Article beginning on page 138.
Psyche 8:138-140, 1897.

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138 PSYCHE. [November 1897,
(6) Trichacis (Platygastor) rem-
uhs Walk. 8 2.
(7) PoZygnotus (Z'htygaster'} min-
ufus Lind. 8 .
(8) Anaphes $ratensis Forst. 9 .
(Egg parasite).
With these were also 8 9 specimens
of Isosoma b~evicorne Walker, which
must be a gall-maker on tlic oats.
Most of the above parasites were
bred from their host, occurring in oat
stubble, collected in 1894-95, at Poitier and Montreuil. The rearing of dna-
$hes ĺ´prateitsi Forster, is most inter- esting, since it is without doubt an egg parasite.
Host. 3. Cecidomyia tritici Kirby.
( I ) Merisus destructor Say 8 9 .
DIPTERA FROM THE WHITE SANDS, ON THE TULAROSA PLAINS OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO.-I.
BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, N. MEXICO. The Tularosa plains may be roughly
described as lying between the Sacra-
mento Mts. on the east, and the San
Andres Mts. on the west, and stretch-
ing from the Organ Mts. north to the
vicinity of White Mt. They are some
80 miles long, by 30 or 40 wide.
In the northwestern extent of these
plains there reposes a remarkable and
extensive surface deposit of disin-
tegraded and weathered gypsum, cov-
ering anarea some 35 or 40 miles long
by an average width of 10 miles, and
varying in depth from a mere crust to
ridges piled up 30 ft. above the level of the surrounding plain. This immense
deposit is known as the White Sands.
The gypsum is pure, without grit, and
nearly white, and the banks of it appear from a little distance almost like banks of snow shining in the sun. From the
road going up into the Sacramento
Mts., in the Rip Tularosa canon, a
splendid view of this gypsum area is
obtainable. A view is had at a point
some 1200 ft. above the plain, and
although the spectator is then distant
at least 30 miles, the effect is striking in the extreme. The vast stretch of
sands lies spread out upon the plain in
a panorama of billows, and it is hard to resist the impression that one is looking upon a distant arm of the sea, where a
high surf is rolling up upon the sandy
beach. The San Andres range, lying
close by the western edge of the Sands,
enhances the effect, and appears like a
rocky promontory washed by the waves.
When one comes to walk over the
Sands, he finds that the immense
(.roughs and billows are real, and the
gypsum is seen to assume all the un-
dulations and forms that the winds of
the plains are capable of producing.
These Sands are scatteringly covered
with a considerable vegetation through-




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November 18~7.1 PSYCHE. 139
out their whole extent, so far as I have examined them, and their insect fauna
is considerable as may be inferred.
The wagon road from Las Cruces or
El Paso to the Sacramento Mts. skirts
the edge of the Sands for sonic 10 miles. Some few plants and insects collected
along the edge, while passing them,
have shown a very large percentage of
new forms-new varieties among the
plmts, and new species among" the
insects. Such an extensive region,
possessing such markedly peculiar char-
actcsistics, and unique conditions of
environment, must truly have a flora
and fauna of its own. The region
promises great returns to the investi-
gator of its flora and fauna. But
water is extremely scarce in the vicin-
ity, and the heat and glare (ire dmost
unbearable in the summer months, so
much SO that travellers always pass the
Sands if possible at night. It there-
fore requires more than ordinary cour-
age to attempt an investigation at this
season. The best months to visit the
locality are October and November.
Many plants are then to be found in
bloom on the Sands, and the heat
while still very great is within the
limits of endurance.
The present paper is the result of the
determination of a small lot of diptera
taken by the writer on the edge of the
Sands at White Water Holes, and on
the plain close by, during a couple of
hours collecting on the afternoon of
Oct. 6, 1896. White Water Holes,
which sometimes contain a brackish
water but are often dry, are situated on the road within a few feet of the high
banks which form the edge of the
Sands. They are about 7 miles north
from Lunas well (Pclman's ranch),
and 40 miles from Tularosa.
All specimens with locality White
Sands were taken a short distance over
the sand hills from White Water Holes,
and actually within the area of the
Sands. All those with locality White
Water Holes were taken on the plain a
few yards from the edge of the sands.
Not more than a half hour, in the late
afternoon, wits spent within the limits
of the Sands, and the area covered was
not more than too yards in diameter.
The reader is referred, for other notes
on the White Sands, to the writer's
second paper on the biogeography of
Mexico and the Southwestern U. S.
(Trans. Texas Acad. Sci., 1897.)
I. Paragus biculor Fab. var. testa-
ceus Meig. Two f s, and three $ s,
near edge of Sands, at White Water
Holes, Oct. 6. On flowers of Aster
farvz~orzis Gray. Length, c; to 6
inn?. All constant in the color of the
abdon~en. The black is confined to
the first segment, and anterior corners
of second. The males have the first
segment wholly black, but both females
have an elongate transverse marking
of red on hind margin of first segment
in middle. All have at least a brownish
trace of the blackish annulns on hind
tibiae.
Williston says that P. biculur has a
distinct vertical glabrous stripe 011 the eyes. It really has three such stripes,
the other two being on anterior and




