U. S. D. A., R. E. Bull. 64, Part I. Issued April 2, 1907. 



SOME MISCELLANEOUS RESULTS OF THE WORK 

 OF THE BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY-IX. 



THE MEXICAN CONCHUELA IN WESTERN TEXAS IN 1905. 

 (Pentatoma ligata Say.)" 



By A. W. Morrill, 



Special Field Agent. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In a recent bulletin of the Bureau of Entomology b the writer gave 

 an account of the Mexican conchuela (Pentatoma ligata Say, fig. 1), 

 based upon an investigation conducted in northern Mexico in Septem- 

 ber, 1904. It was predicted that should the pest ever become very 

 abundant in this country, where more diversified farming is usually 

 practiced, it would be likely to affect a wide range of farm crops 

 instead of confining its attacks to cotton alone. Almost unknown in 

 1903, the conchuela, as it is called by the natives of Mexico, first be- 

 came of considerable importance as a cotton pest in the leading cotton 

 district of Mexico — the " Laguna " — and in 1004 established its repu- 

 tation as an enemy of alfalfa in western Texas by ruining in specific 

 instances seed valued at over $1,000. representing the loss to the crops 

 of two growers from whom definite reports were obtained. This los^ 

 in Avestern Texas was, however, first made known to entomologists in 

 July of the following year (1005), through correspondence of a resi 

 dent of Barstow, Tex., with Mr. W. 1). Hunter, in charge of the inves- 

 tigations on cotton insects conducted by this Bureau. As the writer 

 was at that time in Mexico, continuing his investigations of this pest, 

 Mr. J. C. Crawford was sent to Barstow to investigate the economic 

 status of the insect there. His preliminary observations were made 

 on July 20 to 22, inclusive, and were followed by visits to Barstow 

 by the writer on August 11 and 12 and September L2, and by Mr. 

 Crawford on October 13 and November 14. The reports of Mr. 

 Crawford, which were duly submitted to Mr. Hunter, have been 

 freely used by the writer in preparing this paper. 



" Order Hemiptera, family Pen ta torn idse. 



»BuL 54. Bur. Ent, U. s. Dept Agric, pp. 18-34, 1905. 



