552 



FAMILY SCOLYTIDAE 



the branch or twig above the girdle dies, and in the damage it does the 

 insect thus resembles the Scolytus deodar branch girdler (vide p. 578). The 

 remedies to apply are the same as those described for the latter. 



TOMICUS (Ips). 



A very important genus, containing species infesting the blue pine, 

 spruce, and Finns longifolia in the Western Himalaya. 



Tomicus (Ips) ribbentropi, Stebbing. 

 (The Blue-Pine Tomicus Bark-borer.} 



REFERENCES. Stebbing, Ind. For. Mem. Zool. Ser. i, pt. ii, 25 ; id. Depart. Notes (Tomiciis sp.), 



i, 225 ; id. For. Bull. no. 5 (new ser ), 1911. 



Habitat. North -West Himalaya. 



Trees Attacked. Blue Pine (Finns excelsa); Spruce (Picea morinda}. 

 Jaunsar, Tehri Garhwal, Kumaun, Kulu, Simla, Bashahr, Chamba. 



Beetle. $ oblong, shining, black. Antennae and legs piceous brown. Head smooth, 

 sjiining on vertex, with a few scattered fine punctures ; front flat, roughly granulate-punctate, 



usually without tubercle, in some cases with a small median pit or 

 Description. depression, or with two very small tubercles placed transversely 



and medianly, the tubercles either minute and sharp, or merely slightly- 

 raised rounded elevations ; a few long yellow hairs on the lower lateral margin. Prothorax 

 rounded in front, slightly wider behind than in front, one-fifth less wide than long ; strongly 

 rugose-punctate in anterior two-thirds ; posterior third smooth and shining, with a few very 

 scattered and fine punctures, or the punctures very fine but more numerous ; rather densely set 

 with long, stiff, yellow hairs anteriorly and laterally. Elytra 

 slightly longer than thorax, striate-punctate, the punctures rather 

 shallow, the interspaces broad and shining, the striae near the 

 suture most prominent, finer towards the declivity. Truncate 

 posteriorly, the declivous portion concave, dull, sometimes 

 slightly shining and finely punctate towards bottom ; the sides 

 furnished with four teeth, of which i (upper one) is very small 

 and set at a distance from 2 ; 2 close to 3, larger than i ; 3 largest, 

 with a swollen head to it, the swelling not constant, as in some 

 specimens 2 more nearly approximates in size to 3 ; 4 pro- 

 minent and sharp, smaller than 3, and set farther from 3 than 

 3 is from 2 on the one side, and at a less distance from the 

 lower margin ; the declivity more abrupt than in typographic* 

 (fig. 355). Elytra laterally and edges of declivity fringed with 

 long, yellow, spiny hairs. Under-surface black, but slightly 

 shining, punctate, with a scattered longish yellow pubescence, 

 <$ smaller than ?. Red-brown in colour and more pubescent. 

 itnorax is less convex medianly, more highly granulate 

 anteriorly. Elytra with punctures more prominent, and apical 

 declivity more sloping. Length, $ 5 mm. to 5.5 mm. ; $ 4.5 mm. 

 to 4.9 mm. (PI. xlvi, fig. 3, c, d). The absence of the prominent tubercle on the front, and 

 the different nature of the teeth on the elytral declivity and its more abrupt slope in $, 

 sufficiently distinguish this species from typographic* of Europe. 



Larva. A small, thick, curved, legless, white grub with a yellow head, and the body seg- 

 ments corrugated ; the segments following the head are the largest, the body tapering (fig. 3, a). 



Pupa. The pupa is white in colour and has the general shape of the beetle, but with the 

 antennae and legs pressed to the sides and the wings pressed against the chest (fig. 3 b.} 



FIG. 355. -- Elytral de- 

 clivity ot Tomicic*. a, To- 

 ut icic* typographus, Linn.; 

 1), T. ribbentropi, Steb. ; 

 c, T. longifolia^ Steb. ; d, 

 7'. blandfordi, Steb. 



