THE APPLE-TREE BORER BEETLE. 61 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE APPLE-TREE BORER BEETLE. 



(Rhizopertha collaris.) 

 Order: Coleoptera. Family: Bostrychida. 



A small but most destructive beetle, the Australian type 

 of which, B. jesuitus, is but too well known in Queensland 

 as a ruthless destroyer of timber of all kinds, and in which 

 colony it is known by the name of the " telegraph-pole 

 borer," very few of the indigenous or even imported 

 timbers being sufficiently hard to resist its attacks. 



This little pest of the apple tree was first described by 

 Erichson, in 1842, as coming from Tasmania, and from 

 whence I have received specimens found always in the 

 native timbers, and not in fruit trees, and it has been sent 

 from nearly all the Australian colonies, thus showing its 

 very wide distribution. 



Apate dorsalis, a somewhat similar looking beetle, 

 according to Professor MacOwan, of Cape Town, does 

 great damage to the Mimosa gum trees of South Africa, 

 often rendering this otherwise valuable gum perfectly 

 useless for commercial purposes. 



This curious little beetle, whose depredations amongst 

 apple trees have been now well ascertained, is about from 

 two to three lines in length, with a singularly shaped pro- 

 thorax, at times nearly hiding the head of the insect. 

 (See Plate IV., Fig. 3.) 



This species was first brought under my notice by Mr. 

 Geo. Neilson, the well-known Curator of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society's Gardens, who received it from the 

 neighbourhood of Sydney. Shortly after other specimens 

 reached me from the Brandy Creek district of South 

 Gippsland, during the month of December, 1889; and 

 there is good reason for believing that its ravages are by 



