FAMILY BUPRESTIDAE 



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FIG. 128. Larval galleries and entrance-holes to pupating- 

 chambers of a buprestid (Chrysobothris) in sapwood of sal. 

 Kumaun, United Provinces. 



the damagedone by 

 this family in the 

 forest is chiefly to 

 the bast layer of 

 the tree. In the 

 case of all the spe- 

 cies so far studied, 

 the beetle lays its 

 eggs in the bast 

 or in a crevice of 

 the bark, whence 

 the young grub 

 can quickly reach 

 the bast. The 

 grubs feed entirely 

 in the green bast 

 and outer sapwood, 

 eating out wide, 

 shallow galleries 

 which groove both. 

 Consequently, 

 when the grubs are 

 numerous these 

 galleries cross one 

 another, and the 

 tree is finally gir- 

 dled and killed. 

 Observations have 

 shown that there 

 are several of the 

 smaller Bupres- 

 tidae, such as the 

 Sphenoptera of the 

 deodar (p. 204), the 

 Anthaxia of Finns 

 longifolia (p. 212), 

 which are capable 

 of becoming serious 

 pests to these trees. 

 European exam- 

 ples from the same 

 family form object- 

 lessons which it 

 will be advisable to 

 remember in India. 



