Article beginning on page 360.
Psyche 8:360, 1897.

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Mexico before. I can only account for its absence from the Biologia Cent.-Amer. by supposing- that it has been confounded with Cistkene ufufbcia, which it greatly resembles in markings.
wings light orange. Antennae orange at
the middle. Eyes pale greenish, not divi- ded. Easily known from A. amae Mor-
gan, by the markings on the wings of the adult, and the lingua longer than the eper- culum in the pupa.
T. D. A. Cockerell.
ALEURODICUS MIRABILIS.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB.
Aleurodss miratilis Ckll., Psyche, June
1898,p. 225. Prof. C. II. T. Townsend found this species in quantity at Minatitlan, Mex- ico, April 25,. 1898, on the under side of Anona leaves. Fortunately, he secured a
single $ adult, which shows that the insect belongs to Alewodicus. The anterior wings are slightly over 2 mm. long, and about it mm. broad; white, with two very pale grey bands; the first crossing the wing just before the fork of the median vein, but interrupted - for a space below the vein; the second a dilute transverse cloud not far from the apex of the wing. Body about 2 mm. long, exclu- sive of the forceps, 'which is about 8 mm. Color of body and legs very pale yellow; base of abdomen white; thorax- between
13 JANUARY, 1899 (coxit.). Mr. J. W.
Folsom said that Isotoma bessehii Pack. had not been recorded since its original descrip- tion from specimens found in 1872 by the "Polaris " expedition in lat. 8i0 20'- 8i0 50' IS?., hut that he had found'this interesting collembolan in abundance last October on our own coast, occurring in large colonies under stones between tide-marks. Mr.
Folsom added that his examples of this well- marked species agree perfectly with Pack- ard's types, which he had already studied through the courtesy of the U. S. National Museum. A discussion followed as to the
probable influence of ocean cut'renis in disseminating maritime species.
Guide to the Genera and Classification of the Orthoptera of North America north of Mexico. By SAMUEL H. SCUDDER. go pp. 8'. Contains keys for the determination of the higher groups as well as the (nearly 200) genera of our Orthoptera, with full bibliographical aids to further study.
Sent by mail on receipt of price ($1.00). E. W. WHEELER, 30 BOYLSTON STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. A. SMITH & SONS, 269 PEARL STREET, New York. tuxTFAt'ruiiEns ASII ~a~o~mna OF
GOODS FOR ENTOMOLOGISTS,
Klaeger and Carlsbad Insect Pins, Setting Boards, Folding Nets, Locality and
FOLDING NET
/
Special Labels, Forceps, Sheet Cork, E"Ìö Other articles are being added, Send for List,



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SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCHE,-I.
INSECT FAUNA OF THE GIANT CACTUS OF ARIZONA: LETTERS FROM THE SOUTHWEST.*
BY H. G. HUBBARD.
TUCSON, An., Dec. 24, 1896. large Monilema of this region (AM giganteurn Lee.), and a numerous
It is possible with some trouble to
colony of Lampyrid larvae -1 and their
reach the nearest of the Giant Cacti
cast skins, and also the larva of a Col- ( Cereus friyanteusj on thc hills about
lops. There are also numerous frag-
2 miles to the south of here.
In gen-
ments of Tenebrionidae (Asida, Nyc-
era1 there is absolutely nothing to be
tobates, Eleodes ctc.)and Lamellicornia
found on or about these great green (Diplotaxis, Listl.ocllelus, &,plloria postswhicll rise out of the hard gro~n~i etc.) Llnder tllis debris but none ofthese like a stone monument in a grave Yard,
can be found alive at this season.
but on one occasion I found a cavity
which was fairly alive with a rather
TUCSON AR., Dec. 26, 1896.
large grey-colored Hemipteron {Nar-
' 6 yesterday being ~ l , ~ i ~ t ~ ~ ~ I made niafemorata Stal) evidently a plant-
an expedition to the nearest hill about
feeding species. The same cavity
2 miles south of here, and the first giant tained fresh seeds of the " Palo verde " cactus
I reached proved to be a
(Parkinsonia), apparently carried in veritable bonanza. ~t was a grizzled by a mouse or rat, and among these trdc s m q feet in height, and as there were specimens of B9*7dus it stood close to a wood cllopcer's road amicus. I had also the luck to find it had fortunately been chopped by one
of the great cacti prostrate and somebody's axe and had on one side a entirely disintegrated and reduced to dy doLlt as large as my l1at. This
dust by the ants and termites.
Under
cavity was partly filled with black rot- the debris of this. I found quite a col- ten material, and I found at the first
lection of insects: several pairs of the exalnination that this debris was liter- *These letters were addressed to the undersigned and are now, after the death of the lamented author, published witlwnt alterations, except that a number of determ~natiom e r r these were not furnished by Mr. Hubbard, have been inserted. These determinatiotls were made by the specialists attached to the U. S. National Museum. Some of the new species of Cole~ptera. are described in Ilia Ap- uendix.-E. A. Sc/avars.
ally swarming with insects. The rot-
ting was constantly advanced by great
numbers of huge dipterous maggots
( Volucella avida 0. S.), aided by
?The imago subsequently bred, proved to be Lycahn d;sccilllt/is Horn.




