March, 1919.] WEISS AND DlCKERSON : INSECTS OF ROSE-MALLOW. 47 



the species occurs at Mt. Airy, Pa., and in New Jersey at Woodbury 

 VII and VIII; Anglesea VIII, IX and South Camden. Up to the 

 present, we have found this insect only on plants in the South Jersey 

 marshes and not in the nurseries. Consequently no control methods 

 need be considered. Once in a nursery, however, considerable dam- 

 age could be done by this species if the plants were being grown for 

 seed purposes as each capsule contains approximately ioo seeds and 

 three or four larvae will destroy nearly all of them. 



It was noted that the adults of Conotrach'clus fissunguis made a 

 slight wheezing sound. This was quite audible when five or six were 

 placed together. It was also observed that the noise accompanied 

 vertical movements of the tip of the abdomen. An examination of 

 the beetle showed that the dorsal surface of the end of the abdomen 

 was covered with a chitinous plate which was supplied with numer- 

 ous closed- fan-shaped spines. An examination of the ventral surface 

 of the wing covers showed a somewhat horizontal series of short 

 ridges near and somewhat parallel to outer posterior edges. Inas- 

 much as our supply of living specimens was limited and as they died 

 before we could complete our observations we are not entirely con- 

 vinced that these structures are responsible for the sounds produced. 



Apion hibisci Fall. 



Numerous galls of this species were first noted at Arlington, N. J., 

 on plants growing at the edge of a drained marsh and later at Ruth- 

 erford on nursery plants. Specimens of the beetles were recently 

 sent to Prof. H. C. Fall who stated that it was a new species and 

 kindly described it as Apion hibisci, so that it could be properly re- 

 ferred to in this paper. 



The adults appear during the last week of August and the first 

 two weeks of September. They evidently go into hibernation quar- 

 ters soon after emergence because none could be found in the vicinity 

 of the empty galls. They reappear during the following spring and 

 deposit eggs in the bases of the leaf petioles. By the first week in 

 July the galls are quite prominent and during the first two weeks in 

 August pupation takes place, the adults appearing as previously 

 stated. 



Normally, the gall consists of a somewhat globular swelling of 

 the base of the leaf petiole, but the galls are not at all uniform. In 



