Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-09-25
have been the most thoroughly studied


are probably upward of 5000 species in
the territory.
The Lepidoptera. including moths and
butterflies, are perhaps the next best
studied group. About 900 species
have been determined. There are prob
ably close to 1000 species.
The collection Of Diptera, consisting
of flies of one kind and another, con-
tains over LOO named species, with a
great many more to determine. The
number of species will undoubtedly ex-
ceed $500.
The Hymenoptera in which wasps,
bees and ants are prominent, have as
whole been the least studied, only
about 500 species being determined. 1t
is thought that collectors will ultimate
ly turn in as many as $500 species.
In the Hemiptera, which includes the
true bugs, cicadas, aphids and others,
the sub order Heteroptera is very well
studied and contains over 200 species,
while in the sub order Homoptera there
are only about 100 species, with a,large
number to determine. The Hemiptera
will probably number about 600 spe-
cies
The collection of Orthoptera, COM
prising cockroaches, crickets, locusts,
grasshoppers and katydids, contains
about eighty species. There are in
New England about 125 species. I'm
der the term neuropteroid insects there
are about 200 determined species, while
about 500 are probably represented in
the fauna.
Altogether in this collection, which is
one to which any professional student
of New England insects would natur-
ally turn for accurate and classified
information, there are about 5000 de-
termined species, while a conservative
estimate for the number Of insect spe-
cies in the six states is 1000. This
Furthermore includes only the true in
sects, outside of which type are many
creatures which the ordinary man
classes among the bugs. There are,
for instance, in New England about 400
different spiders, which, combined
with mites, myriapods and allied Great
ures, would certainly number over 500
species.
The insect fauna of New England is,
to be sure, somewhat complex, since
it is derived in part from four life
zones, the Canadian and the transition
zone covering respectively the greater
part of the northern and the southern
half of the region, while along the
southern shore and for some distance
up the Connecticut are traves Of the
Upper Austral and on the SUBMITS OF
Mount Washington and Mount Katah-
din remnants Of the Arctic.
The pie belt has thus a rather unu-
sual variety Of insects as Of weathers.
At the same time a detailed analysis
of the present condition in the larger
insect collection Of any other section
of the country would probably show as
great a discrepancy between what has
already been accurately determined and
what remains to be determined.
Not only, it is authoritatNely stated,
have by no means all the actual physi-
cal facts about the $4,000 or more in
sect species that inhabit the United
States been recorded, but still less have
their relations to the health and COM
fort of humanity and the domestic ami
ta1 with
to methods of destroying or subjugat-
ing those species that are an annoy
ance or a menace to civilization.
When disease bearing insects are
mentioned even the expert still means
mostly mosquitoes Of the genera Ste
gomyia and Anopheles and few OF
the common flies, such as the house
fly. There are, however, hundreds of
conveyance of germs await investiga>
ton. and there are fleas rightly named
Siphonaptera, about fifty species of
them in this country, some living on
and some in the skin Of human beings
or other creatures, and all presuma-
bly, having certain power Of carrying
trouble from one individual to another
Some pathologists are said to be con-
sidering the likelihood that the rat
flea is instrumental in the spread OF
the bubonic plague.
Comparatively little is known about
the activities Of many of the other or
ders of insects in transmitting maladies
that afflict man, beast or vegetation
The likelihood that many do this Is
easily conjectured Twelve thousand
different beetles fly about in North
America north of Mexico. There are
almost innumerable lice Of one kind
and another, degenerate descendants OF
winged ancestors; numerous parasitic
hymenoptera sometimes with seconda-
lY and even tertiary parasites preying
on Them as in the time-honored rhyme;
shad flies, May flies and the simple
species of which are household pres
ences if not household pets; cock
oaches, few in number Of species, but
numerous as individuals, are counted;
dragoon flies, voracious feeders or
mosquitoes and commonly regarded as
among mans best friends. Intimate
acquaintance with the ways Of these
and many other bugs will be prere-
quisite to anti-fy campaigns of the
future.
A typical case of the complexity OF
the problems of the economic entomolo-
gist appeared in the summers work OF
biological expert, who was called
from the west last spring to Massachu-
setts to discover if possible a disease
that would help to sweep off the gypsy
moths, which have become national
menace. Apparent, success crowned
the effort A malady was found which
when let loose among the specimens
that were being reared in the labora-
tory proved to be singularly effective.
HT-oc n