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Vol. XLII. GUELPH, FEBRUARY, 1910. No. 2. 



A NEW SPECIES OF ECCOPTOGASTER. 



BY J. INI. SWAINE, MACDONALD COLLEGE, P. Q. 



The beetle here described is interesting as being the first species of its 

 genus recorded from conifers in eastern North America. In the west E. 

 utiispinosus occurs in Pseudolsuga, and possibly in Larix, and E. sub- 

 scaber and E. praceps occur in Abies. The food-plants of E. ventralis 

 and E. Cali/ornicus have not been recorded. Of the eastern species, E. 

 fagi is found in Celtis and Fagus, E. muitcus in Celtis, E. quadrispiiioms 

 in Hicoria, and E. rugulosus in Prunus, Pyrus and Cratiegus. The food- 

 plants of E. sulcatus have not been recorded. 



The species was found at Hudson, Que., May 24th, 1909, in branches 

 of Picea Canadensis. Full-grown larvas and pupge were abundant in the 

 ends of the larval galleries, but adults had not then appeared. Adults 

 emerged from sticks in the laboratory on June 6th, and egg-laying under 

 natural conditions commened early in July in branches which had been 

 broken bv winter storms. No tunnels were found in living bark nor in 

 limbs which I had girdled in May. 



The egg-tunnels deeply score the wood lengthwise of the grain. The 

 tunnels are divided into two portions by a nuptial chamber, situated 

 usually near the middle, and from the nuptial chamber a short oblique 

 tunnel leads to the entrance-hole above. From ten to thirty eggs are laid 

 in shallow nitches along each side of the tunnel, and well packed in with 

 fine bits of wood. The larval galleries arise from the tunnels in a fairly 

 regular manner, but soon through their windings cross each other in 

 every direction, but still show a general tendency to follow the grain of the 

 wood, which they deeply score. The pupal cells at the ends of the gal- 

 leries are more or less deeply sunk into the wood, and are usually parallel 

 with the surface, though sometimes oblique. 



This species is most closely allied to E. ujiispinosus, but is easily 

 separated by the shape and position of the ventral spine. In unispinosns 

 the spine is flattened in the male, and the base of the hind margin attains 

 the caudal margin of the segment. The shape is roughly triangular, 



