53 6 FAMILY SCOLYTIDAE 



Very little is known about these small cryphalids in India, and it is 



therefore impossible to state here the relation they 



Damage Committed n b he f t j cann(jt present sav 



in the Forest. 



whether this beetle is abundant or not, nor whether it 



attacks young growth as well as old trees. It has only been found in the 

 latter to my knowledge up to date. It is probable that it usually searches 

 for branches which are weak in health ; but examination of dead branches 

 shows that those which it attacks in any numbers it invariably kills. The 

 cambium is entirely eaten away by the larvae, the latter being responsible 

 for the greater part of the damage done. A certain amount of thinning-out 

 of the smaller branches and shortening of the older ones must take place on 

 the tree under the operations of this insect. If young growth is attacked 

 leaders may be killed by the beetle. 



Cryphalus tectonae, Stebbing. 



REFERENCE. Stebbing, Depart. Notes, i, 263. 



Habitat. Berar. 



Tree Attacked. Teak (Tectona grandis). Melghat Forest, Berar. 



Beetle. Smaller than Cryphalus boswelliae. Cylindrical. Head, prothorax, and 

 elytra a reddish brown in colour, and covered with rather scattered short yellow hairs, which 



are set in rows on the elytra. The 

 Description. prothorax set with tubercular pro- 



jections anteriorly, and lightly 



pitted posteriorly. Elytra fairly finely striate and punctate, 

 with parallel rows of slmri \dln\\ h.ms mmmi;.: d-un 

 them. Antennae and legs bright yellowish-brown. Under- f*H9^plSP 

 surface set with longish tufts of white hairs placed irre- 

 gularly Length, 1.2 mm. JT IG . . 



Larva. The grub of this beetle is very small, white, Cryphalus tectonae, Steb., in 

 curved, and has no legs. teak. Berar. 



The flight-time of this insect is about the latter half of July in this part 



of India (Berar). The beetle would appear to have the 



Life History. same habits as other minute Cryphali in the continent. 



It bores into a branch until it reaches the cambium 



layer, and then mines out in this and the sapwood a small chamber, being 

 then joined by a companion. They then together eat out the egg-gallery, 

 yhich is simply an irregular-shaped small chamber made in the bast and 

 sapwood, in which the eggs are laid amongst a small mass of wood-dust. 



In one case I found a larva, and it would seem therefore probable 



the beetles commence egg-laying about the beginning of July in Berar, 



that only a few days are passed in the egg stage, the larvae hatching out 



thin a very short time. This minute beetle was discovered boring into 



smaller branches of the teak-tree in Berar in July 1901. This is at 



present all that has been observed on the habits of this minute beetle. 



