Presidio County Research Articles

The Karyotype of the White-Winged Dove

Chiarelli and Capanna (1973) point out the significance of karyotypes as a species-specific aspect of the phenotype. They also discuss the potential of a species' karyotype to evolve largely independent of the genotype thereby providing an additional suite of characters for karyological analysis. This paper presents the first description of the karyotype of the White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica). Karyotypes were prepared and examined from three populations of White-winged Doves in southwestern Texas. These included locations in Apline (Brewster County), Pharr (Hidalgo County), and the Sierra Vieja Mountains (Presidio County). Standard mitotic karyotypes were prepared from bone marrow cells following the techniques of Patton (1967), Hsu and Patton (1969), and Lee (1969). Additional material was prepared from spleen tissue. Chromosomes were subsequently stained in 2% Giemsa solution. Elevation of the mitotic index was accomplished following the yeast technique described by Lee and Elder (1980). Differential staining of nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) of mitotic chromosomes was accomplished following the technique of Howell and Black (1980). Meiotic chromosome spreads, from testicular tissue of reproductively active males, were prepared in much the same manner as the mitotic except that a 1% sodium citrate solution was used for the hypotonic incubation phase following homogenization in several drops of 2.2% sodium citrate solution. Karyotypes of members of the genus Zenaida have a diploid chromosome number range of 2n = 76 (for Z. auriculata) (De Lucca and De Aguiar 1976) to 2n = 78 (for Z. macroura) (Benirschke and Hsu 1971). Analysis of well-spread metaphase chromosome sets from White-winged Doves establishes a diploid chromosome number that ranges from 2n = 76 to 2n = 80 (Fig. 1). This variation was noted within individuals as well as between individuals. The karyotype of the White-winged Dove contains five macrochromosomal autosome pairs that are biarmed with the remainder being acrocentric. These macrochromosome pairs (#1, #2, #4, #5, and the Z sex chromosome) are all classified as submetacentric (more metacentric). The #3 chromosome pair is classified as acrocentric. The remainder of the chromosome pairs and the W sex chromosome were small acrocentric microchromosomes. These designations were made on the basis of centromere indices and follow the terminology ofLevan et al. (1964). The fundamental number for the White-winged Dove ranged from 84 (when 2n = 76) to 88 (when 2n = 80). Haploid chromosome numbers ranged from n = 38 to n = 40. No occurrences of abnormal synapsis were observed. The mitotic chromosomes ranged in mean length from 7.7 tm to 4 tm. Group 2 consists of chromosome pairs #4, #5, and the Z sex chromosome, all of which have a mean

Cultural Resources Monitoring/Survey of a JTF-6 Action, Van Horn, Texas Sector

This report presents the results of cultural resources monitoring and survey activities connected with a Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6) project in southern Hudspeth and Culberson, western Jeff Davis, and northern Presidio Counties, Texas. These cultural resource activities were prompted by road improvement activities initiated by the U.S. Border Patrol. The road improvement activities were designed to aid the U.S. Border Patrol in their battle against illegal drug trade and smuggling operations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Geo-Marine, Inc. conducted the survey as part of an indefinite delivery contract with the Fort Worth District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The survey and monitoring were tailored to focus only on those areas to be disturbed by road repair activities and to identify cultural resource sites which were to be avoided during such activities.

Activity, Temperature, Age, Size and Reproduction in the Parthenogenetic Whiptail Lizard Cnemidophorus dixoni in the Chinati Mountains in Trans-Pecos Texas

