December, '14] GIRAULT: REARING SCARAB.EID LARV.E 445 



Adult. Small size, at least onerthird less than the common species; 

 reddish-brown when the beetles are newly emerged, becoming very 

 dark-brown -svath age. The color is evenly distributed and lacks the 

 darker spots that are found on R. ohscuriis. The feet lack the large 

 pads, and the antennal knobs end rather obtusely. 



The following description, ^ by William Alacleay, from specimens 

 collected in New Guinea, appears to agree for those in hand. 



Spheuophorus nebidosus. Reddish-brown, opaque; rostrum thickened and scaly 

 towards the head and with a fine stria along the whole of its length; the club of the 

 antennae very short and truncate. 



The thorax is depressed and black on the median line. The elytra are strongly 

 striate-p^nctate, the insterstices convex, the whole is indistinctly clouded with differ- 

 ent shades of brown; the pygidium is rounded with four raised lines or costai densely 

 clothed with scales. The femora are unarmed. Length, 3 hnes. 



Mr. Frederick Muir of the Hawaiian Sugar Planter's Experiment 

 Station, collected specimens of this species in New Guinea, Amboina 

 and Larat. 



Remedies. The best possible method of control that suggests itself 

 would be to expose all rotten discarded cane to the sun for several days. 

 This could be done either bj^ first burning the trash, which would 

 greatl}' assist in the destruction, or by having the cutters throw all 

 discarded stalks out on top of the trash. 



THE PROBABLE BEST METHOD OF REARING CERTAIN 



SCARAB iEID LARV^- 



By A. A. GiRAULT 



These rough figures concerning three or four types of cages used by 

 us in North Queensland for rearing to maturity scarabseid larvae of 

 root-feeding habit taken from cane fields and elsewhere, probably indi- 

 cates 'the best type or types of cages, but the results are complicated 

 by a number of factors which, so far, we have had to ignore. One of 

 these factors is the relative hardiness or adaptability of the half dozen 

 or so species concerned (Lepidiota, Ano-plognathus, Xylotrupes Cal- 

 lodes and so forth). Here all species are taken as equal in this respect, 

 which is very probably not so. Another complicating factor is the 

 number of insects per cage, varying greatly from a hundred or more 

 to three. In 1912, the average number per cage was about ten while 



1 Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 18S7, 2d Ser., Vol. I., p. 192. 

 - Contribution No. 20, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, Bundaberg, Queens- 

 land. 



