540 



FAMILY SCOLYTIDAE 



Cryphalus (Stephanoderes) himalayensis, Steb., sp. nov. 



Reference— Stebbing {Hypoborusl), Depart. Notes, vol. i, p. 278. 



Habitat.— Jaunsar, Simla Forests, North-West Himalaya. 



Tree Attacked. — Deodar {Cednts dcodara). Jaunsar, Simla Forests. 



Beetle.— Small, oblong, shining, dark ferruginous to almost black, at times lighter in colour. 

 Shaft of antennae and legs yellowish brown, tarsi and antennal club yellow. Front of head 

 rather coarsely punctate, the vertex finely and transversely striate. 

 Description. Prothorax slightly wider than long, sides constricted anteriorly, slightly 



dilated before base, rounded, the basal angles rounded ; anterior mar- 

 gin tuberculate, surface raised towards middle and coarsely tuberculate, tubercules decreasing 

 in size posteriorly, posterior fourth with rather large shallow punctures becoming less distinct 

 laterally ; surface sparsely set with short stiff whitish-yellow hairs. Elytra more than half as 

 long again as thorax, smooth, shining, sub-cylindrical, sides constricted from apical fourth, 

 declivous apically, apices separately rounded ; punctate, the punctures small, placed in rows 

 with wide smooth intervals, least prominent basally ; declivity somewhat convex, smooth with 

 a few scattered fine punctures. Under-surface set with a fine yellowish pubescence. The 

 anterior femora in some cases yellow. Length, 1.5 mm. to 1.7 mm. Fig. 347, /'. 



Larva. — The larva is a very small, white, legless grub (fig. a). 



The male beetle bores horizontally through the 

 bark down to the cambium layer, 

 Life History. usually just below the junction of 



two branches, and hollows out a 

 small irregular-shaped pairing-chamber in the bast 

 and sapwood. As many as three female beetles succes- 

 sively enter by the same hole and pair with the male. 

 After pairing, the female beetles do not bore out a 



definite eg^ - gallery 



away from the pairing- 

 chamber, but merely 

 enlarge this latter by 

 eating out the bast 

 and sapwood on one side or the 

 other, successive beetles com- 

 mencing work at opposite sides 

 and laying their eggs in the area 

 so enlarged. The whole of this 

 irregular-shaped gallery made by 

 the beetles, which often entirely 

 encircles the branch beneath the 

 bark and extends up the forks 

 of the branches and thus effec- 

 tually rings the tree, is filled with a wet mass of chewed wood-refuse and 

 excreta, amongst which the eggs are laid {vide fig. c). The egg stage is short, 

 two to four days only, since young larvae are often found in the chamber 

 near the living female beetles and in the wood-dust. 



Fig. 347. — Cryphalus hhnalayenxis, Steb., 

 sp. nov. a, larva ; b, dorsal and side view of the 

 beetle ; c, branch with bark removed showing 

 {p the pairing-chamber, (/) larval galleries, and 

 (;«) the pupating-chambers of larvae. N.W. 

 Hinialava. 