-Parthenogenetic Cnemidophorus dixoni, consisting of color pattern classes A and B, is limited to a small area in the Chinati Mountains in southwestern Presidio Co., Texas, and a disjunct area in Hidalgo Co., New Mexico. In Presidio County lizards emerged from winter inactivity in April. Thereafter, adult lizards remained active into late August or early September; postneonates remained active until late October. Activity in C. dixoni A and/or B was observed on one or more occasions during every 15-min interval between 1020 h and 1930 h CDT during a 46-day field study between June 1989 and June 1990. No differences in mean cloacal body temperature were observed between juvenile and adult C. dixoni A or B, or among monthly samples. Mean cloacal body temperature for all individuals was 39.89 C ? 0.15 (n = 113). Neonatal Cnemidophorus dixoni A and B hatched in July and August; they grew rapidly, became inactive for about 5 mo (November-March) and matured early in their 2nd summer at 67-73 mm snout-vent length. The life expectancy of C. dixoni appeared to involve parts of three activity cycles, or about 2 calendar yr. Clutch size varied from 1-5 with a mean of 2.90 ? 0.08 for 94 clutches; snout-vent lengths of preserved gravid females varied from 6797 mm with a mean of 82.12 ? 0.57. Larger females had significantly larger clutches than smaller females; the model for the relationship is egg count = 0.09SVL 4.51.

Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) paleosols in Trans-Pecos Texas

Research Article| February 01, 1989 Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) paleosols in Trans-Pecos Texas THOMAS M. LEHMAN THOMAS M. LEHMAN 1Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information THOMAS M. LEHMAN 1Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1989) 101 (2): 188–203. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1989)101<0188:UCMPIT>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation THOMAS M. LEHMAN; Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) paleosols in Trans-Pecos Texas. GSA Bulletin 1989;; 101 (2): 188–203. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1989)101<0188:UCMPIT>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Fluvial flood-plain deposits of the upper Aguja, Javelina, and El Picacho Formations in Brewster and Presidio Counties of West Texas record multiple episodes of soil formation during Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) time. These well-differentiated alluvial paleosols are characterized by pale gray leached (albic) A horizons and purple or red, clay-and iron oxide-enriched (cambic, argillic) B horizons. These characteristics indicate that podzolization and lessivage were important pedogenic processes and suggest that these paleosols are comparable to some modern AI-fisols. Texturally diverse accumulations of calcite nodules, coalesced masses of nodules, rhizocretions, and thin discontinuous hard-pans indicate that calichification also occurred. The extreme development of the petrocalcic horizons, partial silicification, association with sulfate minerals, and high position within the soil profiles indicate that calichification was in many cases not con-temporaneous with iron and clay illuviation. The compound paleosols thus formed indicate that the Maastrichtian climate in this region may have fluctuated between regimes of humid and semiarid character, each at least several thousand years in duration. This inferred long-term climatic cyclicity may correspond to climatically induced sedimentation cycles observed in the marine realm that are ascribed to Milankovitch cycles. Fossil wood suggests that the flood-plain paleosols supported coniferous forests, whereas adjacent stream courses were lined by angiosperm woodlands. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Stratigraphic Occurrence and Correlation of Early Tertiary Vertebrate Faunas, Trans-Pecos Texas: Agua Fria–Green Valley Areas

ABSTRACT The Devil's Graveyard Formation, Agua Fria–Green Valley area of Brewster and Presidio counties, Texas, has produced the early Uintan Whistler Squat local fauna from the basal conglomerate and the lower member, the late Uintan Serendipity local fauna from the middle member, the early Duchesnean Skyline local fauna from the base of the Bandera Mesa Member, an early Chadronian unnamed local fauna from the Cotter channels, and the early Chadronian Coffee Cup local fauna from the middle part of the Bandera Mesa Member. Stratigraphic positions for and composition of the local faunas are given. Faunas from the Cotter channels and Montgomery bonebed are correlated with the Porvenir local fauna of the Vieja area. The Coffee Cup local fauna is correlated with the Airstrip local fauna of the Vieja area. K-Ar dates associated with each of the local faunas extend from 49.7 and 46.9 to 32.2 m.y. The Skyline local fauna lies above a date of 42.7 m.y. and beneath the Cotter channels and Montgomery bonebed. The s...

