﻿CRAWFORD, ENTOMOLOGICAL EXPEDITION TO GUADALAJARA 77 



one phasmid and several gryllids were taken. However, throughout the rainy 

 season, there were thousands of good Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, 

 Diptera, and Arachnida, everywhere, and somewhat less of Odonata and Neu- 

 roptera. It might be remarked that the general cast of the whole insect fauna 

 at this season is, as to families and genera, remarkably similar to that of the 

 Southwestern United States. 



The topography of the region about Guadalajara is very interesting. The 

 city is situated on a high inland plateau ranging from 4000 to 7000 feet alti- 

 tude. Enclosing the city, but some fifty miles away, are numerous mountain 

 peaks of varying height, San Pedro overtopping them all. Between two of 

 these small ranges of mountains and at about 6000 feet altitude, lies Lake 

 Chapala, which is some seventy miles long and half as wide. Santiago River, 

 the outlet of the lake, flows through these mountains and out into the level 

 valley, on its way carving out a long deep canon or barranca. In some places 

 this barranca may be as much as 2000 feet below the surrounding country, and 

 is filled with a very rich vegetation. Bananas, mangoes, cocoanuts and other 

 tropical fruits flourish in the barranca, while they do not thrive in the level 

 country about Guadalajara. The walls of the barranca are practically cloaked 

 with creeping vines which make progress very difficult. The insect fauna of 

 the barranca includes many forms not found in the country above, though very 

 many are common to the two regions. Some very distinct and interesting 

 forms were also taken during a hasty visit to the slopes of San Pedro moun- 

 tain. 



One would naturally assume that the waters of the region would yield a 

 great number of aquatic forms, but this certainly was not so during our visit. 

 Careful dredging was done everywhere, but very few Hemiptera and Cole- 

 optera were taken. Collecting about electric lights also proved very poor. 

 We were told that at Vera Cruz there were millions of "bugs" flying about 

 the lights, but there were very few at Guadalajara. In spite of the unfavorable 

 season we managed to secure some 30,000 specimens. All of the Hemiptera 

 and Hymenoptera went to Pomona College. All of the Diptera and some of 

 the Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Odonata went to the Carnegie Museum in 

 Pittsburg. The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia took the Orth- 

 optera, as well as the entire collection of landshelis. Mr. E. O. Essig is now 

 studying the Coccidae, and the writer is working up a report on the Thysan- 

 optera. 



Mexico certainly needs active practical work in economic entomology and 

 botany. The parks, plazas, and private plantings are usually very badly in- 

 fested with all sorts of serious pests. In one of the chief parks of Mexico 

 City we made a considerable collection of Coccidae. In the central plaza of 

 Guadalajara, Chrysomphalus aurantii was abundant on citrus trees, and Diaspis 

 echinocacti thrived on cactus, and there were many other species besides these. 

 In this same park also occurred myriads of Aleyrodidae. During most of the 

 summer, a species of rose beetle — Macrodactylus — was enormously abundant 

 on rose bushes, though this disappeared about the first of September and was 

 replaced by swarms of another beetle. 



