1915] Lovell — Origin of Antlwphihj among the Colcoptera 77 



10 species for North America — a very small number certainly in 

 comparison with the great size of this family. 



The snout-beetles, or Rhyncophora, an immense group of 

 beetles highly injurious to vegetation, also includes few antho- 

 philous species. The larvae feed on roots, mine under bark, but 

 chiefly live in nuts, fruits and seeds, while the adults are found 

 mostly on leaves, only 18 species having been observed on flowers 

 in New England. Two common species are the plum weevil 

 {Conotrachehis nenuphar) , which sometimes destroj^s the plum and 

 cherry crop, and is common on the flowers of Primus virginiana; 

 and the blue-flag weevil which passes its entire life on the blue 

 flag (Iris versicolor) . The economy of the blue-flag weevil {Monony- 

 chiis vulpeculus) has been very fully described by Prof. Needham;^ 

 the larval stage is passed within the seed capsule where the trans- 

 formation into the imago takes place, and both beetles and seeds 

 are set free by the bursting of the capsule in the fall. This weevil 

 wastes the nectar inordinately. It makes many punctures in the 

 nectariferous tissue from which the nectar continues to flow, attract- 

 ing swarms of insects of all kinds. Eight species of beetles were 

 observed feeding at the punctures, besides many flies. The flag 

 weevil picks up stray grains of pollen but it is of no importance in 

 pollination. "It has become adapted to living on the blue flag 

 exclusively." The life history of many other snout-beetles is 

 confined to a single plant species, but as pollinators they are of 

 httle importance and are classed among the dystropous forms. 



To the floroecologist no family of the Coleoptera is of greater 

 interest than the Cerambycidse, or wood-borers, a gToup the 

 origin of which dates back to an earlier period than that of the 

 Chrysomelidse. This is partly because it contains many species, 

 which wholly or partially depend on a floral diet ; and partly because 

 of modifications resulting from the anthophilous habit. For New 

 England 39 species are enumerated, while Knuth lists 29 for North 

 America, and 42 for Europe and the Arctic regions. Many genera 

 of the tribe Lepturini, as Pachyta, Gaurotes, Typocerus, Leptura 

 and Strangalia, feed entirely on flower food. Nineteen species of 

 Leptura have been collected on flowers in New England, the largest 

 number ever recorded, and no doubt the entire genus is anthophil- 



' Needham, James G., "The Fruiting of the Blue Flag (Iris versicolor L.)," Amer. Xat., Vol. 

 34, p. 370. 



