FAMILY CUCUJIDAE 



119 



PSAMMOECUS. 



Psammoecus trimaculatus, Motsch. 

 Habitat. South Coimbatore, Madras. 



Tree Infested. Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictns}. Mount Stuart, South 

 Coimbatore. 



Beetle. Small, elongate, yellow to yellowish 

 brown, covered with spiny hairs ; under - surface 



darker - coloured. Head 

 Description. small, punctate. Prothorax 



convex, the edges with seve- 

 ral sharp teeth, largest medianly ; disk punctate. 

 Scutellum small. Elytra broader than thorax, base 

 straight, humeral angles rounded, widest at posterior 

 coxae, constricted apkally and rounded ; longitudi- 

 nally and finely striate and punctate. Antennae and 

 legs set with spiny setae. Length, 2.4 mm. to 2.8 mm. 



I cut out some specimens of this small 

 beetle from galleries in the wood structure 

 of bamboos (D. strictus} in the forests round 

 Mount Stuart in South Coimbatore. The 

 beetles were taken at the end of July 1902. 



FIG. 82. Psammoecus trimaculatus, 



Motsch. Coimbatore, Madras. 



SlLVANUS. 

 Silvanus surinamensis, Linn. 



REFERENCES. Linn. Syst. Nat. i, 2, p. 565; Lefroy, Ind. Ins. Life, p. 300 (1909). 



Habitat. Northern India. 



Tree Infested. Mohwa (Bassia latifolia). Western India (Lefroy). 



Beetle. Elongate, smoky brown, dull. Head large, punctate ; eyes placed at sides a 

 little above base ; antennae long and clubbed. Prothorax longer than wide, with three ia.nni- 



nent longitudinal ridges, one median and two lateral, bounding t<> 



Description. elongate depressed channels, the sides toothed. Khtra Hon-.iu-. 



parallel, slightly constricting at apex, striate-puurt.ite. ihr Mine nu>*t 



prominent at base. Under-surface brown, legs lighter-coloured, abdominal segments <l<>the<l 

 with a fine golden pubescence. Length, 4.3 mm. 



Larva. Elongate, whitish yellow, with prominent head and prothoracic segments. 

 Antennae and three pairs of legs jointed. Abdominal segments but slightly smaller th.m 

 thoracic, save last four, which taper, the last being small. Length, 6.5 mm. 



This insect passes through several generations in the year. 



in Indian Insect Life has the following note on US 

 Life History. habits : 



"The larva lives in dried fruit, Hour, dried moh\\.i 



(the calyx of Bussin latifulia], and similar vegetable matter. The complete 

 life history occupies about seven weeks ; the eggs arc- laid in the tood, the 

 larvae feed inside or between two pieces, and pupate in a ehanil.er closed in 