TYPE SPECIMEN OF BOUTELOUA RAMOSA SCRIBN. EX VASEY (GRAMINEAE)

SummaryVasey, in his Grasses of the Southwest (13 Oct. 1890), described and illustrated Bouteloua ramosa, crediting the authorship to Scribner. No specimen is cited, but in an account of G. C. Nealley's Texas grass collections published three months earlier (18 July 1890), Vasey lists B. ramosa, along with the note: “Chenate Mountains (Presidio County).” Comments in the literature are somewhat vague regarding the type of B. ramosa, although most authors state that it was a Nealley collection. Nevertheless, a Wilkinson specimen (at US) from Chihuahua, Mexico (not mentioned by Vasey) bears a note in Hitchcock's hand: “Taken as the type of B. ramosa Scribn… . .” It is argued here that the Nealley Chenate Mt. specimen is the type of B. ramosa since it was designated by Vasey as representing that species, even though in a publication which antedates his original description by three months.

Archaeological Testing of Resources Within the Shafter Historic Mining District US Highway 67, Presidio County, Texas

Improvements to US 67 in Shafter, Presidio County, Texas, will affect three cultural areas within existing or proposed right-of-way. These areas include (1) a small early twentieth century dump designated Site 41PS344, (2) Site 41PS109 which comprises two small associated historic structures, and (3) a relatively recent concrete slab. Site 41PS344 lies to the southwest and outside of the Shafter Historic Mining District, while Site 41PS109 and the concrete slab are located within the boundaries of the Historic District. Testing operations to determine the eligibility of these sites on an individual basis for inclusion within the National Register of Historic Places were undertaken in August 1981. Testing operations consisted of surveying the right-of-way area, mapping, and test excavations. The small dump and the concrete slab proved to be of no archaeological or historical significance and do not meet the criteria for inclusion within the National Register of Historic Places. Site 41PS109 consists of a structure built of masonry rubble which contains an archaeological deposit up to 80 cm in depth within its walls and does meet the criteria for inclusion within the National Register of Historic Places. Full excavation and documentation of this structure is recommended. The associated feature comprising Site 41PS109 is a dugout excavated into limestone bedrock.

Research Design for Mitigation of Archaeological Resources Archaeological Site 41PS109 Shafter Historic Mining District Presidio County, Texas

The Shafter Historic Mining District is located along the floor and flanks of the low canyon of Cibolo Creek adjacent to and crossed by US 67, approximately 20 miles north of Presidio County, Texas (Fig 1) From the US 67 bridge, the creek flows to the southeast to a vertical cut made by the creek in the mountain massif. From there it flows due west to another steep rock bank and turns south.

Xanthoparmelia barbatica (Elix) comb. nov. New to North America

Xanthoparmelia barbatica (Elix) Egan has been collected in Presidio County, Texas. Previously, this taxon was known only from southeastern Australia. The new combination Xanthoparmelia burmeisterii (Elix) Egan is made.

Oncolites in Cretaceous Yucca Formation, Presidio County, Texas: ABSTRACT

Detailed stratigraphic work in the Yucca Formation, Presidio County, Texas, has revealed about 70 ft (21 m) of oncolite-bearing strata. The zone of oncolite occurrence is 180 ft (55 m) above the unconformity separating the Permian and Cretaceous rocks and 665 ft (203 m) below the initial occurrence of abundant Orbitolina. The zone varies both vertically and laterally from oncolite-supported conglomerate with micrite matrix to micrite with less than 10% oncolite content, to algal-encrusted, matrix-supported pebble conglomerate. Oncolites range from less than 0.5 in. (1.25 cm) to approximately 3 in. (7.5 cm) in diameter, and are commonly size sorted within the zone. The oncolites are most commonly nucleated about a fragmental piece of oncolite material and are classified as type-SS. In the pebble conglomerate facies, algal encrustations occur on very well-rounded, spheroidal clasts of siltstone, micrite, and chert. Very rare encrustations are present on clasts appreciably larger or smaller than the pebble size. Rarely is the algal material nucleated about organic remains such as pelecypod, gastropod, or brachiopod shells. The presence of this oncolite zone within an otherwise unfossiliferous section provides some control for interpreting depositional environments within the Yucca Formation. However, oncolites have been reported from several aquatic depositional environments both in the geologic record and as forming today. These environments include: lacustrine, fluvial; shallow, nearshore marine; and marginal marine brackish water systems. Local sedimentary features and broader stratigraphic relations effectively eliminate lacustrine and fluvial interpretation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 760------------

