84 The Journal of Heredity 
Variation of the Palm Weevil 
While collecting in the vicinity of 
Daytona, Fla., April 5 to 9, 1919, I 
made two visits to a freshly cut cab- 
bage palmetto stump, the sap of which 
had started to ferment, and captured 
ninety-two specimens of the palm wee- 
vil (Rhynchophorus cruentus Fabr.). 
This large series was taken to show to 
what extent the species varies both in 
size and color. The males are readily 
recognized, regardless of size and color, 
by the noticeably thicker and roughened 
beaks or rostra. The following figures 
show that size and color are in no way 
sexual characteristics and that those 
referable to the two larger groups are 
remarkably uniform in numbers, while 
those that might be termed strictly 
intermediate are comparatively few. 
The entirely black form is known as var- 
iety zimmermanni Fabr. 
TABLE OF COLORS 
Entirely black 38 
males and 18 females. 
Red present to a greater or less ex- 
tent on the rostrum, thorax, elytra (wing 
cases), legs and the basal and anal 
segments of the abdomen, 42 specimens 
(21 males and 21 females). 
Thorax and elytra both slightly 
marked with red, legs entirely black, 6 
specimens (3 males and 3 females). 
Thorax only slightly marked with red, 
rostrum and tibiae reddish, 5 specimens 
(2 males and 3 females). 
specimens—20 
Elytra only slightly marked with red, 
legs black (1 female). Total, 92. 
TABLE OF SIZES 
Smallest specimens, males and _ fe- 
males, 28 mm. 
Largest specimens, males and females, 
36 mm. 
Not exceeding 30 mm., 14 males and 
16 females; entirely black, 7 males and 
7 females; marked with red, 7 males and 
9 females. 
Exceeding 30 mm., 32 males and 30 
females; entirely black, 13 males and 
11 females; marked with red, 19 males 
and_19 females. Total, 92. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 
First row: 1, 2 and 3 males; 4 and 5 
females. 
Second row: 1, 2, 3 and 4 males; 5 
females. 
Third row: 1 and 2 females; 3, 4 and 
5 males. 
Fourth row: 1 female; 2 
4 and 5 females. 
This series shows practically a com- 
plete gradation between an almost red 
specimen (the first in the series) and 
the pure black specimen at the end of 
the last row. 
male; 3, 
CHARLES W. JOHNSON. 
Boston Society of Natural History, 
Boston, Massachusetts. 
The Meaning of Continuous Variation in Color 
It is rare to find in the animal world 
an example of perfectly continuous 
graduation in a color pattern, and all 
within a single species inhabitating a 
single locality. What is the meaning 
of the remarkable series? There seems 
to be a mystery here. Something for 
the mutationist and protective colora- 
tion experts to pay attention to. Are 
these beetles, (Rhynchophorus cruen- 
tus), in the process of acquiring a 
camouflage or are they losing their red 
color pattern and becoming all black, 
like the last of the series? Perhaps the 
color has nothing to do with survival 
value, and merely varies through some 
direct influence of the environment, to 
which surface pigmentation is usually 
extremely susceptible. If so, why 
should they differ so much although 
living in a presumably uniform enyiron- 
ment ? 
It does not seem that Mendel’s laws 
of heredity find a practical illustration 
here, since besides these 20 shown in 
the plate (Fig. 17), the other 72 in Mr. 
Johnson’s collection are quite as impos- 
sible to place in any two categories, one 
