EMPEEORRHINUS. — BRACHYCAULUS. 287 



somewhat shorter than the basal width, distinctly narrowed from 

 the base to apex, the sides being almost straight ; the iiiterscrobal 

 area almost plane, finely striolate beneath the scaling, and 

 with a fine central carina in the anterior part. Antennc reddish 

 brown; the funicle with the two basal joints subequal, or the 

 first verv slightly longer, the remaining five subequal and mucli 

 longer than broad. Prothorax transverse, truncate at base and 

 apex, which are of equal width, the sides rounded only in the 

 middle, markedly constricted in front and behind ; the dorsum 

 rather uneven, without any central furrow or carina, the some- 

 what rugose punctures normally hidden by the scaling, the set;e 

 suberect and all directed forwards. Eli/tra much broader than 

 the prothorax at the shoulders, which are rounded rectangular, 

 parallel-sided in the male and slightly dilated behind the middle 

 in the female, the apices jointly rounded, and the dorsal outline 

 only slightly convex ; the shallow striae not hidden by the scaling 

 and containing shallow punctures, the intervals almost plane, 

 shining and impunctate ; the scales small, convex and subcircular, 

 the green ones for the most part contiguous, the black more 

 sparse, so that the shining surface is pai'tly visible ; the setaj 

 slender, long, dark and erect. Legs red-brown, the femora 

 darker, with recumbent pale setae and scattered green scales. 



Lengthy 2^-3| mm.; breadth, I4-I4 mm. 



Pux.iAB : Chawai, Kulu, Kangra district (t>/pe). Sikkim : 

 Kurseong. GOOO ft, {E. A. D'Ahreu); Darjiling (Hnrraand). 

 Assam : Khasi Hills (teste U. E. Andreiues). 



Type in the British Museum. 



This species superficially resembles such small Ili/lhcerus as 

 j\I. dorsatus, F., and 31. 2^'''^iiosus, Fst., but may be readilv 

 distinguished by the abnormal structure of the rostrum. I have 

 examined 'S6 specimens. 



Mr. C. F. C. Beesou, Imperial Forest Zoologist, Dehra Dun, 

 records this species as defoliating various kinds of fruit trees, 

 such as pears, peaches, cherries, etc. Mr. T. Bainbrigge Fletcher 

 states that the correspondent from whom he received his 

 specimens informed him that the weevils first appeared on an 

 alder tree (Alnus nitida) in a field adjoining his orchard. After 

 completely defoliating the alder, they attacked his peach trees, 

 and then turned their attention to the apricots and pears, apples 

 being the last trees to be touched. The whole orchai'd was 

 defoliated. 



Genus BRACHYCAULUS, nov. 

 Type, Brachycaidus posticalis, sp. nov. 



Head with the eyes lateral or sublatei'al, the forehead broad 

 and continuous with the rostrum. liostmm broad, longer than 

 the head, with a rather shallow rounded emargination at the apex; 

 the scrobes dorsal, short and broad; the meiitum small, witli a 

 transverse row of four sette. Antenna; with the scape only just 



