Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-08-16
THE INJURIOUS INSECTS OF
NEW MEXICO.


BY T, D. A. CoCKERELL.
To the entomologist New Mexico is a
country full of possibilities; one year diff
fers from another and no one can predict
what is going to happen. The reason of
this is largely that the cultivated districts
are in what may be termed condition of
unstable equilibrium, owing to the re-
markable changes in the face of the coun-
try lately brought about by the hand of
man. Before New Mexico was inhabited
by civilized people, the plains and noun
tains had their native animals and plants,
which in the course of ages had become
adapted to the environment, and had at
tained for the most part a condition of
comparative stability as to numbers, dis
tribution and peculiarities. Even them
changes were taking place, slowly, per-
haps, but surely, one type supplanting
another; but nothing had happened to
radically alter the character of the coun-
try for many years-one may say, ages.
The advent Of civilized man, md espec-
tally the so-called American population,
has brought about more change than
many of US realize. The forests have been
to a large-a deplorable sxtent q stroyed;
the grass lands have been given over to
cattle and sheep; the valleys have been
irrigated, and what was almost desert
land is now covered by crops of fruit and
vegetables, or fields of alfalfa.
II requires little consideration to see
that these changes must have had an i'm
mense effect on the insect fauna. The
species which formerly inhabited many
large tracts of country, have been forced
either to abandon them or change their
habits.
The land now covered with abundant
crops will nevertheless support far
greater number of insects than formerly
but their character is largely different.
Kinds which formerly we're scarce or linn
tied to small area, now increase and be-
come widespread, while others lose their
ground and may even become extinct.
In England, where cultivation has been
carried to extreme lengths, people now
living can very we'll remember pretty
copper colored butterfly (Chrysophanus
dispar) which is now no more. This but
terfy was not precisely like anything
found out of England, and now it is gone
for ever, except that some few specimens
are preserved in insect cabinets.
This seems melancholy thing to ento-
mologists, but You, as horticulturists and
farmers, will doubtless feel much more
melancholy when contemplating the re-
verse state of affairs--of an insect once
rare increasing enormously. Let me cite
one notorious case, that of the Colorado
potato beetle. This creature (Leptino-
tarsa 1O-lineata) used to live on wild
Solanum (the potato genus) in the Rocky
mountain region, and was accounted
rather rare. In Colorado, at all events, it
is 80 rare that I never saw single one
during three years residence in that
state. But no sooner did the area of
potato cultivation extend westward, SO as
to meet the area of the Colorado beetle,
than the latter spread like prairie fire,
with the result so familiar to the public
This is not solitary instance, either;
and indeed it looks as If another case OF
the kind were just now developing. Mr.
Wickham, of Iowa Olty, an able coleop-
terist who has Travelled in New Mexico, re.
corded in 1888 the finding of great mum.
bers of large grey blister beetle (Macro'
basis lopgicollis) on Solanum. He sug.
pested at the time, might not this attack
the potato one of these days, as the Colo
RADIO beetle has doner Now it was only o
few weeks ago, that Mr.. II. G. Toussaint
wrote to me from Lava, N. NJ, sending
specimens of this very blister-beetle
which had invaded his locality in prodig
ious numbers, devouring the potato and
alfalfa.
Some of the valley land in southern
New Mexico, now claimed by man, was in
former days covered by the curious tor
Milo bush, on which lived large bag
worm, called Oiketicus townsend in honor
Of my predecessor at the college. This
creature, not to be roughly done out o1
its natural rights, has in the Mesilla val
ley largely transferred itself to cultivated
trees, especially the apple. In the winter
time, when the trees are bare, the bags
hanging ON the twigs present singular
appearance; being very conspicuous they
can be easily picked of by hand, espeo
tally if one rides horse, 80 as to bt
able to more easily reach them in thu
trees.
There is pretty little roadside plant
will not say weed-of the mallow family
very common in Santa Fe. Its scarlet
flowers are conspicuous everywhere, ant
if it we're an exotic, raised only by care
full cultivation, we should think very
highly of it. On this plant, called b!
botanists Sphaeralcea angustifolia, live
the red larva or caterpillar of a saw-fy
This insect, of the genus Schizocera, ii
apparently new species, peculiar to tn
west.
Now civilization has brought to Sant'
Fe the hollyhock, a plant of the sam
family as the 5phoeralcea; and the othe
day was informed that at Gov. Thorn
tons the hollyhocks were being eaten ul
by some strange beast. You will under
stand that Was much interested, but no
surprised, to find that the culprit wa
none other than the saw-fy grub OF tn
Sphoeralcea. In time to come, perhaps
this insect will spread beyond New Mex
loo, and do havoc among the hollyhock
in the eastern states.
So far, l have given you examples
insects native to our territory, spreading
from native plants to cultivated onet
Rut this sort Of thing, which is going o.
here. has been going ON in other parts o