COLEOPTERA CHARACTERS, HABITS, CLASSIFICATION 63 



A large species of Elater is to be found in dead pyinkadu. Perhaps the 

 family Bostrychidae contains the most abundant numbers of wood-borers, 

 such as species of Heterobostrychus (p. 146) and Sinoxylon. 



Others are to be found amongst the Anthribidae, such as Xylinades and 

 other anthribids (p. 386), in pyinkadu. The Cossoninae (Curculionidae) 

 contain species of Rhyncholus (p. 451) which infest coniferous trees in the 

 Himalaya. There are many Scolytidae whose attacks are confined to dry 

 wood, such as some species of Hy tastes (p. 473) and Xylebonis, etc. 



Finally there are a large series of Coleoptera which confine their attacks 

 to rotting timber. In this group the first beetles to be considered are the 

 Passalidae (p. 66). Species of this family have been commonly met with in 

 sal in Assam, in sauer (Betula) and kharani (Symplocos) in the Eastern 

 Himalaya, and in rhododendron in the Ootacamund Hills. The Lucanidae, 

 or stag beetles, are also to be commonly found in rotting wood and stumps, 

 the commonest instances of which are the Lncunus Innifer (p. 70) in oak 

 stumps in the Western Himalaya, and L. mcaresi in kharani in the 

 eastern portions of the range. Many Nitidulidae (p. 107) and Cucujidae 

 (p. 115), etc., are also usually to be found beneath the bark of rotting trees, 

 and hosts of other tiny members of the little-known families. 



The fact that the Coleoptera do not, so far as is at present known, 

 contain a large number of predaceous insects as compared with the noxious 

 ones has been alluded to. There are, however, fortunately several insects 

 of the highest importance which fall within this category the Thanasimus 

 (Cleridae) (p. 186), predaceous upon the more pernicious of the bark- 

 beetle pests of the Himalaya; the histerids Niponitis (p. 102), Platysoma 

 (p. 105), and Paromalus (p. 107), predaceous upon coniferous bark-beetle 

 pests in the Western Himalaya. Several small and at present not well- 

 known species of Staphylinidae (p. 99) and Colydiidae (p. in) also fall 

 within this category, as also do the species of Alindria and Melambia (Troi:<' 

 sitidae, p. 114). 



The carabid beetles Anthia (p. 95), Scarites, Morio (pp. 95, 96) are also of 

 use as predators, as also in all probability are some of the forest-living 

 Cicindelidae (p. 93), about whose habits little is at present known. 



The Cucujidae contain useful insects which feed upon bark- and wood- 

 borers, such as Hectarthntm heros (p. 116), predaceous upon Si>i.\-\'ln cn/.s.s/fw 

 in Terniinalia in the Central Provinces, and upon barkrboring Scolytidae 

 in N audio, sessiliflora in Burma. 



The Coccinellidae are one of the pivlator f.miilies of beetles />./r 

 excellence, the greater portion of the family being pred.ireoiis. 



The best-known instances at present arc perl). ip^ the I 'ciLilij i p. 1251. 

 which feeds in both its larval and beetle forms on the sal-tree scale ins 

 Monophlebus, and Coccincllu scptcinpiuictntii (p. 123), which feeds upon the 

 Aphis of the blue pine, the Luc/inn* of the silver fir, and the Chci 

 the spruce and silver fir, etc. A number of other species whirl) \\ill l.e 

 referred to in these pages are known in this connection. 



