6o8 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xii.Ng.g 



FAMILY OROBITIDAE PIERCE (1916) 



Subfamily Orobitinae Pierce (19 16) 



genus euscepes schonherk (1844) 



Euscepes Schonherr, 1844, Gen. et Spec. Cure, v. 8, pt. i, p. 4:9- Type— porcellus Boh. by original desig- 

 nation. 



Euscepes Lacordaire, 1866, Gen. Coleop., v. 7, p. loo-ioi. Type. — porcellus Boh. 



Hyperonwrpha Blackburn, 1885, in Sci. Trans. Roy. Dublin Soc, s. 2, v. 3, p. 182-183. "Typt— {squamosa. 

 Blackbum)=fcato<ae Waterhouse. 



Euscepes Champion, 1905, in Biol. Centr.-Amer., Coleopt., v. 4, pt. 4, p. 496-49S. Type.— porcellus Boh. 



Lacordaire caused a confusion of genera by wrongly interpreting the 

 number of funicular joints, of which there are seven. This error was 

 corrected by Champion. The two genera Euscepes and Hyperomorpha 

 are strictly congeneric ; in fact, the two type species differ principally in 

 size. A large series of porcellus from various parts of Central America is 

 at hand. These have been carefully compared w^th Blackburn's descrip- 

 tion of Hyperomorpha, but no generic difference can be found. 



The rostral canal extends along the prosteraum and ends in a meso- 

 stemal pocket. The beak when at rest fits tightly into this canal. The 

 prothorax is lobed to cover the eyes when at rest. The body is elongate. 



Euscepes batatae C. O. Waterhouse (1849), ^Iie Scarabee of the Sweet Potato (PI. 32, 



C, D; PI. Z2,> A-D; PI. 34, E-H) 

 CryptorhynchusbataiaeWnterhouse, 1849, in Trans. Ent. Soc, London, v. 5, p. LXix. 

 Hypercjiwrpha sguamosa Blackburn, 1885, in Sci. Trans. Roy. Dublin Soc, s. 2, v. 3, p. 182-183. 

 Euscepes bataiae Champion, 1905, in Biol. Centr.-Amer., Coleopt., v. 4, pt. 4, p. 497. 



This weevil (Pi. 32, C, D) is one of the most serious cosmopolitan pests 

 of the sweet potato, although hitherto it has been recorded only from 

 Barbados, St. Vincent, and Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Hawaii. In 

 all of these places, however, it is reported as damaging sweet potatoes. 

 The receipt of tvv^o specimens from Dr. Da Costa Lima, of Brazil, with 

 the statement that they were injuring sweet potatoes at Rio de Janeiro, 

 caused the writer to make a search through the undetermined collections 

 of the National Museum with the result that the known distribution of 

 the species is hereby greatly extended. Specimens are at hand from 

 Barbados, injuring sweet potatoes May 22, 1900, and more recent 

 material; Hope, Kingston, Jamaica, on sweet potatoes, Mr. S. F. Ashby; 

 Campinas, Brazil, injuring sweet potatoes, August, 191 3, Mr. A. Hempel 

 (No. 100); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, injuring sweet potatoes, July, 1917, 

 Carlos Moreira; Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, bred from sweet potato ; Kaimuki, 

 Oahu, Hawaii, bred from sweet potato; Guam, on sweet potato, Mr. 

 ®. T. Fullaway; Norfolk Island, New Zealand, March, 1883, Mr. P. H. 

 Metcalfe; Mayaguez, Porto Rico, injuring sweet potatoes, 1912, 1914, 

 1 91 7, Mr. C. W. Hooker, Mr. R. H. Van Zwaluwenburg. 



This extensive distribution indicates that there are probably many 

 other countries where sweet potatoes are grown that may have the 

 weevil. If, fortunately, it should prove to be absent in other countries, 

 rigid quarantines should be put into effect, such as that recently estab- 