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140 PSYCHE. [November 1897
posterior margins of eye, which are
bare. The eyes are better described as
having two very distinct parallel vertical stripes of pubescence, for the whole
glabrous area of each eye is confluent.
I have already recorded this species
from New Mexico, from the Mesilla
Valley of the Rio Grande at Las
Crnces ('Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. Mch.
1895). The single female there men-
tioned, talien August 19, belongs also to the variety testaceus (as Snow later
stated in Kans. Univ. Quart. April,
1895).
2. fara/~us tibialis Fall. var-
dimidiahs Lw. One 2, and four
3s. Near edge of sands, at White
Water Holes, Oct. 6. On flowers of
Aster parvz'florus Gray. Length, 3&
to nearly 5 mm. The vertical triangle
of $ is about twice as long as great-
est width. In the preceding spec-
imens of P. hicolor VEIS. testaceus, it
is about three times as long as greatest width. I believe that the American
fci'ms are to be classed with the Euro-
pean varieties. But tlic Enropcan form
with only the first two segments of
abdomen black and tip with or without
black, according to Scliiner who paid
particiilar attention to these varieties, possesses no distinctive name. At least
Scliiner gives none. Loew, however,
described this form as &midiatus,
except that he included with it a 9 of
the typical form, which is distinguislied by having no red on the abdomen. I
think it will be permissable, therefore, to use Loew's name for this variety,
with the abdomen red except first
and second segments.
The above specimens are moderately
constant. The 9 has the first two
segments completely greenish-black.
The 3 s all have the hind border of
second segment red, sometimes widely
so, one f having second segment only
narrowly black on front border. Tlie
9 has tip of abdomen, being last hall of fifth segments and all of rest, blackish. The f s have only a brownish tinge on
last half of fourtli, and anterior margin of fifth segments. Femora all black,
except yellow tips.
This is the first record of this species from New Mexico. It is recorded from
Colorado on the north, and Sonora on
the south.
3. Zodion fulvifrons Sdy var. ab-
dominate Say. One 9. Near edge of
Sands, at White Water Holes, Oct. 6.
On flowers of Aster parviftorus Gray.
Length, 6 mm. Front silvery along
orbits, yellow, reddish-yellow at vertex. First two antemid joints and upper side
of femora tinged with brownish. The
third or median narrower brown vitta
present. Second'and sixth abdoininiil
segments yellowish, with a median red-
dish line, rest biownish. All silveiy
pollinose, except median line of sixth
segment. Pair of median stripes in-
distinct, but traceable on third and
fourth segments. (See paper on Dipt.
Organ Mts., for further notes on this
variety.)




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