DISEASES OF THE DATE PALM. 127 



at the points of attack. In bad cases where the tiee stems were 

 only 3 or 4 feet in height, the grubs and pupae were found even at 

 the base of the stem. Writers elsewhere record that the grubs may 

 be found at any point in the stem of an affected tree. 



These insects have been identified for us by the Assistant 

 Professor of Entomology to the Agricultural 



Identification of 



the post and litora- Department, Punjab, as the Indian Palm Weevil 



ture concerning it. r ., , 7 7 



or Ked Weevil (Rnynctiophorus jerrugineus, 

 Olive). Descriptions of the weevil, accounts of its life history, 

 methods of preventing its attacks and remedial measures will be 

 found in (a) Memoirs of the Department of Agriculture in India, 

 Entomological Series, Volume II, No. 10, December, 1911, under 

 Life-Histories of Indian Insects III, by C. C. Ghosh, and (b) 

 Indian Insect Pests, by Lefroy, page 209. The material for the 

 following brief account of the pest is practically all taken from 

 these works and the coloured illustration No. 45, page 126c, is 

 from (a) above mentioned. 



It has been already noticed in the following places : 



Saharanpur, Lucknow, Buxar, Bankipur, Gaya, 



Distribution and p u Darieeling, Dikang Valley, Suleman 



breeding season. J * ' 



Range, Shillong, Sylhet, Assam, Moulmein, 

 Calcutta, Singbhum, Madras, Bangalore, Wynaad, Andaman 

 Islands, Ceylon, and we have now found it in Multan, 

 Muzaffargarh, and Dera Ghazi Khan Districts of the Punjab. 

 Doubtlessly it will be found also in adjacent date-growing 

 districts of the Punjab. 



The weevil appears to breed throughout the year. There 

 is no regularity in the occurrence of the brcods and adult weevils. 

 Pupae and larvae in different stages of growth may be found 

 together at the same time. 



The Indian Palm Weevil is a big red brown flattened insect 



with or without a few black spots on the thoracic 



The \3) (adUlt re ion (region between the head and abdomen) 



and with a long slightly curved snout. The snout 



of the male is provided with a brush of hairs above, and is 



