242 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 4 



of Peru, but practically only through the winter months from July 

 to September, or June to October, the period of greatest cold and 

 humidity. All causes have thus conspired to lay the blame for this 

 damage to low temperatures at night followed by hot sun the next 

 day, causing the squares to yellow, wither and drop to the ground or 

 remain dried upon the plants. It is estimated in Peru that the 

 effects of hielo have resulted in more damage to the cotton crop 

 than all other causes combined. 



During the past year the writer discovered the presence in the 

 squares of cotton in the Piura and Chira districts of a limited number 

 of weevils appearing like a minature boll-weevil. It was at once 

 recognized as a species of Anthonomus distinct from the boll-weevil, 

 but exceedingly like it to all appearances except in size. Specimens 

 were sent to Dr. L. 0. Howard, chief of the Bureau of Entomology 

 in Washington, who replied that Mr. E. A. Schwarz pronounced them 

 an undescribed species of Anthonomus, quite different from A. grandis. 



A later letter from Doctor Howard statesthat Mr. Schwarz had gone 

 over all the literature and finds that there has been only one species 

 of Anthonomus described from the present region or its vicinity — 

 this species is A. vestitus Boheman, described from the Island of 

 Puna, in the Bay of Guayaquil, Ecuador; and, while the description 

 agrees fairly well with the specimens of the square-weevil sent, noth- 

 ing certain can be said about their real identity. The letter adds: 

 "The trouble is that your Anthonomus, while radically different 

 from our cotton boll- weevil, belongs to the least marked and least 

 interesting group of the genus, where positive identification can only 

 be obtained by comparison with the type. Moreover, it is well known 

 that the localities in the work where Boheman described his A. vestitus 

 got considerably mixed up." 



This weevil is, to all causal intents and purposes, an exact minature 

 of the boll-weevil, being about one third to one fourth the size of the 

 latter. It works in exactly the same manner on the squares, feeding 

 in them and depositing its eggs therein. Its small size, however, 

 allows a remarkable number of weevils to develop in one square. I 

 have taken as many as six adult weevils from one small square, all 

 of which had developed to maturity therein. Numerous weevils 

 were reared from both dried and green squares, both hanging and 

 fallen squares; numerous grubs were found in the same, and reared to 

 maturity. The weevil was found to occur commonly and generally, 

 but in limited numbers, throughout the cotton districts of Piura De- 

 partment during September and October; and further investigation 

 develops its presence as almost certain throughout the cotton regions 

 of western Peru and Ecuador. It is not known certainly to be present 



