FAMILY PLATYPODIDAE 623 



of sawdust will be observable. A tree badly infested in this manner should 



be watched for a couple of weeks, and as soon as it is apparent that no more 



fresh sawdust is being ejected from the orifices in the bark it should be felled 



and the whole of the infested portions be split up and burnt. It will not be 



necessary to deal with the uninfested portions, i.e. the parts which show no 



entrance-holes on the outside, as they will not contain any of the maturing 



larvae or pupae. A generation of the insect probably takes about two months 



to mature from egg to beetle. It is of importance that the generation in the tree 



should not be allowed to approach the mature-beetle stage before being dealt 



with, or some of the insects will escape from the tree to carry on the attack. 



Hectarthrum heros, Fabr. (pp. 116 and 166). — This insect was taken 



in considerable numbers beneath the bark and sapwood of trees infested 



with the platypid dealt with above, upon which it is 



Predaceous Insect. undoubtedly predaceous. 



Beetle. — Shining black. Antennae long and promi- 

 nent, eleven-jointed, the middle joints much larger and broader than the rest. 

 Thorax smooth, shining. Elytra with a number of prominent raised parallel 

 longitudinal striae down them. Length, 12 mm. 



This is one of the . commonest of the Hectarthrum beetles in India. It 

 varies considerably in size. It is a most useful insect in the forest, and 

 should be recognized as such. Its grubs enter the tunnels of the platypids 

 and feed upon the platypid larvae. 



Platypus rectangulatus, Sampson, sp. nov. 



Reference. — Sampson, Ajin. Mag. Xat. Hist. ser. 8, xii, 4^8 (1913)- 



Habitat. — Lower Burma. 



Tree Attacked. — Auogeissiis latifolia. Tharrawaddy, Lower Burma. 



Beetle. — Small, elongate, cylindrical, narrow. Shining. Dark 

 ferruginous brown, head and apex of elytra nearly l^lack, middle three- 



hfths of elytra yellow or yellowish green, 

 Description. $ paler than (J. Head prominent, wider than 



prothorax, front finely punctate. Prothorax 

 two-hfths length of elytra, sides sinuate, irregularly punctate. In $ 

 about fifteen punctures on each side of the anterior i xtremity of the 

 median sulcus. In $ a broad patch of punctures extending the whole 

 length of the median sulcus. Elytra with apex truncate or ending in 

 callipers, finely linear-punctate, basal fifth dark brown, apical fifth 

 nearly black, rest yellow. Under-surface and legs shining yellowish 



brown. Abdominal segments dark brown. Length, 3 mm. lo '' 393-^ ^ ypus 



^ & > J r e c ta II <j;u lat u s, 



3.2 mm. Samps., sp. nov. 



Larva and Pupa. — The larva is white, straight, elongate, and Tharrawaddv Lower 



thin. Pupa white with prominent black eyes. IJurma. 



This platypid was found in all stages of its metamorphosis, with the 

 exception of the egg stage, in tunnels in the wood of 



Life History. Anogeissti-s latifolia towards the end of January 1905 in 



Tharrawaddy. It was taken from a large tree felled in 



a 1904 tounggya clearing. Some of the beetles were mature and ready to 



