398 



FAMILY CURCULIONIDAE 



Elytra wider than thorax, basal outer angles rounded, sides straight to posterior coxae, thence 

 sharply constricted to apex ; coarsely rugose-punctate, the rugosities appearing as transverse 

 ridges laterally. I' nder-surface black, covered with the greyish purulescence ; rugose. Legs 

 and antennae black. Length, 12 mm. to 17 mm. 



Towai-ds the end of May 1901 I foiiiul this large weevil engaged in 



seriously defoliating the ber in the Shalu Valley near 



Life History. Piuntra in the North-West Himalaya. In many cases 



the small thorny trees were loaded with weevils and 



were quite leafless under the attack. The weevil was coupling. 



El'ISOMUS. 



Episomus lacerta, Fabr. 



Kekerence.— Fabr. Spec. Ins. i, p. 190. 



Habitat.— South Coimbatore, Madras. 



Trees kttdiCked.— Dal bei\i^i a paniciilata ; Teak {Tcctona ^^nindis). Mount 

 Stuart, Anamalai Hills, South Coimbatore. 



Beetle.— (J A large, heavily built weevil ; mottled grey-brown all over, including legs and 

 antennae ; a thick blunt proboscis, the antennae inserted near the top ; eyes small, black. 

 Prothorax rather small. Elytra large, very convex on top, depressed 

 Description. behind and constricting sharply to apex. Head and prothorax corru- 



gated ; elytra deeply channelled and punctate, the sides bent right 

 down on to undcr-surface^of body.' Legs thick, stout, with broad tarsal pads. Under-surface 

 greyish-white. 



9 Resembles male, but of a uniform greyish yellow in colour. Of the same size as the 

 $, in some cases a trifle larger. 



I took specimens of this weevil defoliating Dulbcr^ia /^iniicnhitu trees in 

 the Mount Stuart forests in South Coimbatore towards 

 Life History. the end of July 1902. I also found the weevils on teak- 



trees, but do not know whether they also feed on the 

 leaves of this tree. The insects were engaged in coupling. 



MVIJ.OCERUS. 



An imi)ortant genus of defoliating weevils. 



Myllocerus viridanus, Fabr. 



Reference. — P^abr. Syst. I-'.nt. p. 155. 



Habitat. — Coimbatore, Madras. 



Tree Attacked.— Teak (Tcctona ^i^randis). Mount Stuart, Anamalai Hills; 

 Walayan Forest, Coimbatore. 



Beetle.— l':iongate, small, usually a dead white in colour, both above and below, or a veiy 



pale yellow-green. ° Antennae long, black. Legs long, black ; tarsal joints with broad pads. 



Eyes black, proboscis short, the antennae inserted near the end some 



Description. distance in front of the eyes. The coloration is due to a white 



purulescence or bloom of a powdery nature, which entirely covers the 



insect. The under-surface often shows black in patches where the " bloom " has got rubbed 



off. The S is smaller than the $. Length, $ 5 mm. ; S 4 mm. 



