Part 10

Although the banded gecko is sometimes mistaken for the young of a Gila monster, in general the desert people accuse it of no definite crime, stating merely “we have heard that it is very poisonous,” and in consequence, kill it whenever they find it.

Solpugid (Eremobates sp.)

Probably because of its large and prominent jaws, the solpugid, Eremobates sp., which is closely related to the spiders, is greatly feared.

“Anything so ugly MUST be poisonous,” seems to be the principal basis for its unhappy reputation.

It is often found inside buildings where it has gone in search of insect prey, and Mexican families living in adobe houses with dirt floors are reported to be terrorized by it. In Mexico and in many parts of the Southwest it is known as niña de la tierra or child-of-the-earth.

The range of the solpugid or sun spider is by no means limited to the desert, but its reputation as a poisonous creature seems to be much worse in the Southwest than elsewhere.

The solpugid not only is perfectly harmless to man but does not rely on poison in capturing its prey, as it has no venom glands whatever.

Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus sp.)

Whereas the solpugid is called child-of-the-earth in the southern portions of the Southwest, in the northern part of this territory another creature, the Jerusalem cricket, sand cricket, or chacho is reported as imbued with the same dangerous qualities evidently credited to any creature to which this name has been applied.

Although quite common, the Jerusalem cricket, Stenopelmatus sp., is shy and nocturnal in its habits. Its striking appearance is due to its head which is round, bald, and with markings on top that form, with the use of a little imagination, a simple, smiling face. It is this that suggests to the Spanish-speaking people of the Southwest, who occasionally dig it from its burrow, the name “niña de la tierra.” The Navajo Indians call it woh-seh-tsinni, meaning Old Man Bald-head.

By the superstitious natives, this creature is believed to be highly venomous and frequently the death of a horse or cow is blamed by the owner on a “chacho” that has crawled into the hay.

Actually, the Jerusalem cricket is harmless and may be handled with perfect impunity by anyone, although it may inflict a painful nip.

Vinegaroon (Trithyreus sp.)

Since people coming from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas bring the majority of tales regarding the deadly characteristics of the little vinegaroon or whip-tail scorpion, fear of it is apparently more widespread over the cotton belt as a whole than within the desert regions of the Southwest.

The name vinegaroon stems from the fact that when the little creature is injured or smashed it gives off the odor of an acetate similar to that of acetic acid, the principal ingredient of vinegar.

Equipped with a massive pair of pincers, the vinegaroon, like the solpugid, gives an impression of fierceness which is probably the basis for much of its reputation as a dangerous criminal. However, the pincers are used in catching and holding prey and have no poison mechanism in connection.

The hairlike posterior appendage, or tail, is without any protective or offensive mechanism whatever, so that the creature is perfectly harmless insofar as human beings are concerned.

In fact, like the solpugid and the banded gecko, its food habits cause it to rid the world of a great many insects during the course of its life and many of its victims are certain to be noxious to the interests of mankind.

All of these creatures, then, are not only harmless, but are actually beneficial to man, and they deserve to be freed from the persecution resulting from ignorance and superstition, and to be permitted to live in their normal relationship with other creatures.

REFERENCES CITED

Kent, Melvin, and Stahnke, H. L., “Effect and Treatment of Arizona Scorpion Stings,” Southwestern Medicine, April, 1939, pp. 12-121, 124.

Bogen, Emil, “Poisonous Spider Bites,” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 99, No. 24, December 10, 1932.

Thorp, Raymond W., and Woodson, Weldon D., Black Widow, America’s Most Poisonous Spider, University of North Carolina Press, 1945.

Baerg, W. J., “The Effects of the Bite of Latrodectus mactans,” Journal of Parasitology, Vol. IX, No. 3, March, 1933, pp. 161-169.

Wehrle, L. P., “Observations on Three Species of Triatoma,” Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, Vol. XXIV, No. 3, June, 1939, pp. 145-154.

Matheson, Robert, Medical Entomology, Charles C. Thomas, Baltimore, Md., 1932.

Jones, W. Ray, King County Medical Association, Seattle, Washington.

Githens, T. H., “Snake Bite in the United States,” Scientific Monthly, August, 1935, pp. 163-167.