78 FAMILY SCARABAEIDAE 



Beetle.— Dark-coloured, slightly iridescent above, with a thick white pubescence 

 beneath. Front of head densely rugose, punctate. Antennae ten- 

 Description, jointed, finely and densely rugose-punctate. Prothorax broader 

 than long, the angles rounded behind. Scutellum large. Elytra 

 with slight costae, but not densely punctate. Pygidium acute behind, punctate. Length, 

 1 6 mm. ; breadth, 8 mm. 



Larva. — White, curved, crinkled, with a yellow head. Length, 25 mm. 



The beetle appears on the wing in the hitter half of May in the sal 

 forests of the Kumaun Terai, and from the first week in 



Life History. May in the sal areas of Gorakhpur. The eggs are 



probably laid during this month and in June. The 

 larva feeds in the soil on the roots of the sal-tree. I took a number of 

 larvae, pupae, and immature and a few mature beetles at the roots of sal- 

 trees in the Horai Forest in the second week of May 1908. The grubs feed 

 on the bark of the younger roots, eating it away in patches, and often com- 

 pletely girdling the roots. The grubs are full-fed in the latter part of April. 

 The pupal stage appears to be about three to four weeks only, and the 

 beetle on maturing pushes its way up from the soil through the humus 

 and dead leaves above, and takes wing in the forest. Larvae, pupae, and 

 beetles were all found in the upper inch of soil. 



In May 1909 Mr. A. E. Osmaston, I.F.S., recorded some excellent 

 observations he made on the beetle. He took beetles feeding on sal leaves 

 at Bhillanpur in the Gorakhpur division on 7 May 1909, others at Banki 

 on 10 May, and at Jagpur on 18 May, At Jagpur the beetles were also 

 defoliating the Terminalia belerica and the jaman and other miscellaneous 

 species of trees. 



From the usual time of appearance of these Cockchafer beetles in 

 the forest it would appear probable that this insect only passes through one 

 life-cycle during the year. The grub thus spends the major portion of the 

 year feeding on the roots of the tree, descending probably deeper into the 

 soil to hibernate during the winter months. 



These melolonthid beetles have the power of increasing in incredible 

 numbers in the forest under favourable conditions, and 

 Damage Committed this insect is therefore a pest of first-class importance in 

 in the Forest. the sal forests of the United Provinces. It is not improb- 

 able that the poor growth of young trees in soils 

 unfavourable to the tree is due to the destruction of portions of the young 

 root system by this and other melolonthid pests. 



Early in May 1908 a fire took place in the Horai Forest, and rather 



severely burnt out three compartments. All the under- 



Protection. growth and young trees were burnt and old trees severely 



scorched. In the unbnrnt areas I took a considerable 



number of larvae, pupae, and immature and mature beetles in the soil at the 



foot of sal-trees, the dead leaves, humus, and upper layer of soil being 



