COLEOPTEKA. 307 



Distribution. — Probably throughout Southern India all the year 

 round. 



Lifehistory. -The clear translucent egg is about -53 mm. long by 



■3 mm. broad. The eggs are laid in the field on the outside of a pod 



of gram and twenty or more eggs may be laid on one pod, green 



being preferred to dry ones. The eggs hatch alter seven or 



eight days and the young newly-hatched grub is slender, darkish- 



ured, and hairy, with long slender thoracic legs and a well- 

 developed prothoracic plate which is armed with peculiarly sharp- 

 led edges, which help the grub to bore through the shell oi the 

 pod, which the grub at one 1 to do, and then eats its way into 



Soon after entering the seed, the first moult is undergi 

 and the larva now becomes a thickset grub with three pair- ol short 

 legs ; in it- resting-position inside the seed it assumes a doubled-up 

 attitude. It grows quickly and is full-fed after about ten days when 

 it is plump and pale-white in colour. It then tunnels almost to the 

 outside of the seed, leaving untouched only a thin partition of the 

 outer husk, and prepares an oval chamber whose interior is 

 smoothed off with a soft paste ; in this chamber it remains motion- 

 for two days and then assumes the pupal state in which it 

 remains for seven days. But the beetle does not emerge for another 



lie of days until its integuments are hardened; it then bites 

 through the circular disc previously left in the seed by the grub and 

 then makes its way through the seed-]). id. Tin beetles are inactive 

 during the day-time but flj actively at dusk and at night. One 

 complete life-cycle occupies about 32 days. (V.R.R.) 



Foodplant. — Red-Gram. 



Status. A fairly serious pest to Red-Gram in the field. 



Control. — Attempts may be made to catch the beetles with hand- 

 nets in the evening when they are abundant. 



Remarks.- Various species of Bruchida have hitherto been 

 confused in India under the name chinensis ; it is believed that the 

 I to is the true- chinensis of Linnaeus. So far as 

 observed hitherto in Southern India, this particular species lives 

 only on Red-Gram in the field; Bruchids living on Is belong 



to other species. 



BRfCHUS THEOBROM.K. Fb. 



Bruchus theobroma, Fab.. Syst. Ent., p - - Ins., I. 75 (1781*. 



Bruchus theobromatis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (Ed. XIII), p. [735. 

 Distribution. — Coimbatore ; Bezwada. 



JO-A 