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several small species (Ceratopogon,
Limosina, Scatopse, DrosopJzila), and
all parts of the mass were overrun with
Coleoptera. The desicated hard part
produced two species of small Calan-
dridae ( Cossonus hztbiardi Sz., n. sp,
and dfotrepus densicollis Casey) ,
and also a few specimens of both Scyd-
maenidae (Sumlcrus lucamis Horn)
and Pselaphidae ( Tyrus elongatus
Brend., 'Trimium punctlcolle Lec.) ,
numberless small Aleocharinae and a
few Trichopterygidae (Trichopteryx,
two apparently unclescribed species).
The moister parts were alive with
Hydrophilidae, both large and small
(Dactyhsternum cacft Lec., Pelosoma
cafillosum Lcc., Cryptoleurztm cerei
Schwarx, n. sp.) and small Histerids
of various spccies (Paromalus o-pztnfiae Lec., censors Lee., gilensis Lec., Acri- tus a~izonae 'Iorn) . There were in
numbers two large Styphylinidae, a
Philontid with large head and red
elytra (Belonuchus epkippiatzts Say),
the other a monstrous Aleocharid, the
largest I ever saw (Mascockara semi-
velztina Solsky). Besides these there
were countless smaller Aleocharids
(Maseochara ofacella Sharp, M. &-
berula Casey, Apheloglossa rztfipennis
Casey,three or four species of Homalota, a Falagria and an undetermined genus).
Among the Dipterous larvae, and
apparently feeding upon them, were
several perfectly huge Histerid larvae,
over an inch long, and to-day on return- ing I found the imago (Hololepta
yucateca Mars.) deeply buried in the
verv heart of the trunk and alwavs in
2 SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCHE. [May 1800
- -
which was satinatcd with inoisiture I
the galleries of the large Calandrid
Cacto'phafyus -ualidzts Lee. Of this
Calandrid I have not found the imago,
but its larva resembles very much
that of Rhyncho'phorus c~uenfatus.
Among other Staphylinidae found in
the moister portions of the pulp there
are three Tachyporids, one very large
(PJzysetoporus grosszdus Lec.), and
the two other rather small (Erchomus
convexus Er. and E. punctifennis
Lee.) ; a few specimens ofXantholinus
dimidiotus Lec,, Lithucharis tabacina
Casey, very abundant, and rarely a spe-
cies of Ornalium (0. cacti Schwarz,
n. sp.)
I took home yesterday a sack-full of
the debris, and all this morning I was
occupied in examining it, and every
lime I opened the sack I found some-
thing new. Some of the small Rhyn-
chophora I could not have discovered
in the field; they are as difficult to see as a Micropeplus among old leaves,
although they are much larger and live
in burrows in the hard outer crust. In
the dry debris there is also Ditoma
yracilis Sharp, not rare, Ditoma sul-
cata Lec., common, and a larger Trog-
ositid (Alindria teres Melsh.) , very
rare ; there were also a few specimens
of a reddish Tenebrionid (Ulosonia .
mqinata Lec.) ; a narrow species
( Cynaezts anyzistzis Lee.), two
smaller IIololeptas (H. cacti Lee.
and vicina Lee.), and a minute Staphy-
hid (Oligota n. sp.).
It is very singular that in this fer-
menting cactus pulp the interior of




