8 The Irish Naturalist. January 



MAGDALIS CARBONARIA AND OTHER INSECTS 



AT POWERSCOURT. 



BY J. N. HALBERT, M.R.I. A. 



While collecting in the Deerpark at Powerscourt, Co. 

 Wicklow, on the 9th of June, 1919, I found two specimens 

 of the weevil Magdalis carbonaria L., by sweeping bracken 

 growing under Birch, on which tree it usually lives. This 

 insect is an addition to the Irish list ; it should perhaps 

 be mentioned that rather large examples of M. armigera, 

 Fourc, found in the Santry demesne some years ago were 

 mistaken for M. carbonaria and were so recorded. This 

 error was duly corrected in the general list^ of Irish beetles 

 published in 1902. The discovery of undoubted M. car- 

 bonaria in Ireland is, therefore, of interest. It is of very 

 local occurrence in Great Britain, ranging from the Midlands 

 of England northwards and becoming more frequent in 

 Scotland where it has been reported from several localities. 



Another species which I had long expected to find in the 

 Dublin district is the handsome Elater praeustus, F. Two 

 specimens, evidently just emerged from the pupa stage, 

 were dug out of an old Alder stump lying in the partly 

 dry bed of the River Dargle. The identification of the 

 Irish specimens of this Elater seems to need some further 

 enquiry. Meanwhile Mr. Donisthorpe, in dealing with his 

 Kerry captures, has given reasons for referring them to 

 the above-named species.^ It has been recorded as Elater 

 pomorum, Herbst, from several Irish localities and may be 

 found under this name in the Irish list. 



Apparently the following species have not been previously 

 recorded from the Dublin district — the longhorn Rhagium 

 inquisitor, F., of which a single specimen was captured 

 flying round an oak tree, and the little boring beetle, 

 Trypodendron domesticum, L., was very busy in a decayed 

 Alder trunk. A specimen of Dryophilus pusillus, Gyll. 



^ Proc. R.I. A. (3), vol. vi., p. 817. 

 ^ Irish Naturalist, vol. xxvi., p. 99. 



