ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGY. 863 



The injurious buprestids, F. Picakd {Prog. Agr. et Vit. (Ed. VEst Centre), 

 S3 {1912), No. 31, pp. 133-139, pi. i).— Short accounts are given of 6 of the 

 more important buprestids occurring in France, namely, Sphcenopiera gemellata, 

 Corwbus bifasciatus, C. undatus, Chalcophora mariana, Capnodis tenebrionis, 

 and Ptosima novemmaculata. 



The barls-eating and root-boring beetles (Coelosterna scabrata and Psilop- 

 tera fastuosa) of the babul (Acacia arabica), E. P. Stebbing {[rndian] Forest 

 Bui. 12, 1912, pp. 9, i}ls. 2). — Considerable injury in babul plantations in Berar 

 has been due to the attacks of these longicorn and buprestid beetles. 



Coleoptera; family Curculionidse, H. Wagner {Genera Insectorum, 1912, 

 No. 130, pp. 109, pis. 6). — This fascicle takes up the subfamily Apiouinje. A 

 plate showing the distribution of the genera is included. 



The plum curculio, A. L. Quaintance and E. L. Jenne {U. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Bur. Ent. Bui. 103, pp. 250, pis. 20, figs. 36). — This bulletin gives the results 

 of studies that have been in progress since the spring of 1905. Data have 

 been obtained on the biology of the insect in northern, central, and southern 

 localities in its range of distribution, as in western New York and north- 

 western Pennsylvania, in the environs of Washington, D. C, and in Georgia. 

 Studies for one season were made in, the Ozark region of Arkansas, well toward 

 its limit of occurrence to the Southwest. 



The subject is taken up under the headings of classification and synonymy, 

 common names, history, distribution, losses due to the plum curculio, insects 

 likely to be mistaken for it, its description, food plants, life history and habits, 

 seasonal history, percentage of fruit punctured or infested, natural enemies, 

 and remedial measures. 



The curculio is indigenous to the eastern United States, and has probably 

 always occupied about its present range of distribution. Investigations con- 

 ducted show this pest to occur in the humid area in all of the life zones, ex- 

 cept the tropical, it having been found as far west as Sterling, Colo. (long. 

 103°). The authors estimate the annual loss, including cost of remedial opera- 

 tions, resulting from the attack of the curculio, at about $8,500,000. 



The plum curculio feeds upon and oviposits in practically all pome and stone 

 fruits, as the apple, pear, quince, plum, peach, cherry, nectarine, and apricot. 

 Certain wild fruits, such as Crataegus, crab apple, etc., are also more or less 

 fed upon, especially when the above mentioned fruits are scarce. There are 

 also records of oviposition in the huckleberry, grape, strawberry, gooseberry, 

 currant, and wild persimmon. It also breeds in black knot. 



In comparing the number of eggs deposited by different individuals for the 

 respective localities and the averages of all beetles for a given locality, the 

 authors find a great variation. The final average number of eggs per female 

 for all localities is 144.S5, ranging from 1 to 557 eggs. The length of the egg 

 stage ranges from 2* to 13i days for the different localities, the averages vary- 

 ing from 3.77 to 9.23 days. 



In observations made in Michigan in 1910, the length of the 4 larval instars 

 was 2, 2.4, 2.7, and 4.1 days, respectively. Comparatively few beetles emerge 

 from the soil within 3 weeks from the time of entering as larvte. The great 

 majority of the beetles appear during the fourth and fifth weeks and by the 

 close of the sixth week emergence has practically ,ceased. At Barnesville, Ga., 

 the average number of days for the larvae in the soil before pupation was 16.08 

 as against 12.03 in Michigan. In Georgia the average time spent by the adults 

 in the ground before emerging was 5.62 days. The average time 37 individuals 

 spent in the soil was 30.89 days. Of a total of 1,083 larvae. 684 pupated within 

 1 in. of the surface, and 1,019 within 2 in. of the surface. The several averages 

 of time for complete transformations in the individual records show a range of 