Geology of Shely Cauldron, Pinto Canyon Area, Presidio County, Texas: ABSTRACT

The Shely cauldron is in southwestern Presidio County, Texas, in an area known as Pinto Canyon. The Shely Volcanic Group is an Oligocene volcanic sequence of rhyolite and trachyte ash-flow tuffs, lava flows, and volcaniclastic sediments and agglomerates. It represents an intracauldron facies which filled a collapse zone after the initial cauldron-forming eruptions (upper Colmena Tuff, Buckshot Ignimbrite, and lower Chambers Tuff). The Allen intrusive complex represents a series of discontinuous early rhyolite porphyry domes and dikes related to the resurgence of the central cauldron block (previously known as the Loma Plata anticline), and a late nonporphyritic rhyolite flow dome associated with the final emplacement of a discontinuous ring dike along the outer margins of the ring-fracture zone. The occurrence of economic mineralization associated with late-stage hydrothermal mineralization within the Shely caldera is highly probable considering the silicic nature of the late-stage rhyolite intrusions (e.g., the uranium at Organ Pipe Hill; fluorite at the Bienevides Ranch; lead, zinc, and silver mineralization at the abandoned Loma Plata mine; and molybdenum mineralization at the French Ranch). Recently a great deal of interest has been shown in the anomalous uranium values found at Organ Pipe Hill. Several shallow exploratory holes were drilled but failed to detect any uranium of economic interest. Analysis of the uranium mineralization at Organ Pipe Hill (an early rhyolite porphyry intrusion of the Allen complex) suggests that the uranium was leached from younger Allen volcanic units and deposited along fractures developed subsequent to the intrusive emplacement. I believe that hydrothermal convection cells associated with the emplacement of an adjacent nonporphyritic rhyolite flow dome and associated ash-flow tuffs (an offshoot of the major late stage ring dike emplacement) was the major contributing factor in the uranium concentrations at Organ Pipe Hill. Additional trace-element and geochemical analysis is still in progress. End_of_Article - Last_Page 757------------

Geothermal Anomalies in Western Trans-Pecos Texas: ABSTRACT

Several major geothermal anomalies are present in Trans-Pecos Texas because of warm to hot water springs and wells, silica geochemical indicators, and shallow thermal gradient measurements. Forty-four thermal water (30°C or above) occurrences have been located in the area. The largest concentration of thermal waters is in southern Hudspeth and western Presidio Counties adjacent to the Rio Grande. The thermal waters range from slightly fresh to salty; total dissolved solids range from 275 to 11,500 ppm. Major ions in the high dissolved solid waters include sodium and chloride. As indicated by the silica geothermometer temperatures, subsurface waters above 125°C exist at seven locations in northeast El Paso, western and southeastern Jeff Davis, western and northern Presidio, and southern Brewster Counties. The areas having highest silica temperatures are (1) west of the Hueco Mountains in northeastern El Paso County and extending northward into southwestern Otero County, New Mexico; here maximum silica temperatures are 151°C and maximum measured water temperatures reach 71°C; and (2) north of Candelaria in western Presidio County where maximum silica temperatures reach 177°C and maximum measured water temperatures are 72°C. Geothermal gradients have been measured in over 70 wells and boreholes, most of these in Presidio County. Average gradient is 77°C/km in the Rio Grande Valley, with 30°C/km in the highlands east of the valley; this would seem to reflect the possible boundary of the Basin and Range and Great Plains tectonic provinces. In addition, a drilling program has been underway in northeastern El Paso County to investigate the geochemical anomaly west of the Hueco Mountains. Twelve to 14 holes drilled yielded gradients of over 100°C/km, and two of these penetrated the limestone bedrock, where the elevated gradients continued to increase with depth. Heat-flow values of 9 and 11 HFU were calculated for these latter two holes. On the basis of these gradients a geothermal resource may xist close to El Paso. End_of_Article - Last_Page 762------------