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did not find a single Nitidulid beetle
either in the larva or adult. Of insects belonging to other orders, there is quite abundant in the pulp of the giant cactus a Forficulid (Spongofhora brunnei-
$ennis Serv.) and two Pseudoscor-
pions ( Chelifer n, sp., and Chelanops
SP.
It is evident that the giant cactus,
whenever it is injured, furnishes a
retreat and food for a very large fauna
of insects, especially Coleoptera. The
trouble is to find one which is attacked at all by insects.
I have to add to my last letter an
interesting discovery which I made this
afternoon in continuing my study of the
fauna of the giant cactus. It is stated
that a small owl makes its nests in
holes which are excavated in the trunks
of this cactus by a woodpecker and I
have frequently noticed that holes are
seen in the trunks 8 or 10 to 15 feet
above the ground. To-day I cut down
with my hatchet one of these great
plants in which was a perforation far
above my reach. On examining the
fallen trunk I found the hole contained
abundant excrement of some bird but
no nest. However, there were some
curious ticks which remind me of the
Ornithodorus of the Gopher tortoise of
Florida and which I suspect to be
parasites of the bird that made and used the hole. More interesting still it was
to find that the hole gave admission to
the insect fauna of the cactus, princi-
pally to the great C:ictopliagi~s laiva
which ploughs its long galleries into
the woody skeleton of the plant and
which is followed by the immense
dipterous (Volucella) maggots and all
the multitudinous insects that follow in their train, among their number perhaps
the most important being Dactylos-
ternurn cacti and its larvae. The
depredations of these insects cause the
rotting of the cactus especially within
the internal bundle of woody rods
which alone enables these gigantic
plants to uphold their great weight.
Even this woody bundle is preforated
and entirely blackened and rotted, while the whole interior of the plant becomes
a yet black mass of the consistency of
soft mud. The cactus thus attacked
sends out branches just below the
wound in the exterior, and the first
result is that the huge trunk breaks
apart at that point and the upper portion falls at length to the ground.
It is this
process that produces the numerous
examples of these cacti in which the
upper half of the stem is mistiing,
while the older portion supports a
number of great branches. Without
the intervention of the bird in making
its burrow the insect fauna of the cactus could never exist; for no insect can
penetrate the tough and silicious rind
of the plant. It is most remarkable
how quickly the plant repairs a casual
wound extending into its pulpy exterior. The wounds made Saturday afternoon
with my hatchet are to-day (Monday)
so hardened on the exterior that no
ordinary insect could effect an entrance. The surface already presents an incipient



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4 SUPPLE&IENZ 10 PSYCHE. [May 1899.
crust which ultimately becomes a woody
layer one-fourth an inch thick and so
hard that it resists the blow of a sharp hatchet and turns the edge of a knife.
In the deep holes made by the birds
the sunlight and air are excluded, and
perhaps the caustic action of the birds' dung keeps an open sore which the fly
maggots soon convert into a rottins
mass. When one considers the great
numbers of insects which are dependant
upon this cactus it is not a little remark- able that their existence sho~~ld depend for the most part, if not entirely, upon the operation of a bird.
I made my first discovery of this
fauna upon Christmas day, and being
unable to conlplete my examination in
one afternoon I took home with me a
part of the disintegrated contents of the rotten spot which formed a hollow that
would hold perhaps a halfa peck. The
next day I revisited this cactus and
brought home with me more of the
rotten contents, and although I have
spent one whole day and two half days
in examining this material and picking
out the insects in my room 1 have not
yet finished. Of the many thousands
of larvae I have secured and preserved
a good series. I do not tliink that in
all my experience I have ever found so
many different species of Coleoptera in
one confined space, and as I have prac-
tically examined but a single cavity
there is no knowing how many more
species remain to be discovered. I
have noted 30 distinct species of Coleop- tera upon a superficial examination and
I know that there are several others
overlooked in the mass.
TUCSON, AR., Jan. -5, 1897.
Since I last wrote I have been follow-
ing up the insect fauna of the Giant
cactus. These plants grow only on the
rocky hillsides, and although there are
many of them in the aggregate they arc
generally a long way apart, and it
requires much climbing over rocks to
reach them. Sometimes there is a
family of them together, but they are
more often many rods apart. The
trouble is to find one in good condition for insects. I find many of them pros-
trated either by the prospectors search- ing for ores or by the wind but not one
in several square miles is in the right
condition, and I believe it takes a year for them to rot or dry up. Most often
they are too old, and inside the split and hardened skin is only a mass of black
dust and a great bundle of wooden rods.
1 have sifted these dry interior contents but found only the elytra of Cactopha-
gzts valcdus of which I have lull grown
larvae from the heart of the cactus. I
will come upon the living imago some
day. I found lately a huge trunk, cut
clown and partly rotten and filled with
countless myriads of Staphyliniclae,
large and small, the little Histeridae,
the Hydropliilidae, large and small,
with Pseudoreorpions and flies by the
millions. There will be fifty species
at least of this cactus fauna; iinfortu- nately some of them are extremely rare
or hard to find in the swarming mass
of small Staphylinidae. The most
difficult to secure are the minute and
very rare Pselaphids, Scydmaenids,
Trichopterygids etc. These are found
in the half dry parts on the edges of




