LSAM mystery object - any ideas?
e-mail Chris Carlton
our only clue...
And here are the entries:
1. 26 March 2006-"work of a dung beetle."
--Sorry, we think not. An awfully big beetle would be involved. Check the ruler, its a foot in diameter!
2. 14 May 2006-"a mass of (dead) mating walking sticks."
--Dead, definitely; sticks, yes. Mating, no; walking, definitely not.
3. 10 July 2006-"I recently came across an article while looking for something else that caught my attention and reminded me of the mystery object on your website. I don't know if its a dung-straw ball but it looks like it could be."
The reference is: Hoffmann, W. E. 1935. A novel Native Method of Controlling June-beetles. Lingnan-Sci-J. 14(4): 689-690. Abstract: In the south of Kwangtung, the larvae of a cockchafer that attacks Euphoria longana are trapped in balls of straw and duck manure, 15-18 ins. in diameter, placed in the trees. The beetles oviposit in the balls, which are destroyed periodically.
--Hmm, could this contributor be onto something? Can anyone comment who has first hand knowledge of this method. This would certainly explain why this thing ended up in an entomology unit, though it seems a little far-fetched that a leaf chafer straw ball trap would have found its way to Louisiana from China.
4. 10 May 2007. DRUM ROLL PLEASE, THE MYSTERY HAS BEEN SOLVED.....it's a HURRICANE BALL, as follows from Joyce Shaw, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, MS (with attached photo):
"You appear to have a “hurricane ball” in your collection. We have two, one from Hurricane Camille and one from Hurricane Katrina. The Camille ball was found by our now retired geologist, Dr. Ervin Otvos, at Horn Island, MS in 1970. The larger ball was found by Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Maintenance Foreman, Mike “Big Mike” Funk about 6 months after Hurricane Katrina in a marsh (Weeks Bayou) just west of our campus in Ocean Springs, MS. The smaller ones are of unknown origin. The coffee mug is included to give you an idea of the size of the hurricane balls."
--Wow, thanks! She is sending some information about these strange objects. I'll be moving the hurricane ball to its own page soon, since it's been identified, and will post information about it as I receive it. Our's may be a Camille Ball or a Betsy Ball, and we are currently trying to narrow the date when it appeared on the scene.