COLEOPTERA. 285 



DYNASTID/E. 

 ORYCTES RHINOCEROS, Linn. 



Scarabaus rhinoceros, Linn. Syst. Nat. (x), 346 (1758). 



Oryctes rhinoceros, Lefroy, [nd. Ins. Pests, pp. 207-208, Ind. Ins. 

 Life, )). 256, tigs. [45, 1 4<J : Arrow, Faun. Ind. Dynast, pp. 278 281, 

 t. 63 ; Ghosh, Ent. Mem. Agri. Dept., [nd., Vol. 11, [93 204, t. 27. 



(See Plate hi.) 



Distribution. Throughout the Plains of Southern India all the 



year round. 



Lifehistory. The eggs are laid in decaying vegetation orrotting 

 trees, often in palm tret's attacked by Palm Weevil. The stoul 

 whitish grubs live in rotting vegetable matter. The beetle itself 

 does damage by boring into the Mitt crowns of palm trees thereby 

 providing a means of entry tor the Palm Weevil to laj eggs. The 

 grub^ have been noted on decaying date stems, manure heaps, and 

 on the dead top >honl> of palmyras dead of bud rot. 



Foodplants. Palms of various species; American Aloes (both 

 beetle and grub). The beetle also occasionally bores into sugar- 

 cane stems. (See figure 68.) 



Status. -A serious pest, principally of palms. Possibly of im- 

 portance also .1- ,1 carrier ol spores of fungal diseases of palms. 



Control. All dead and rotten palms should be cut and burnt. 

 Heaps of rotting vegetable matter near palm groves should be 

 regularly turned over and the grubs destroyed. The beetle comes 

 to light and may sometimes be attracted by light-traps. In 

 the Chittoor District (Nariambattu) the following method was 

 reported to be adopted to trap the beetles. " Wide vessels of good 

 size filled with kitchen refuse, such as rice-water, etc.. are kept 

 among the plants at the rate oi very ten or twelve palms. 



The liquid soon begins to ferment and emit a strong smell attracted 

 by which the beetles are said to appear in good numbers and drop 

 in. when they are collected and killed." This method may lu- 

 tried elsewhere. 



RUTELID E. 

 ADORETUS BANGALORENSIS, Br. 



Adoretus bangalorensis, Brenske. I.M.X.. V, 38, t. 4. \'i'. 1. 2 (1900). 



Distribution. Bangalore. 



Lifehistory. Not known. Probably very similar to that of 

 . Inomala varians. 



Foodplant and Status. The adult beetles were found attacking 

 rose-bushes in the Government Botanical Hardens .it Bangalore. 



