Subject: North East Mexico Plague
Geographic location of the bug: Monterrey
Date: 06/07/2019
Time: 12:38 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Worried about our forest, infestation of this insect. What is it what is the impact. Millions of these in our forest.
How you want your letter signed: Raul
Dear Raul,
This is a gorgeous Katydid, and with a little searching, we are confident we have identified it as Pterophylla beltrani thanks to images and maps on iNaturalist. We located an article entitled Geographic Distribution and Singing Activity of Pterophylla beltrani and P. robertsi (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), Under Field Conditions where it states: “Pterophylla beltrani, locally known as grilleta or false locust, constitutes an important forest pest in northern Mexico. Populations of this species began to increase … in 1975.” Since this is a native, local insect for you, we have a problem thinking of the large numbers you witnessed this year as an infestation. Rather, we prefer to think about it as a possible indication of climate change. Some species might not survive a change in climate while others may thrive. At this point in time, Green New Deal or not, we believe that there has already been an irreversible effect on nature due to the changes, climactic and otherwise, that increasing populations of humans on planet Earth have created. That stated, no one knows what the future will bring.