THE PUNCTURED CLOVER-LEAF WEEVIL. 247 



Phytonomus puuctatus (Fabr.). 

 The Punctured Clover-leaf Weevil. 



(Ord. COLEOPTERA: Fam. CURCULIONID^.) 



Fabr.: "Syst. Ent.,17o5, p IDO, no. ll'J; Sp. lus., 1781, i, p. 190, no. IGG; Mant. 



Ins., 1787, i, p. 117, uo. 221." 

 Olivier : inEnc. Method., v, 1790,p.541,no. 315(descript. as Curculio punctatus). 

 KiLEY : in Amer. Nat., xv., 1881, p. 751 (discovery); Id., p. 913 (congeners, liabits, 

 eggs and larva) ; Id., xvi,1883, p. 248 (P. opimus is same) ; in Ann. Rept. 

 Dept. Agricul. for 1881, pp. 171-179, pi. 10, f. 1 (life-history, early stages, 

 remedies, etc.). 

 LiNTNER : in Elmira Husbandman for Sept. 14, 1881; in Count. Gent., xlvi, 1881, 



p. 647 (introduction, description, etc ). 

 LeConte: in Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc, sv, 1876, p. 124 (P7i. opimus); in Monthly 

 Proceed. Ent. Sect. Acad. N. S. Phila., Oct. 1881, p. xxxvi (identical with 

 P. opimus, Lee). 

 This species is a late addition to our list of insect pests. It is an 

 European species first described by Goeffrey in 1762, but without 

 specific name ; in 1775 it was again described by Fabriciusas Curculio 

 punctatus. The first public notice of its occurrence in this country 

 was given by Professor Riley, in a verbal commitnication made at the 

 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 held at Cincinnati, in August, 1881. While en route to the meeting, 

 he had witnessed its operations in Yates county, in this State, where 

 it was found feeding upon the leaves of clover, to which it was said to 

 be destructive, both the larva} and the perfect insects combining in the 

 attack. The extent of its depredations or its abundance was not given. 

 The interesting fact was stated that this newly-imported European 

 beetle had first made its appearance in the locality where the clover- 

 root borer, Hylastes trifolii, also introduced from Europe, was dis- 

 covered in the autumn of 1878. It was deemed probable that the two 

 species were brought over at the same time, but that the former, from 

 its less rapid multiplication, had hitherto escaped observation. 

 Description of the Beetle. 

 The beetle measures over four-tenths of an inch in length, is of an oval 

 form, and of a brown color, which is paler over four 

 rows of punctures on the sides, and sometimes upon the 

 sutural line. The beak is rather short, broad and blunt. 

 The thorax is smooth, elevated, traversed by three pale 

 lines ; both it and the wing-covers are clothed with 

 short, yellowish-brown hairs, and upon the ridges of the 

 latter are arranged a number of black scale tufts. The 

 Fig. 73. — The prominent feature of the beetle, giving to it its specific 

 punctured clover- name, IS the series of c:lose punctures arranged in ten 



leaf weevil, Pht- ' . 



ToxoMus I'uxcTA- dceply impressed lines upon each wing-cover. 



T r s — twice the 

 natural size. 



