PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 247 



[Agrilus acutus. 



In 1918 in the observation plots at the Nagpur Experimental Farm, Mr. Khare. 

 some ambadi {Hibiscus cannabinus) plants were growing. These plants 

 looked quite healthy, till the month of October, but later on put on a 

 sickly appearance, so much so that in November many plants died 

 and had to be uprooted : all the dead plants were examined, and found 

 harbouring more than one grub of a Buprestid beetle. I first of all 

 took that to be a Sphenoptera grub, but later on when the beetles emerged, 

 those were no longer Sphenoptera but Agrilus acutus. The stems of 

 amhadi apparently were all right excepting a few cuts on the bark here 

 and there. The root system too was quite sound, unlike in cotton when 

 the main root is hollowed by the Sphenoptera gossypii grub, and, when 

 the plants are pulled up, always break at that point. The grub, when 

 it enters the stem, makes its way up spirally by cutting the wood a 

 little deep, behind the bark. When the grub is fully developed it cuts 

 a chamber in the wood and remains doubled up in a resting condition. 

 I have kept quite a large number of the affected stems in a cage. I 

 got a couple of beetles emerged in December last, but the majority of 

 the grubs are lying inactive in the stems. It is possible that these 

 may emerge next May or June. 



I could not find any reference to this beetle in any of the books 

 like South Indian Insects, Indian Insect Lije, or Indian Museum Notes. 

 I think it worth recording that this beetle may turn out a serious pest 

 of ambadi.] 



Melyrid^. 



Idgia melanura, Koll and Redt. 



This species occurs commonly at light at Pusa in July-September, Mr. Fletcher, 

 and in August-September 1905, the adults were found on maize in small 

 numbers and in September 1908 on juar. We also have it from Chapra, 

 Masuri, Lebong (Darjiling), Khandesh, Belgaum and Coimbatore (at 

 light), so that it is widely distributed in India. It may be looked on 

 as a potential pest of cereals. 



Idgia cardoni. 

 Proc. Second Entl. Meeting, p. 188. 



This species is very similar to melanura but the femora are unicolorous 

 testaceous, whereas in melanura the apices of femora are blackish. We 

 have it from Lahore, Helem (Assam), Coimbatore, the Anamalai Hills, 

 and Peradeniya. At Lahore it was found on one occasion in destructive 

 numbers on bajra flowers and it may be looked on as a sporadic pest 

 of cereals. 



