8o 



FAMILY SCARABAEIDAE 



Fig. 43. — Lachiiosterna 

 clypealis, Brenske. 

 Garhwal. 



Beetle. — Elongate, parallel. Smooth. Head and piothorax 

 dark chestnut, elytra lighter-coloured. Head small, flat, margined, 

 rugose-pimctate, Prothorax wider than 

 Description. long, finely punctate. Scutellum large. 



Elytra with sides slightly rounded, apex 

 rounded, pygidium yellow, small ; surface of elytra finely punctate 

 with several ill-defined striae, the median one most prominent. 

 Under-surface yellow ; legs brown, tibiae spined. Length, 16 mm. 

 Specimens of this beetle, both mature and imma- 

 ture, were taken from the soil 

 Life History. near the roots of living sal-trees 



in the Garhwal forests in April 

 igo8 in a manner similar to that in which I took 

 L. pvoblematica already described. The grubs prob- 

 ably feed on the roots of the tree. 



Lachnosterna intermedia, Brenske. 



References.— Brenske, Mem. Soc. Ent. Belg. ii, 64 (1894) ; Osmaston, Ind. Forester, xxviii, 352 (1902). 



Habitat. — Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya. 



Tree Attacked. — Cryptomeria {Cryptoiucria japonica). Darjeeling (B. B. 

 Osmaston). 



Beetle. — Elongate, parallel, smooth, dark chestnut in colour. Prothorax wider than long ; 

 finely punctate. Scutellum triangular. Elytra with parallel sides, constricted at apex, leaving 

 pygidium of one segment exposed. Tibiae spined. Length, 20 mm. 



The larva, pupa, and beetle are figured natural size after a drawing by Mr. B. B. Osmaston, 

 reproduced from the IndiiDi Forester. 



This insect was discovered killing young cryptomeria seedlings by 



Mr. B. B. Osmaston, I.F.S., in plantations in the Dar- 



Life History. jeeling Division in April 1902. The following are 



extracts from Mr. Osmaston's note, dated 12 May 1902, 



on the attack, which was published in the Indian Forester : — 



"I enclose a note on a cockchafer-like beetle found doing serious 



damage in a cryptomeria plantation last month 



"The damage is done by the larva, which gnaws all the bark off 

 the main and lateral roots. The larvae were found killing cryptomeria 

 seedlings two to three feet high and four to five years old in plantations 

 near Hoon (Darjeeling), at an 

 elevation of 5,000 to 6,000 ft. 



' ' Specimens of the insect in all 

 stages were found on 12 May 1902. 

 But the beetles seemed in most 

 cases to have already bored out 

 from the ground and flown away. 

 "Only one beetle seems to 

 attack each plant, but is quite 

 able in most cases to kill it." 



Fic;. 44. — LacJinostrrna intermedia, Brenske. 



Larva, pupa, and beetle. Darjeeling. (After 



Osmaston.) 



