MYCOSPORINE-LIKE AMINO ACIDS AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN GRACILARIA DOMINGENSIS: CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION PROVIDING VALUABLE INSIGHT

Abstract

The Chihuahua Desert is the largest hot desert (BWh) in North America. Orthopterans are an integral part of desert ecosystems. They include grasshoppers, katydids and crickets. A large section of the Northern Chihuahua Desert is in Luna County, New Mexico. There is a dearth of information on the Orthopterans in this area. Between May and October of 2020, sixty adult grasshoppers, two katydids and one camel cricket were captured from a 5-hectare (ha) area at base of the Florida Mountains, which is the extreme southern portion of Luna County. Luna County was in a severe drought during 2020. The insects were identified using several taxonomic keys (Cigliano, Braun, Eades & Otte, 2018; Guala & Doring, 2019; Triplehorn & Johnson, 2005; Richman, Lightfoot, Sutherland & Fergurson, 1993, Otte, 1984, 1981; Tinkham, 1944). A previous New Mexico State University (NMSU) survey from 1993 had only documented grasshoppers in the Acrididae and Romaleidae families. The objective of this continuing study is to identify and document all species of Orthopterans found in Luna County, and correlate the populations with changing weather patterns. In this portion of the study, the majority of Orthopterans captured were Leprus wheeleri (Thomas), a previously documented specie. However, seven undocumented species were also captured. Given the ecological importance of these insects in the Chihuahua Desert, this research is crucial because of the scarcity of information on the Orthopterans in Luna County.