis in my limited experience. Thanks to Bob Androw at the Carnegie Museum for helping with its determination - it appears to be Diplotaxis fossipalpa, which is fairly hairy for this genus.

Creosote Bush Katydid (Insara covilleae), a very sharp-looking katydid indeed! These have always been uncooperative for photos in the past, but this one stayed put briefly.

A Diversion to Southeast Arizona in the Monsoon: Insects and Arachnids

Here are some of the insects (and others) seen on my annual trip to Southeast Arizona when the monsoon rains bring out life forms of all kinds...

This trip lasted from July 24 - 29, 2014.

For insects and arachnids (as for most life) the top priorities are 1) eating and 2), reproducing (not necessarily in that order). That theme keeps showing up in my photos!

Here are some (mostly) non-Coleoptera.

Robber fly with prey, east of Madera Canyon Road.

A large robber fly with what looks like a Mydas fly as prey. East of Madera Canyon Road.

Robber fly with Euphoria (a scarab beetle) prey. I think this may be Diogmates sp. (a hanging thief).

Apiomerus sp. - an assassin bug - after flying into a small spider web. Madera Canyon Road area.

Eupackardia calleta, a Giant Silkmoth. It appeared at my "woodsy" light in the upper Madera Canyon area.

A Jerusalum cricket which showed up at my parking lot light, upper Madera Canyon area.

Now the beetles, which were the focus of the trip. When I arrived at Madera Canyon on the 24th, there had been a long break on the monsoon in that area of Arizona (I would say over a week, based on the radar that I had watched in advance on weather web sites, and from talking to local people). The typical beetle abundance and diversity seemed low along Madera Canyon Road amongst the mesquites, and I wondered if this Colorado Potato Beetle might be a "special" beetle of the trip! So it was the first photographic subject!

Leptinotarsa decemlineata, on some member of the Solanaceae along Madera Canyon Road.

In the next few days, the monsoon came back in a big way, and some fantastic soaking rains fell day and night (but luckily not CONTINUOUSLY day and night in ONE place!) in the areas south of Tucson. Somehow, the storms never really seriously disrupted my activities (as big thunderstorms can completely ruin a black lighting evening). Although the massive storm that raged from around midnight until about 5 am on Saturday night while I was in my tent in Madera Canyon didn't exactly make for peaceful sleeping conditions!

More beetles.

Curculio sp., an acorn weevil. This is a female, with a very long beak. Upper Madera Canyon.

Now the beak-length differences are obvious between the sexes! Curculio sp., upper Madera Canyon.

Copris arizonensis. This well-horned male was lurking in the vicinity of a mercury vapor light near Pena Blanca Lake. This is only the second of this species I have seen, and in both cases the "lurking" behavior was displayed, near, but not "at" a light.

Enaphalodes hispicornis, a large cerambycid (long-horned beetle). Mount Lemmon, Santa Catalina Mountains.

Moneilema gigas, the common Moneilema in Arizona. Typically associated with cactus. The monsoon season is the time to reproduce, as many insects were demonstrating!

Chrysina lecontei, at Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson.

Enoclerus bimaculatus, a clerid or checkered beetle. I have seen this species on every trip to Madera Canyon over the past several years. 

Strategus cessus, an ox beetle. Mount Lemmon again.

Some arachnids now.

A large orb weaver, upper Madera Canyon area. 

The same spider as above. It has distinctive protrusions on the abdomen. I saw what seemed to be a similar species at Peppersauce Canyon a few years previously with Margarethe Brummermann and Eric Eaton. Identity to be determined later.

This seems to be Paraphidippus aurantius, which shows a huge amount of variation in colors and patterns. Margarethe Brummermann spotted it in my campsite in Madera Canyon and we both attempted various photos of it, including in natural light to preserve the green colors. This is one of my best images (not exactly tack-sharp).

Another angle of the same spider.

A scorpion, near Madera Canyon Road. Appears to be an Arizona Stripe-tailed (Vaejovis spinigerus).

A Speckled Rattlesnake in Cuyamaca Woods! Plus some additional rattlers of the region...

In over three decades of roaming the back country of San Diego County I've encountered plenty of Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oregonus helleri) and Red Diamond Rattlesnakes (Crotalus ruber). The Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus) has eluded me in all these years, but thanks to a thoughtful neighbor, I was able to not only see, but photograph a very young speckled specimen.

Since I was beetle-chasing in Arizona when the snake was initially found, the snake was kept safely in a plastic tote, in full shade, misted with water periodically for the couple days before I got back.

The little snake was in fine shape and ready to go when we visited.

Ready to slither - only one rattle segment present (the "button" or first rattle segment) so this is a very young individual. Each subsequent shedding event will result in a new segment being added.

We released the little snake some distance away and its first priority was to get away and hide! It was a warm morning, so it moved rapidly. I managed a few photos before it found shelter under a rock.

