OF WASHINGTON; VOLUME xv, 1913. 89 



AN ENEMY OF THE CIGARETTE BEETLE. 



BY A. C. MORGAN*, Bureau of Entomology. 



In April, 1912, Mr. W. D. Hunter and the writer, while inspect- 

 ing a cigar factory at Key West, Florida, to determine the extent 

 of loss clue to the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne Fabr., 

 had their attention called to another beetle which was said to do 

 damage to tobacco. The latter insect is known locally as the 

 " Bicho grande," because the adult is much larger than that of Lasio- 

 derma serricorne. During the examination of this factory several 

 bright red and very active larvae were found in bundles and boxes 

 of old cigars. Later the adults of this larva, a species of the family 

 Cleridse were found. Experiments very quickly demonstrated 

 that these red larvae were predaceous upon the larvae and pupae 

 of Lasioderma serricorne, and later Mr. G. A. Runner found that the 

 adult Clerid was also predaceous upon larvae, pupae and adults of 

 the cigarette beetle. 



Adults were sent to Mr. E. A. Schwarz who determined the 

 species as Thaneroclerus girodi Chevr. and stated that this was the 

 first record for the United States. In Bull. Ent. Soc. France for 

 1880, p. xxxi, occurs the only reference to this insect in literature. 

 Here Chevrolat described this species and added a note of which 

 the following is a translation: "This insect, peculiar to Cuba, has 

 been found by Girod in cases of injured tobacco (injured presumably 

 by the cigarette beetle) and was given to me by M. Ant. Grouvelle. 

 It is likely to be predaceous upon the larvae and perfect insects of 

 the genus Catorama." 



It is interesting to be able to furnish the proof that this Clerid is 

 predaceous upon Catorama, of which genus one of the old species 

 is now known under the name of Lasioderma serricorne. 



Thaneroclerus undoubtedly occurs also at Tampa, Florida, for 

 during October, 1912, Mr. G. A. Runner and the writer took a few 

 specimens of a bright red larva apparently identical specifically 

 with the ones taken at Kev West. 



In discussing this paper Mr. Schwarz mentioned the fact that 

 another enemy of dry Cuban tobacco had recently been found in 

 the United States. This species is Catorama tabaci Guerin which 

 has frequently been reported as an importation from Cuba in vari- 

 ous places in Europe. It was found in Cuban tobacco by a dealer 

 in Philadelphia. More recently it was received at the Bureau of 

 Entomology from the Lopez factory in Key West, Florida. In 



