GEEYBACK CANE BEETLE, LEPIDODEEMA ALBOHIRTUM. 15 



{Plate 3, fig. 1). Evidently they often remain right there for several 

 hours — even until the next evening — for during the first few days of 

 the fiight it is not uneonniion to find newly emerged beetles rather 

 abundantly feeding on the eane-leaves during the daytime. 



Evening Flight and Mating Habits. 



All of our observations go to show that the principal flight of the 

 greybacks from the cane to the feeding-trees takes place at dusk, usually 

 between 7 and 8 p.m., and during this hour they do their mating. Just 

 about 8 p.m. they all congregate and settle on the foliage of their favovirite 

 feeding-trees, where they remain very cpiietly until dawn. 



During the 1919-20 season ]\Ir. Dodd was stationed at Greenhills, 

 where he was able to keep the emerging beetles under constant observa- 

 tion. He found that on leaving the cane they usually flew directly to 

 the nearest feeding-trees, regardless of the direction of the wind ; in that 

 particular locality the forest feeding-trees were to the east and south-east 

 with a small area of scrub further back. And again, during the past 

 season (1920-21) we both spent most of our time early and late in the 

 fields, so were able to verify former observations. 



It was not until tliis last season that we had made any definite 

 observations on the mating habits of the greyl)acks. This was chiefly 

 due to the fact that we had not gone after them properly, for Ave novf 

 know that copulation takes place repeatedly as long as the beetles are 

 on the wing, and that they are polygamous. In other words, it appears 

 that tlie beetles mate repeatedly, evening after evening, beginning as 

 soon as dusk comes on, during the whole of their aerial existence, the 

 males going from one female to another. Most peculiar is the fact that 

 they continue copulating even when the females are i^acked full of ripe 

 eggs which are ready to lay. 



The reason that very little has previously been known of their 

 mating habits is chiefly because these beetles favour large, tall trees, 

 and often select those with thick foliage, especially for mating, even 

 trees on which they do not feed, such as the mango, bamboo, milky pine, 

 «fec. ; a fact which explains the clusters of beetles that may often be 

 shaken out of these trees especially where located in the farmyards. The 

 mating habits of Lepidiota frenclii and L. rothei, on the other hand, are 

 easily observed, for they mate openly on low bushes, and even copulate 

 while hanging on wire fences where other objects are not at hand. As 

 is well known, the males in these species invariably slide backward and 

 hang head downward, as soon as connection is secured, and they hang- 

 perfectly motionless and rigid for a consideralile period, after which they 

 separate and either fly away or, if food is at hand, begin feeding. 



This year we were fortunate in finding greybacks. also, on low trees- 

 near the laboratory, and ol)servations between 7 and 8 p.m. disclosed the 

 fact that their mating habits did not difi^er materially from the species 

 of Lepidiota, other than has been explained al)ove. Since the beetles 

 o£ this species remain on the trees during the day it is not uncommon 

 to find the pairs sitting together at that time, but in no instance have 

 I found them copulating except in the early evening ; yet during cloudy 

 weather they may begin somewhat earlier — indeed, on one dark afternoon 

 I observed pairs mating as early as 5.50 p.m. — but in any case the 

 evening activities last for only about an hour. During this time,. 



