392 FAMILY BREXTHIDAE 



Beetle. Elongate, narrow, crimson-red in colour, with short, stout antennae, and long 

 legs. Elytra with three or four prominent longitudinal striae, the lateral ones less promi- 

 nent. Head shining with a transverse median constriction, a small 

 Description. depression between insertion of antennae. Prothorax convex, very 



shining, with a few fine punctures. Elytra strongly striate-punctate, 



the sutural carinae prominent and smooth ; constricted and slightly depressed apically ; the 

 punctures smaller on lateral surfaces. Legs shining, the femora thickened. Length, 5.5 mm. 

 to 6.5 mm. PI. Ix, fig. 10, shows a dorsal view of this beetle, and fig. 10 a a piece of wood 

 with a gallery in it made by the beetle. 



This beetle was cut out in some numbers from the wood of the main 



stem of a stag-headed green sal-tree felled on 14 May in 



Life History. the Kachugaon forests. The beetle appears to bore 



circular tunnels through the bark, and lays its eggs in 



these. I have not yet taken any larvae. 



The discover}- of this beetle in this situation is of very considerable 

 interest, since so little is known about the life histories of the beetles of 

 this family. Many are thought to be predaceous, and it may be that the 

 larvae of this insect feed predaceously upon wood-boring larvae. I think, 

 however, that it is perhaps more probable that they are true bark- and wood- 

 borers. 