Early Cretaceous Stratigraphic Sequence in Chihuahua Trough, Presidio County, Texas: ABSTRACT

Various shallow-water marine facies are recognized in four exposures of upper Neocomian to lower Aptian strata on the eastern side of the Chihuahua trough. These facies display characteristics of a fluctuating carbonate-clastic shoreline with hypersaline, normal marine, and brackish water in nearshore, subtidal, supratidal, and lagoonal environments. End_Page 767------------------------------ The stratigraphic sequence between the Paleozoic-Cretaceous unconformity and the first occurrence of the Foraminifera Orbitolina was studied in the areas of the Solitario, Shafter, Pinto Canyon, and the Van Horn Mountains of southwest Texas. Due to the scarcity of environmentally indicative fossils in these sections, most environmental interpretations are based on physical structures such as cross-bedding and ripple marks, geochemistry, and the petrology of the sandstones and carbonates. As the sea transgressed into the area during the late Neocomian, it eroded a topographically high Paleozoic terrane into a gently sloping surface. A basal conglomerate, the initial deposit in the sequence, is gradational upward into lagoonal, tidal flat, and beach facies, characteristic of a low-relief shoreline. During deposition, terrigenous clastic input was influential in sedimentation, and perhaps created turbid water, prohibiting development of a filter-feeding community. The stratigraphic sequence grades into the sequential development of milliolid biosparite and oosparite facies, followed by Exogyra banks and intrasparites, and finally a rudistid-bearing biosparite facies, indicating a gradual increase in water depth. These facies patterns are recognizable in all four study localities, but were probably not synchronously deposited. The absence of correlatable biostratigraphic units makes time equivalency extremely speculative for this part of the Cretaceous section. End_of_Article - Last_Page 768------------

Depositional Environments, History, and Biostratigraphy of Upper Albian Rocks, Trans-Pecos Texas: ABSTRACT

Upper Albian rocks in Brewster, Presidio, Jeff Davis, Reeves, and Pecos Counties, Texas, between the Adkinsites brazoensis and Pleisioturrilites brazoensis zones are divided into 10 lithofacies and associated depositional environments. These lithofacies represent deposition in environments ranging from nearshore high-energy carbonate and quartz sands, to offshore high-energy carbonate shoals and rudistid banks, to medium- to low-energy offshore shales and biomicrites, to deeper water low-energy micrites. All or parts of the Benevides, Loma Plata, Sue Peaks, Santa Elena, Boracho, Fort Terrett and Fort Lancaster Formations are included in this study. The wide variety of lithofacies present reflects variations in local source areas, depositional slope, source area and basin stability, and paleogeography. Distribution and thickness of lithofacies during the late Albian indicate that the Glass Mountains area and Diablo platform were structural highs separated by a shelf basin which occupied the position of the Paleozoic Hovey channel. The northern part of the area was a gently sloping shallow-water shelf; the southern part was the northern edge of the Chihuahua trough. The use of ammonite zones to trace lithofacies and depositional environments through space and time shows an initial transgressive followed by a lesser regressive sequence. The overall effect of late Albian deposition was transgressive. End_of_Article - Last_Page 759------------

Systematics of Bouteloua breviseta and B. ramosa (Gramineae)

