350 



RUTELIN.^. 



taken by Castets in Trichinopoli, the colour is almost uniformly 

 dark above, only the sides of the pronotum being a little paler. 



This is an exceedingly abundant species in many parts of India 

 and is tlie one referred to in Mr. T. B. Metcher's '• fSome South 

 Indian Insects " by the incorrect name of AdovHus ovalis. It is 

 there stated to cause serious injut\y by devouring the leaves of the 

 ^rape-vine and mango. Specimens sent from Pusa were taken 

 upon wild nettles, sugar-cane, Phaseolus radiatus, etc., so that the 

 mature insects are apjiarently general feeders. At Begum Serai, 

 in Bengal, it is stated to have done serious damage to vines, 

 attacking the fresh shoots after having absolutely stripped the 

 plants of every leaf. Its depredations are committed by night, 

 and during the daytime it may be found hiding in numbers just 

 beneath the surface soil in the neighbourliood of the plants 

 attacked. 



■383. Adoretus versutus. (Plate V, tig. 42.) 



Adoretus versHtns, Harold, Col. Hefte, v, 1809, p. 124; Scott, 

 Trans. Linn. See. xv, 1912, p. 235, pi. xii, tigs. 10-12. 



Adoretus vestitus, Boh., Resa Eugen. 1858, p. 56 ; Oliaus, Entom. 

 Blatt. viii, 1912, p. 220. 



Adoretus bauf/alorensi'!, Brenske,* Ind. Mns. Notes, v, 1900, p. 88. 



Adoretus ritiettsis, Nontr., Deutsche Ent. Zeits. 1891, p. 208. 



Adoretus insularis, Fairm., Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg. xli, 1897, p. 105. 



Eeddish chestnut, with the forehead and pronotum, except the 

 «ides of the latter and sometimes a median line, dark and evenly 

 but not very densely clothed with grey decumbent setae. 



Fig. IS.—Adorefus versutus, c? . Fig. 74. — Adoretus verstdus, § . 



f'-^It is moderately broad and convex. The clypeus is coarsely 

 rugose, and the forehead and vertex are coarsely punctured, the 

 latter rather sparingly in the middle, where it is shining, and 

 more closely at the sides. The pronotum is also shining in the 

 middle, where it is coarsely but sparsely ])unetured and thinly 

 setose, both punctures and setae being closer at the sides. The 

 front angles are rathar acute, the hind obtuse but distinct. 

 The scutellum is strongly punctured, but smooth at the apex, 