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May i899.1 SUPPLEMENT TO ~ , 5 ' Y ~ ~ ~ . 5 the putre~cent mass, but the skin of 11. g., kubbardi Schwarz n. sp.) I the cactus Lougtiens in diying and notice that in the mature specimens has to be cut apart with an axe, and
of course in such violent handling all
the fine things are lost. I have secured some of these small species in one or
two specimens; one of these is an
Holo$aramecus (/-I. å´pacificzt Lee.).
Of the two species of Trichopteryx
mentioned before I have a fair series.
Yesterday, there turned 1113 in considcr- able numbers a small, shining brown
cryptophagid (E$hi.stemus cactophiivs
Sz. n. sp.), very siroilar to that we
found at Crescent City under decaying
weeds. The minute new Oligota with
red elytra was also very abundant.
There is further a great Stapl~ylinid, a most beautiful fellow, with the body
blue black except the two last segments
which are bright orzinge (xantJt~pyzz~s
cacti Horn). It is as wild as Listotro-
7>ftus cinfritliz/us. I have found it twice and got thrcc or four specimens each
time.
My most interesting discovery in the
giant cactus is contained in some
pieces of cactns pulp which I mail with
this, nearly dry and quite hard. These
came from a cavity in a giant cactns
which had been excavated by birds.
In these hardened crusts which were
hanging in the cavity likc hits of dry
the horn projects forward but all imma-
ture males liavc the horn curved back
over the thorax. I have taken about
300 specimens, also larvae, but it took
an entire day to get them out. I never
saw them before, although I have
exsinii~ied crusts from many holes.
The fact is there must be a certain
amount of moisture in the crusts ; if the pieces are stone hard as they usually
are these Scolytids cannot excavate.
A cavity in this condition does not
occur very often, and I do not feel sure that I shrill ever find the like again. It is for this reason that I took a good
supply of this Rhinoceros Scolytid of
the Giant Cactus. In these or similar
crusts I find occasionally the small
Calandrid Ajotrepu-5 densicolZi+ diffi-
cult to see in the debris by reason of its dark color and rough sculpture. I
have the larvae of that also. There is
finally a small red, hairy Cleric1 larva penetrating these crusts and feeding
upon the larvae of the Scolytid but I
have not yet found the imago.
I finel also that the flat Opuntias
(0. engelmaznzj on the hills near the
giant cacti sometimes have rotten
hearts in the main stem fillcd with the
large Volucella larvae, Uelonuckus
meat, there breeds a most marvellous ephippia/z~s and the Aleocharinae of Scolytid beetle of a genus quite the giant cactus. I even fooud HoZo- unknown to me, with a long horn on lepta vucateca in one such stem, and the head of the male.
This horn is perhaps the larger part of this fauna double but united until near the may be found in such places. extremity where it is parted and the TUCSON, AR., Jan. 15, 1897. tips are oddly pointed (Cacfofiws Yesterday the sun came out between



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6 SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCHE. [May 1899.
clouds, and I seized the opportunity to
get up in the hills amongthe giant
cactus. I found a mountain side
covered with cacti of the utmost variety with the Giant Cereus by thousands.
There were, however, few of the latter
with large cavities, and it was only after prolonged search that I found one
immense fellow thc lower three feet of
which was entirely dead, even the heart
and all around, but this part was quite
diy, and flit; skin hung in patches upon the wooden axis. Only a small cornei
was wet and putrescent, and this
presented in part the usual fauna but
nothing new. PJzyseto$orzisg~osszilus