Photos from the WFIWC Archives:
Mexico

{This is the first of four entries; view the second, third, or fourth entries.}

MEXICO - Chihuahua: Sierra Madre Occidental. From 1956-1974, I had studied the Douglas-fir beetle throughout the western U.S. and was wondering if it might also occur in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. Other scolytids had been collected from Douglas-fir near San Juanito, Chih. by S.L. (Steve) Wood. Thus, I knew of a general location and I had the name of a forester (Cosme Rodriguez Bojórquez) with the Rio Verde Lumber Co. in Chihuahua City who might be of help. So, on March 3, 1974, armed with collecting gear and a Spanish phrase book, I headed south from Moscow, Idaho, in my camper truck for a 36-day trek through the mountains of northern Mexico. It turned out to be an epic trip. Afterward, I sent 581 specimens to Wood for identification. Seven species were new to Mexico and as many as 8 additional species were un-described. And, Yes! I did find the Douglas-fir beetle. This narrative deals with Chihuahua; I contemplate posting additional parts of that trip and later experiences in Mexico with David Cibrian Tovar of the University of Chapingo, and others.

Don't try this nowadays. Laws concerning collecting and importing insects specimens, alive or dead, now prohibit what was commonly done then.

After negotiating the border crossing, we (wife aboard) sought out Cosme in Chihuahua city. He was away somewhere so we decided to head for San Juanito in the distant mountains. After a day of probing primitive roads that have no signs, we returned to Chihuahua City to await Cosme. Unknowingly, this was a stroke of good fortune. Lauro Barragan, a native of San Juanito, was assigned as our guide. Not only did Lauro speak English, he understood what Douglas-fir was and, furthermore, he was going to take us to it enroute to San Juanito. So, off we went on a circuitous route that was to extend far into the night.

Hours later, we were winding our way high up in the mountains to a place called La Magdalena. A few miles farther brought great excitement. Here among an assortment of oaks and pines were some large Douglas-fir! A rare, disjunct, tree in Mexico. Then, as if by a miracle, I spotted the telltale frass on a tree right alongside the road! Quicker than a clerid, I chopped out a piece of bark and collected some adult brood. I still marvel at how that all clicked together.

By now it was late in the day and we resumed driving to our destination and came to a river. Fortunately, I had been advised to go in March which is the dry season. We forded the river from one side to the other repeatedly for miles and miles without benefit of a bridge. The going was slow and rough. Before long, the swaying snapped the camper tie-downs slowing us even more. Darkness descended. Lauro began monotonously counting the crossings: "uno, dos, tres ... veinte uno, ... treinta ... ", etc. up into the forties. We finally arrived at San Juanito well after mid-night.

Later (1977), I revisited this site with colleagues from Chapingo and subsequently conducted a mating test of Mexico and Idaho beetles (Furniss 1981, Furniss & Cíbrian 1980). In 2001, I described this population as the subspecies, Dendroctonus pseudotsugae barragani, after Lauro (Furniss 2001). Details of those events will be presented separately. -- Malcolm M. Furniss

References
 
Furniss, M.M. 2001. A new subspecies of Dendroctonus from Mexico. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 94:21-25.
 
Furniss, M. M. 1981. Pruebas de cruzamiento entre poblaciones de Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopk. procedentes de Chihuahua, Mex. e Idaho EUA. Proceedings 1 Simposio Nacional sobre Parasitologia Forestal, Uruapan, Mich., Mexico, 18 y 19 de Febrero, 1980. p. 178-186.
 
Furniss, M. M. and D. Cíbrian Tovar. 1980. Compatibilidad reproductiva e insectos asociados a Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) de Chihuahua, Mexico e Idaho, E. U. A. Folia Entomologica Mexicana No. 44:129-142.

{This is the first of four entries; view the second, third, or fourth entries.}

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