FAMILY ELATERIDAE 



225 



FIG. 146. 



Lacon sp. prox. 



davidi, Fairm. 



X.W. Himalaya. 



LACON. 

 Lacon sp. prox. davidi, Fairmaire. 



REFERENCE. Provisionally identified as close to L. davidi. 



Habitat. Tehri Garhwal, North-West Himalaya. 



Tree Attacked. Spruce (Picea movinda]. Deota, Tehri Garhwal, North- 

 West Himalaya. 



Beetle. Elongate, narrow. Red-brown, covered with a very short, 

 bright golden, fairly close pubescence. Head strongly punctate and 



densely clothed with a reddish golden pubes- 

 Description. scence. Prothorax longer than wide, anterior 



margin emarginate, sides rounded, posterior 



angles shortly produced, disk moderately convex, depressed at base, 

 strongly and uniformly punctate. Scutellum large, longer than wide, 

 punctate. Elytra depressed at base, elongate, sides straight to posterior 

 coxae, thence rather sharply constricted to apex, latter conjointly 

 rounded ; finely and uniformly punctate, the punctures arranged in 

 narrow longitudinal rows. Legs dark brown covered with a yellow 

 pubescence. Length, 13 mm. 



I have taken this insect in both larval and beetle stages in dying and 

 dead spruce-trees in the North-West Himalaya. 



ALAUS. 

 Alaus sculptus, Westw. 



REFERENCE. Westwood, Cab. Orient. Ent. p. 72 (1848). 



Habitat. -Balaghat, Central Provinces. Also reported 

 from Bengal and Assam. 



Tree Attacked. Sal (Shorea robusta). Balaghat, Cen- 

 tral Provinces. 



Beetle. Large, broad, rather flat. Dlack mottled with white 

 patches, the white sometimes predominating ; the white patches 



consist of a thick, close, short pubescence. 

 Description. Head with front black, depressed and punc- 



tate medianly, white on either side. Antennae 



black. Prothorax with usually a black area on disk of greater or 

 less size ; disk very convex, shining, with depressions and rugosities, 

 bordered laterally by white patches spotted with black ; anterior mar-in 

 deeply emarginate, the basal angles produced, the lateral mar-ins canaliculate. Scutellum 

 small, black, punctate. Elytra depressed basally. rather flat on disk, sides constricted to 

 apex, latter truncate; striate and finely punctate, tin- areas of \\liitc pubescence forming 

 patches and spots of variable size and position. I hider-surfai-e black inetlianK, shining 

 white and spotted laterally. Length, 24 mm. to 36111111. 



A specimen of this beetle was taken from a pupat in--rliaml>ei- in a 



large sal-log sent to Dehra Dun from linlagliai. Central 



Life History. Provinces, as infested with the longicorn /-/</>/<imvwAv.v 



spiniconiis. The beetle was found dead in the chamber 



on 15 July 1905, the logs having been sent to Dehra lYom iSala-hat shorth 

 before. 



Fie. 147- 



sculptus, 

 \\Vstw. Central 

 Provinces. 



I know nothing further about this insect. 



9003 



