GO AUSTBALIAX SUGAE-CANE BEETLES AND THEIR ALLIES. 



LEPIDIOTA DARWINI BLACKBURN. 



Although recorded from the Gordonvale area by Girault and Dodd, 

 subsequent investigations have not disclosed the species, and its 

 occurrence therefore needs confirmation. 



LEPIDIOTA No. 615. 



Dodd records the grubs of this unknown s|)ecies from the bed of 

 the Mulgrave River, but it has not been met with since. 



HAPLONYCHA DILATATA LEA. 



Girault and Dodd Avrote of this species as No. 587 ; it was not named 

 by ]Mr. Lea until 1917, the original description appearing in the Trans- 

 actions Royal Society of South Australia, vol. xli, p. 512, the locality 

 being given as Cairns. We are aware of its presence in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Gordonvale only, and presumably it is a native of the 

 open forest lands. 



A large emergence occurred at ]\Ieringa on 20-22nd December, 1917, 

 and on 29th November, 19LS. At Greenhills a few odd beetles were 

 noticed on loth January, 1920, and they were abundant on 26th January 

 and 3rd Feln-uary. At Meringa the species swarmed in vast numbers 

 on 6th December, 1920. 



Unlike other related scaraljai'ids, H. dilafafa does not always emerge 

 at dusk. None were seen on the evening of 5tli December, but they 

 were mating everyAvhere at 5 a.m. next morning, just as it was getting 

 light, and continued even after sunrise. On another occasion they were 

 noticed mating at 6 a.m., this being continued as late as 7.30 a.m., by 

 which time the sun was quite warm, the morning being briglit. On 

 dull days they sometimes remain on the foliage until the forenoon is 

 well advanced before seeking shelter among grass, rubbish, &c. The 

 known food plants are the common guava {Psidiuni giiyava). cockatoo 

 apple {Carcya australis), Moreton Bay ash (Eucalyptus tc^sclaris) , 

 bloodwood (-E". corymhosa), besides others. The beetles are readily 

 attracted to lights. In confinement the length of life of the adult has 

 been found to continue for as long as 50 days. 



The Egg. — Beetles in captivity deposited eggs singly and scattered 

 through the soil, no cell being formed. The duration of the egg stage 

 has been ascertained as 12 days, under the unnatural conditions of the 

 insectary. No eggs have been found in the field. 



Tltr Grub. — We have no evidence to offer beyond that which has 

 already been published (66) (91). 



HAPLONYCHA SETOSA BLACKBURN. 



A considerably larger, ligliter-colnured species than the former. A 

 single specimen came to light at Kuranda in 1915. 



NESO FLAVIPENNIS MACLEAY. 



This is the species designated as No. 650 by Girault and Dodd, and 

 it would appear to be one of the most common and generally distributed 

 of the smaller ]\Ielolonthids, at least in the sugar-cane areas. Lights 

 prove very attractive to the adults, and one can usually find a few of 

 them in this way during the wet season months, from the end of 

 December right up into May. We have observed specimens at IMossman, 



