Insects, Spiders, Centipedes, Millipedes - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (2024)
Insects
Insects are everywhere at Padre Island. From the beach back to the lagoon and everywhere in between these creepy crawlies can be found. Many of them are beneficial to the environment and all serve a purpose in the island's ecology. Some of the many types of insects found in and around the park include butterflies, moths, beetles, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, bees, flies, and more. Native bees and butterflies can be seen from the Grasslands Nature Trail where they pollinate the many flowering plants. Dragonflies emerge in great numbers at the beginning of fall;these areal aces are capable of snatching and eating other insects mid-flight.
There have been butterfly and moth surveys done over the years and we have an incomplete butterfly checklist. A good website for more information on insects is: http://www.bugguide.net
Mercury and studying alien-like creatures... though it sounds extraterrestrial, it's right here at Padre Island National Seashore! Padre Island National Seashore joins national parks from Alaska to Maine and now all the way down to South Texas with this park service-wide initiative to understand the spatial distribution of mercury through studying dragonfly larvae. During Summer 2016, volunteers, students, and scouts assisted park rangers from the Interpretation Division to collect, measure, and identify larvae for this important citizen-science project.
Mercury is a highly potent neurotoxin that affects both humans and wildlife, and the largest source of mercury contamination is coal-fired power plants. Mercury increases as it moves up the food chain, and as a result, large predator fish can have mercury concentrations 1- 10 million times the mercury concentrations in the water! Dragonfly larvae can live up to 5 years in the water as larvae and since they are also incredible predators, they take in mercury from smaller creatures that they eat. As a result, they can be subjected to and accumulate more mercury and since dragonfly larvae are an important food source for many types of animals, they can shed light on the transfer of mercury within food webs.
The Dragonfly Mercury Project is a partnership with the United States Geological Society (USGS), the national Park Service (NPS), and the University of Maine. We thank them for making this experience possible and for allowing us to bring it to Padre Island National Seashore!
Centipedes are long, thin arthropods with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite "centi" in their name, which implies 100 legs, centipedes have anywhere from fewer than 20 legs to over 300 legs, but they always have an odd number of pairs of legs.
Padre Island National Seashore is the most important nesting beach in the U.S. for the Kemp's ridley, the most endangered sea turtle in the world. The park has been a participant in a bi-national, multi-agency effort to save the Kemp's ridley sea turtle since 1978.
arthropod: Any of numerous invertebrate animals of the phylum Arthropoda, including the insects, crustaceans, arachnids and myriapods, that are characterized by an exoskeleton made of a hard material called chitin and a segmented body to which jointed appendages are attached in pairs.
Residual treatments of Onslaught FastCap, Talstar Professional spray or Demon WP applied to cracks, crevices and other hiding places will give good control both indoors and outdoors. Dust formulations of DeltaDust or TriDie are very useful for treating wall voids and crawl spaces.
plenipes have over 600 legs, twice the average for millipede species, with one recorded specimen having 750 legs. It had the most legs of any species known until Eumillipes persephone was described in 2021, which had 1306 legs. It is relatively small-bodied among millipedes.
Beaches in South Padre Island are objectively more scenic and isolated than those on the North end of the Padre Island National Seashore. Gulf waters are tested annually and South Padre Island regularly rates among the safest, cleanest water.
Swimming and wading are allowed in the Gulf of Mexico along North Beach, Malaquite Beach, and South Beach, and in the Laguna Madre at Bird Island Basin. The Malaquite Beach area near the visitor center provides ample parking, picnic areas, restrooms and showers. Use caution when swimming and never swim alone.
Fun Facts. – South Padre Island is the longest barrier island in the world. – The island is home to many species of sea turtles, including the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. – The island's sand dunes can reach heights of up to 50 feet.
Biting centipedes use venom inject their prey with toxins. These chemicals harm small insects but pose no serious threat to humans. The worst side effects from centipede bites are usually mild pain and swelling. To avoid bites while outdoors, be careful when reaching into woodpiles or under stones.
Answer: What you may have found are carpet beetle larvae. They are characteristically brown, they may look banded with brown and pale stripes, and with long ”hairs” at the tail end. They are slow moving across walls and floors.
They prefer to be outdoors, but infestations in homes are also common, especially in cases of bad weather. If they get inside, millipedes will flock to dark, moist areas of your home such as attics or crawl spaces.
Tea tree oil or Peppermint oil are overwhelming to centipedes. Add 25 drops of either essential oil into a spray bottle with 6 ounces of water. Spray around door frames, windows, small cracks and basem*nt doors. Repeat once a week to keep centipedes away.
Indoors, D-Fense Dust and Supreme should be used to control Millipedes that have made their way inside the structure. Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules are a granular insecticide labeled to treat many different common household insects, including Millipedes.
Vinegar. Vinegar is another natural repellent that can help to keep millipedes away. You can mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it around your home.
All about the blue whale. The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth. It can grow to 100 feet (30.5 m) in length and weigh as much as 200 tons — the weight of 30 elephants and longer than the longest jumbo jet.
Despite the common name, no millipede was known to have 1,000 legs until 2021: common species have between 34 and 400 legs, and the record is held by Eumillipes persephone, with individuals possessing up to 1,306 legs – more than any other creature on Earth.
Its genus, Eumillipes, is derived from the Latin words for 'true', 'thousand' and 'foot', recognising it as the first, and so far only, millipede to have more than 1,000 legs.
Among animals with no legs we find parasitic worms, earthworms, tapeworm, various blood parasites, fish, snake, legless lizard, whale, seal, walrus, clam, sponge, sea urchin, anemone, and octopus.
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