The best image when it stopped briefly and assumed a semi-coil. This species has less-obvious diamond markings than the other two rattler species in the region. This snake tends to occur where there are boulders (which are typically granite), so it is well camouflaged for a landscape rich in granite.

On the move, and nicely camouflaged here also!

Here are images of the other two rattlesnake species commonly found west of the deserts in San Diego County.

Crotalus oregonus helleri, the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. This was a young one I encountered in the mid-1990s at Naval Air Station Miramar when I was doing vertebrate survey work in graduate school. In over five years of year-round field work on this Navy base, I probably saw a rattlesnake on average every other day in the warm seasons. Usually I detected them by walking within a foot of so of them. Sometimes they rattled and sometimes not! Needless to say, I (and my colleagues) wore metal-mesh knee-length gaiters in the field!

A "newborn" Southern Pacific on our patio in Cuyamaca Woods in October of 2010. Rattlesnakes retain their eggs which hatch internally, and then the babies are "born" (which is called ovovivipary).

A close-up of the snake shown above. That looks like a "pre-button" on its tail - the VERY first rattle segment present directly following birth.

An older Southern Pacific on our property, August 2013. The jays' mobbing behavior tipped me off about the whereabouts of this snake. 

Another adult Southern Pacific, NAS Miramar, Green Farms Road, mid-1990s.

Crotalus ruber, the Red Diamond Rattlesnake. For some reason, this is the only photograph I have of this fairly common species (common at least in my experience). This one was under a board that had been set out for the purpose of attracting herps (reptiles and/or amphibians) during the vertebrate survey on NAS Miramar in the mid-1990s. There was an (empty) mouse nest under the board also! This species is much redder than the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, and has a "coon tail", a black and white banded terminal portion to the tail, just before the rattle. This is a Federal Special Concern species, and a California Special Concern species.  

Below are two other southern California rattlesnakes, found east of the mountains.

Crotalus cerastes, the Sidewinder. This species can exist in sandy regions of the deserts. I have seen it in the Anza Borrego Desert State park, and the individual below was photographed in the Algodones Dunes in Imperial County (south of Glamis). This particular snake above slithered up to less than six inches from my right thigh when I was crouched in the sand photographing dune-dwelling insects last August. I spotted it before actually putting my hand down on it, and reflexively lurched towards the left in the sand. It went the other way, and then cooperated for a (cautious-on-my-part) photo-session.

Crotalus atrox, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. I found this one in the region of the Algodones Dunes a couple miles north of Glamis in April of 2010. I stepped fairly near it while hiking out of the dunes back towards my car in the late morning before seeing it. I was wearing snake gaiters! Notice the "coon tail" again - a feature of this species as well. 

This last snake is not a California resident, but instead is found in Arizona and regions of Mexico south of Arizona. It is a beautiful and seldem-seen (at least for me!) snake, so I can't resist including it at the end here.

Crotalus tigris, the Tiger Rattlesnake. Thanks to a herper (reptile/amphibian enthusiast) who found this snake in Montosa Canyon, Arizona last July. Many participants in the "Bugguide Gathering 2013" saw and photographed the snake.

Robyn (in orange T-shirt), and fellow bug people, taking a vertebrate-break.

NOTE: Rattlesnake venom varies in its effects, depending on the species, but is always highly damaging to tissues and can lead to death if untreated. Take serious caution when walking or exploring in places where rattlesnakes can live. If you're unfamiliar with rattlesnake behavior, it's not recommended that you photograph rattlesnakes, especially when they are coiled.

Found: One Small, Lethargic Bat

We discovered a lone bat on the ground today, under the oaks near Mountain Meadow Road. It is quite tiny (under 2 inches in body length, excluding the tail) and seemed lethargic (no surprise, as it would normally be hidden in a roost at this time of the day). I photographed it and then we relocated it to the interior of a large manzanita bush for the time being. I checked on it about a half hour ago, and it was hanging upside down in a "healthy-looking" posture (for a bat) in the manzanita. We were highly cautious in its handling in case it was rabid.

Perhaps California Myotis or Long-legged Myotis? Any bat experts are welcome to help with identification!

Some Insects and Other Arthropods from San Felipe Creek

We took a short trip down to San Felipe Creek in the desert, and encountered some interesting arthropod fauna after dark.

A small orb weaver with wrapped-up prey. This specimen was only about 9-10 mm in body length. Will do some searching on-line to try to identify it. This spider had it's web in a mesquite.

Dinacoma marginata. Have seen these in this spot before in a prior year.

These two males came to the flashlight beam as we walked a dirt road after dark.

Eleodes sp., as identified on Bugguide. This is the very large, robust, shiny species that seems abundant in the San Felipe Creek area. They tend to be about 30 mm in body length.

Looks like Euthysanius. E. lautus? Much smaller than the E. lautus we see in the Cuyamaca Mountains in summer. This one was about 17 mm long, and others seen were smaller.

My best guess as to identity for this clerid is Enoclerus quadrisignatus.