Bouteloua breviseta Vasey and B. ramosa Scribn. ex Vasey were described in 1890, both based on plants from Texas. Although the literature suggests that the type specimens for both species may have been collected in close proximity, this is not the case. The type of B. breviseta is from modern Reeves County, not far from the New Mexico state line, and about 210 airline kilometers north of the type locality of B. ramosa. For some 50 years these two taxa were treated as specifically distinct by agrostologists, but in the mid 1930's both W. A. Silveus and A. S. Hitchcock relegated B. ramosa to synonymy under B. breviseta. With few exceptions, this disposition has been followed by botanists since that time. The present study, which is based on field work throughout their ranges, along with examination of more than 180 herbarium specimens, demonstrates that these two taxa differ in a number of significant ways. Bouteloua breviseta is diploid (2n = 20) and is a gypsophile; B. ramosa is tetraploid (2n = 40) and is characteristic of calcareous soils. Each taxon occupies a different geographical area, and their ranges scarcely overlap. These distinctions, along with significant morphological dissimilarities, indicate that B. ramosa is in no sense a minor variant of B. breviseta but is as distinctive a species as many others commonly recognized in the genus Bouteloua. The original description of Bouteloua breviseta Vasey (1890a) appeared in a report by J. M. Coulter on a collection of plants made by G. C. Nealley in Texas during the years 1887, 1888, and 1889. The type is Nealley 785 [669] from Screw Bean, which Vasey indicated is in Presidio County. McVaugh (1946) attempted to trace Nealley's routes and to pinpoint his collection sites and pointed out that this area was a considerable distance north of modern Presidio County. He stated, Screwbean remains the most obscure of Nealley's localities, not designated on any map I have seen. McVaugh concluded that this locality is actually in Reeves County, about 8 km (5 miles) from the Pecos River and a few kilometers south of Orla. There are gypsiferous soils in this general area from which numerous collections of B. breviseta have been made. A related species, Bouteloua ramosa, was described by the same author (Vasey 1890b) later that same year but credited to F. Lamson-Scribner. No specimen was cited, but Griffiths (1912) stated that it was certainly based on a Nealley collection. It is significant that in the earlier work (Vasey 1890a) the name Bouteloua ramosa Scribner appears as no. 797 on the same page as the original description of no. 785 B. breviseta. Here there is no description of B. ramosa, but there is a note: Chenate Mountains (Presidio county). Although in this publication B. ramosa is a nomen nudum, and the species was not given a description until three months later, it seems reasonable to assume that the specimen cited above served

Full-Glacial and Recent Vegetation of Livingston Hills, Presidio County, Texas

A fossil packrat midden from 1280 m elevation in the limestone Livingston Hills south of Shafter, Presidio County, Texas, was radiocarbon dated at 15,695 ? 230 B. P. (A-1581 on Juniperus). The paleocommunity was a pinyonjuniper woodland with Pinus edulis and 26 associated species. Holacantha stewarti was an important desert species in the paleocommunity. A total of 139 species was recorded in the present xeric Chihuahuan Desert flora near the midden site. Late Pleistocene paleocommunities and the timing of biotic changes in the northern Chihuahuan Desert are discussed. The Chihuahuan Desert reaches its lowest elevations along the United States-Mexico International Boundary along the Rio Grande in the Big Bend of Texas. The varied geology and vegetation of the region produce as scenic a painted desert landscape as any in the southwestern deserts. However, the desert has not been in the Big Bend for long. Wells' (1966) analysis of fossil packrat (genus Neotoma) middens from the Big Bend found a xeric woodland with pinyon (Pinus cembroides var. remota) as low as 600 m elevation in Maravillas Canyon during the last glaciopluvial period. His sites were from 600 to 1200 m elevations in three areas peripheral to the Chisos Mountains. Wells (1977) suggested that the present Chihuahuan Desert vegetation entered the Big Bend less than 11,500 years ago. Here we report a late Pleistocene plant macrofossil assemblage from an ancient packrat midden from the west side of the Big Bend in the Livingston Hills (Fig. 1).

