'll'l Bionomics of \Yi < rils 



common throughout the British Isles but is less destructive in the north 

 of Scotland than in the south of England. 



Food-plants. 



Peas, beans, lucerne (Medicago sativa), medick (Medicago lupulina), 



all species of clover (Tri folium), tares (Vicia sativa), and wild vetches. 



In Britain this is the most abundant species infesting peas and beans 

 and is only too well known in consequence. I have noticed that it 

 greatly prefers peas, beans and vetches to clover, thus wild vetches 

 growing in fields of clover are often almost denuded of leaves by this 

 species while the clover growing round it is not touched. Similarly com- 

 paratively few specimens are to be taken in clover fields if peas and 

 beans are growing in the vicinity, though from October until April this 

 species is common upon clover. On the other hand I have found this 

 species abundant on lucerne throughout the year. It would thus appear 

 that clover is not the favourite food-plant of this species but only resorted 

 to when the others are unobtainable. This view is further supported by 

 examination of the life-history which seems to be specially adapted to 

 peas and beans, as egg laying only takes place during spring or summer 

 when the peas and beans are in a condition to support the resultant 

 larvae. 



Other recorded food-plants. E. M. Vassiliev in Ent. Section of the Rep. 

 of the Exp. Ent. St. of all Russ. Soc. of Sugar Refiners for 1914, Kiev, 1913, 

 pp. 12-23, Abstract Rev. App. Ent. A. i (1913), pp. 485 and 487, mentions 

 the occurrence of S. lineatus on vines and sugar-beet, though he records 

 it as not a pest of the latter; A. Tullgren in "Skadedjur i Sverige Aren 

 1912-1916" (Injurious Animals in Sweden during 1912-1916), Medde- 

 lande fran Centralanstalfen for Jorsbruksforsok, No. 152, Entomologiska 

 avdelningen, No. 27, p. 104, Abstract Rev. App. Ent. vi (1918), p. 147, 

 observes that S. lineatus damages raspberries ; E. Molz and D. Schroder (18) 

 record an attack of S. lineatus on chicory and mentions beet being 

 damaged by the larvae. Bargagli(iG) records as food-plants of this 

 species Ilex aquifolium and Pinus sylvestris; the latter tree is also re- 

 corded by Taschenburg(i2) as a habitat of S. lineatus but I have no doubt 

 that the weevils were merely sheltering in these trees. I have met with 

 no corroborative evidence of S. lineatus occurring on vines, raspberries, 

 chicory or sugar-beet in this country. 



