200 



Sri'.FAMILY X. CURCULIONINJE. 



Fig. 75. Pecan weevil, a, Female; b, side view 

 of : ame in outline: c, head, beak, antenna of male. 

 All X - l /2. (After Chittenden.) 



Extends from New York to 

 the Gulf States, westward 

 to Iowa. In Texas the fe- 

 male begins to oviposit in 

 August, and in Georgia 

 larv;v have been found in 

 nuts as late as January. 

 This species, known as the 

 pecan weevil, attacks hick- 

 ory and pecan nnts and was 

 originally bred from hick- 

 ory nuts by John Akhnrst 

 and described from bred 

 specimens. Its habits have 

 been repeatedly observed but it may be interesting to quote the 

 statement by Brooks that one hour and fifteen minutes is re- 

 quired to drill the hole through which the egg is deposited. 



385 (8963). B ALA MM s RKCTUS Say, 1831, 16; ibid, I, 279, female. (B. 

 qitercus Horn, 1873, 458, male.) 



Oblong-ovate. Brownish, clothed with pale brown hair-like scales, 

 nearly uniform on thorax; elytra rather closely spotted with pale orange, 

 somewhat confluent into short transverse lines. Beak longer than body, 

 straight nearly to end, then curved downward, female; slightly shorter than 

 body and curved throughout, male; extremely slender, not at all enlarged 

 basally in either sex. First joint of funicle longer than second. Thorax 

 one-third wider than long, sides rather strongly curved, surface densely 

 punctured, very sparsely pubescent, slightly denser along median line. 

 Elytra oval, gradually narrowed to tip, disc moderately convex, striate, 

 stria? punctured; intervals densely but not roughly punctured. Femoral 

 tooth with cuter edge oblique, the entering angle obtuse, not rounded. Py- 

 gidium of male deeply concave at tip, the concavity smooth, shining and 

 surrounded by an acute rim which is t'imbriate with long hairs. Fifth 

 ventral with a small, partially denuded medial area in apical half. 

 Length 8.5 9 mm. 



Northern half of Indiana, frequent; not yet taken but proba- 

 bly occurs in the southern counties; August '2'.\ Oct. 10. Abund- 

 ant from Massachusetts to Michigan and Colorado, south and 

 southwest to Florida and Texas. This is the best known species 

 attacking acorns of biennial-fruited oaks, especially those of 

 (Jiicrciifi nilira. cocchtcii. rrliitiim and intl>rh-<iri<i, the adults oc- 

 curring from July to October and having the habit, not known in 

 other species, of sealing the egg-hole with excrement, thus form- 

 ing a whitish spot. 



The following names have been proposed for a number of 

 forms here included under the name rcctuft, viz. : 



