March, 1919] Weiss and Dickerson : Insects of Rose-Mallow. 51 



against seed capsule. A female collected August 28 and dissected 

 showed ten developed and twenty developing eggs. The recently 

 hatched larva is about 0.35 mm. long and the width of the head is 

 0.09 mm. While we had thousands of hibiscus seeds at our disposal, 

 the infestation was so light that we were unsuccessful in locating 

 either full-grown larvae or pupae. Hundreds were broken up in the 

 attempt, but nothing resulted. No external marks of infestation 

 were visible and infested seeds did not respond to the tests usually 

 recommended as a means of discovering infestation. 



Adult. — Brnchus hibisci Oliv. The following redescription is by 

 Blatchley : "Broadly oval, robust. Black, moderately shining; sparsely 

 pubescent with grayish-yellow hairs which on the elytra are fre- 

 quently and irregularly interrupted by transverse bare spaces ; an- 

 tennae pale reddish brown, joints 4-9 often slightly darker; front and 

 middle legs rufous ; hind femora black, red at tip. Thorax twice 

 broader at base than long, rapidly narrowing to apex; surface 

 sparsely punctured. Scutellum whitish, bifid at tip, median line dis- 

 tinct. Elytra together as broad as long, disc convex, finely striate, 

 the striae punctured ; intervals flat, marked with fine and coarse punc- 

 tures intermingled. Pygidium black, broadly oval, sparsely punc- 

 tured. Length 2-2.5 mm." 



Records.— Woodbury (Li) ; Westville, V-VIII (div.), VI-16 (G. 

 M. Greene); Clementon VI; Big Timber Creek, VIII (G. M. G.) ; 

 Anglesea, V, 28-IX, 20 (div.) ; Riverton, VIII, 12 (Weiss and Dick- 

 erson) ; Palmyra, VIII-12 (Weiss and Dickerson), Sept. 5 (Weiss 

 and Dickerson) ; Eatontown, VIII-28 (Weiss and Dickerson) ; 

 Lawrence Station, VIII, 19 (Weiss and Dickerson) ; Eatontown, 

 VIII, 28 (Weiss and Dickerson) ; Atlantic Highlands, VIII, 15 

 (Weiss and Dickerson) ; Westville, VIII, 21 (Weiss and Dicker- 

 son) ; New Jersey. Staten Island, September 3 (Davis); New York. 

 Mr. Leng writes that it is known also from the District of Columbia 

 and Michigan. Blatchley's Indiana and Frost's Texas records have 

 already been noted. 



The entire interior of the seeds is destroyed by the larvae and 

 nothing but the hard outer shell remains. The beetles emerge through 

 almost circular openings varying from 1.25 to 1.5 mm. in diameter. 

 Up to the present, this insect has not been numerous enough on com- 

 mercial establishments to make control measures necessary. At one 



