42 College of Forestry 
Polygraphus rufipennis Kirby 
Polygraphus rufipennis has a wide range throughout the 
greater part of the United States and Canada. It has been 
recorded from Alaska, from many regions of Canada and 
from throughout the northern and eastern United States, 
extending as far south as Georgia and Louisiana (Hamilton, 
1894, p. 35); Packard (1890, p. 721) reports it from Colo- 
rado and from Tacoma, Washington; and Fall and Cockerell 
(1907, p. 217) have found it in New Mexico. Correlated 
with its wide distribution, P. rufipennis breeds in a variety 
of host trees. Packard (1890, p. 722) records it from white 
pine and Rocky Mountain pines and spruces, Hopkins (1899, 
p. 249) reports it in spruce, larch and scrub pine and Felt 
(1906, p. 386) has found it associated with Dryocoetes sp. 
in spruce and with Pityogenes punctipennis (“ Tomicus bal- 
sameus”’) in balsam. ‘The senior author has numerous 
specimens of this insect from red spruce (Picea rubens) 
associated with two species of Dryocoetes, Pityogenes puncti- 
pennis, Ips caelatus, Crypturgus pusillus and other forms 
and has also taken it from stumps of white pine in company 
with the latter two species. In the Northeastern United 
States the red spruce is the favorite host tree. 
Dr. Hopkins (1899, pp. 246—251) has given us the fullest 
and one of the earliest accounts of the biology of this insect. 
He says: ‘ The adults emerge in May and June, and are 
attracted to the stumps, trunks and tops of recently felled 
trees and such trees as are weakened in vitality from the 
attack of insects like that of the destructive pine bark beetle 
| Dendroctonus frontalis|, diseases or any other cause. They 
then commence to excavate their entrance galleries through 
the outer bark . . . . This entrance burrow is extended 
to the outer surface of the inner soft bark, where a broad 
cavity is excavated which is utilized as a nuptial chamber. 
In the meantime the female which appears to do the greater 
part of the first excavating, is joined by a male which stations 
himself in the entrance gallery to keep out enemies and 
objectionable visitors [doubtless also other males], and to 
render assistance in expelling the borings. The female then 
