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NOTE ON BEETLES ON TURKISH TOBACCO LEAF. 



By J. P. Wright. 

 Bead October 26th, 1909. 



Infested leaf was given to me by an expert in the tobacco trade, 

 and from him I gathered the following particulars. 



Turkish tobacco leaf is imported in bales, fairly compressed. 

 When an infested bale is opened few mature beetles are ob- 

 served, but when the leaves are separated they soon make their 

 appearance. Given an infested bale, the eggs, and subsequently 

 the adult insects, are plentiful, but the larval and pupal stages 

 are scarce, or, rather, are difficult to discover, as of course they 

 must be there. The metamorphosis of a beetle takes some 

 considerable time, and it seems to me somewhat strange that the 

 intermediate stages are not more readily discoverable. In one 

 slide in my possession there appears to be a cocoon, but it is 

 possible that this may have been formed by some insect other 

 than the beetle in question. My informant tells me — I use his 

 own words — the beetles thrive merrily on Naphthaline. As an 

 experiment, some of the infested leaf was put in a box with a 

 perforated false bottom, in which was put some Naphthaline, and 

 so left for some time. When the box was opened it was found 

 that the beetles had left the leaf and taken refuge in the Naph- 

 thaline, from which, however, they flew in clouds as soon as the 

 cover was removed. 



Bisulphide of carbon effectually disposes of them. 



These beetles are not found on Indian, African, Virginian, or 

 China leaf, but seem peculiar to the Turkish growth, and it is- 

 only an occasional bale of this kind that is so infested. 



Journ. Quekett Microscopical Club, Scr. 2, Vol. X., No. 6b, November 1909. 