A New Species of Lizard of the Cnemidophorus tesselatus Group from Texas

A new species of parthenogenetic whiptail lizard, Cnemidophorus dixoni, is described from Presidio County in southwest Texas. A summary of pertinent literature relating to the taxonomic status of parthenogenetic vertebrates is presented. Two pattern classes, C. dixoni A and C. dixoni B, are recognized for the two morphologically distinct populations occurring in the Chinati Mountains. A population of whiptail lizards from Hidalgo County, New Mexico, previously recognized as C. tesselatus F is referred to C. dixoni. Ecological interrelationships between C. dixoni and sympatric species of Cnemidophorus, including C. tesselatus, are discussed.

Populatians of Boll Weevils in Selected Fields in Presidio County, Texas, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico., in late 1968 Subsequent to Reproductive-Diapause Control Programs in 1965-196712

Surveys in August-October 1968 in areas in Presidio, Texas, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, that were treated in 1965-1967 in a reproductive-diapause control program against Anthonomus grandis Boheman indicated that the populations were increasing in several fields. The locations of these fields in the Rio Grande and Rio Conchos valleys is such that the weevils may soon repopulate the entire sprayed area if conditions are favorable.

Pronghorn Die-off in Trans-Pecos Texas

Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) numbers on the Marfa Flat, comprising 75,000 acres in Presidio County, Texas, declined from 484 in June, 1964, to 148 in June, 1965. Nearly 60 percent (274) of the original number died from causes other than hunting. Pronghorns were confined on this area by net-wire fences. Three years of below-average rainfall combined with heavy stocking of cattle, horses, and pronghorns caused severe range depletion and forced pronghorns to rely almost entirely on browse species for sustenance. Only tarbush (Flourensia cernua), creosotebush (Larrea divaricata), and snakeweed (Amphiachyris dracunculoides) were readily available. Twelve pronghorns were observed to be utilizing a diet composed almost entirely of tarbush during the winter and spring period. Lesions characteristic of tarbush toxicity were found in 83 percent of the animals examined. Resorbing embryos were found in three of four females that had conceived. Malnutrition coupled with tarbush toxicity was considered to be the cause of the losses. Reproductive rates were reduced from 52 fawns per 100 does in June, 1964, to 17 fawns per 100 does in June, 1965. Pronghorns on ranches with a variety of more desirable browse species suffered only minor losses. Adjustment of stocking rates to forage available, construction of fences allowing pronghorn movement during periods of food shortage, and the possibility of limited, temporary supplemental feeding are management practices that might prevent the recurrence of such losses.

Uredinales of the Big Bend National Park and Adjacent Areas of Texas

There are 66 species reported, including 5 not previously recorded in the United States, 3 new species, Puccinia chisosensis on Piptochaetium fim- briatum, P. scleropogonis on Scleropogon brevifolius, and Uromyces bravensis on Sporobolus pyramidatus, and one new variety, Puccinia pygmaea var. chisosana on Bromus anomalus. This paper records 66 species of the rust fungi collected during the fall of 1961 and the spring of 1962 in Jeff Davis, Brewster, and Presidio Counties, Texas. The majority are from the Big Bend National Park and they constitute the first listing of these fungi from the Park. Included are three new species and one new variety on grasses, five species not previously recorded in the United States, and numerous new records for Texas. All specimens are deposited in the Arthur Herbarium, Purdue Uni- versity and were collected by me unless otherwise indicated. The year is indicated by my collection numbers, as (61-300) or (62-300). 1. Coleosporium viguierae Diet. & Holw. BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK: on Viguiera dentata (Cav.) Spreng., 2 miles down Window Trail, Chisos Mts., 17 Oct. (61-343); on Verbesina encelioides (Cay.) A. Gray, US 385, 3 miles north of Panther Junction, 19 Oct. (61-346). 2. Cumminsiella texana (Holw. & Long) Arth. BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK: on Berberis trifoliolata Moric., Dagger Flat, 23 Oct. (61-373). BREWSTER COUNTY: on B. trifoliolata, US 385, 5 miles south of Mara-