COLEOPTERA. 



305 



Distribution. -Bellary (Hadagalli). 



Lifehistory. Eggs arc deposited in the soil and the young 

 larvae, on emerging from the egg, seek out the egg-masses of the 

 Deccan grasshopper and devour these. 



Foodplants. -The perfei 1 beetle has been found on flowers of 

 Phaseolus aconitifolius (Madiki). 



Status. — This insect is an important check on the Deccan grass- 

 hopper in the Hadagalli district. 



"CANTHARIS" RUFICOLLIS, Oliv. 

 (dull-grey-blue species with orange-yellow thorax.) 



( antharis riificollis, Olivier, Ins., 46, t. i. f. 6. 

 Lytta ruficollis, Fab., Ent. Syst, I, ii. 85 (1792). 



Fig. 153. — Lytta riificollis. The outline figure shows the 

 i< Iriginal.) 



Distribution.— Bellary. Kurnul, Coimbatore, Tanjore, Tinnevelly : 

 ( )ctobi 1 to Dei Miber. 



Lifehistory. Not known. 



Status. — Beetle docs damage to ear-heads of Cumbu a'.u\ Tola, 

 similarly to other Cantharids. 



Control. -May be collected by hand, [s attracted to light al 

 night. 



Remarks. — This species seems to agree sufficiently well with 

 Fabricius' brief description. 



