FAMILY CURCULIONIDAE 403 



Myllocerus catechu, Marshall, sp. nov. 



Referen'CES.— Marshall, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist. Aug. (p. 185) 1913; Stebbing, Depart. Notes, i, 185 (1903). 



Habitat. — Poona, Bombay Presidency. 



Tree Attacked. — Acacia catechu. Bhamburda Reserve, Poona. 

 Beetle. — Colour black, with uniform pale metallic-green scaling, 

 the prothorax with a lateral fuscous stripe on each side. Head almost 

 plane, the eyes lateral and rather prominent, 

 Description. the forehead much broader than the space 



between the scrobes. Rostrum a little longer 

 than head, shorter than its basal width, the sides narrowed from the 

 base to beyond the middle and dilated at the apex, the apical emargina- 

 tion comparatively shallow and forming a right angle, shallowly 

 impressed above, and with a tine central carina which ascends the 

 forehead, the lateral carinae obsolete. Antennae ferruginous, the 

 funicle with joint i evidently longer and thicker than 2, the remaining 

 joints sub-equal. Prothorax about as long as broad, the sides slightly 

 rounded, broadest at the middle, very shallowly constricted and trans- 

 versely impressed near the apex, the basal margin sub-truncate and not Fig. 273. 

 broader than the apex, the sculpturing entirely concealed by the scaling. Myllocerus catechu., 

 Elytra shallowly emarginate at base, about twice as broad as the Mshl.,sp.nov. Poona. 

 prothorax at the shoulders, the sides parallel, distinctly punctate-striate, (Drawn from type), 

 the intervals slightly convex, the setae very minute and depressed, only 



visible under a high magnification. Legs tiavescent, the femora with green scaling and 

 each with a minute tooth. Length, i\ mm. to i\ mm. Breadth, i mm. to i mm. (Marshall 

 desc7'^ 



This minute bright metallic-green Myllocerus, which has proved a new 



species, was found in company with Platytracheltis 



Life History. juvencus, described on page 404, feeding upon the leaves 



of the Acacia catechu, in the Bhamburda Reserve, near 



Poona. The insect was somewhat plentiful, but owing to its small size, 



less than one-eighth of an inch in length, the damage done by it was 



inappreciable. This weevil was pairing at the time of capture. 



Myllocerus discolor, Boh., var. variegatus, Boh. 



Habitat.— South Coimbatore, Madras. 



Trees Attacked. — Acacia intsia, Dalbevgia paniculata, Teak {Tectona 

 grandis). Mount Stuart, South Coimbatore. 



Beetle. — A fair-sized weevil, with a very mobile prothorax and convex elytra. Greyish 

 blue, with patches of orange-brown and mottled black down centre of dorsal surface. Under- 

 surface yellowish ; legs french grey, the tarsal pads orange. The 

 Description. mouth-parts and antennae are blackish grey, the eyes black, promi- 



nent, and placed at back of the head, the antennae being well forward 

 of them. The proboscis short, square, blackish on top. Elytra with well-marked striae. 

 Legs stout. The $ is smaller than the $. 



Towards the end of July 1902 I found this weevil defoliating the 

 leaves of the thorny climber Acacia intsia in the forest round Mount Stuart 

 in South Coimbatore. The weevil was very numerous, and was pairing. 



c c 2 



