482 ^Ii'. G. J. Arrow on tie Khapra Beetle. 



roc^arded tliem as ])robably identical with Trogoderma versi- 

 color, Cieiitz., but they have invariably been in such bad 

 condition that exact determination was impracticable. Under 

 the name of " Ka})ra " specimens were sent to the Museum by 

 the late E. T. Atkinson in 1888 and stated to be destructive 

 to wheat in g<xlowns at Delhi. Recently I have been able to 

 examine jiert'ect examples, bred in the greatest abundance from 

 samples of Karachi wheat collected by Mr. J. H. Dinrant, and 

 the study of the.se has convincetl me that the species is neither 

 T. versicolor, Creuiz., nor 7\ inclustim, Lee, the Hjiiires and 

 descriptions of which show them to be larger and darker 

 coloured, with ditferent antennje, and possibly not dislinct one 

 from the other. It is, therefore, necessary to give a new name 

 to this exceedingly serious {)est, and I propose to adopt the 

 vernacular name by which, according to Messrs. Barnes and 

 Grove, it is known to Indian grain-dealers. It may be briefly 

 diagnosed as follows : — 



Trogoderma hhapra, sp. n. 



Hufo-ferrnginea, capite, pronoto corporeque subtus obscurioribus, 

 antennis pedibusque rutis, elytris vago fusco-hifasciatis ; ovalis, 

 nitida, corpora subtus ajqualiter, su])ra longius et magis irregu- 

 lariter griseo-pubescenti ; antennis ll-articulatis, articulis '6-7 

 minutis, 8-11 sat maguis, clavam formantibus, foemin£e ovatam, 

 uiulto corapactam, maris longiorem, apice producto et compresso. 



Long. 1-75- c5 mm. 



Although I have seen an enormous number of specimens, 

 the largest scarcely exceeds 3 mm. in length, with the head 

 fully extended, and this is considerably less than the size 

 indicated for the Eino))ean and N. -American types of Creutzer 

 and Leconte. The elytra are of a rather light red-brown 

 shade, generally marked with two vaguely defined darker 

 transverse bands, and the head and pronotum are nearly 

 always distinctly darker than the elytra, but rarely black. 

 The surface is clothed with grey hairs, which are very easily 

 rubbed off, and the worn sj)ecimens found amongst the grain 

 are very smooth and shining. Upon the darker areas of the 

 elytra the hairs are finer and scantier. The antennte and 

 legs are entirely light in colour. 



The males are much smaller on the average than the 

 females and have rather longer antennae, the joints comj)osing 

 the club, and especially the terminal one, being more 

 elongate. 



This insect is found in enormous profusion in cargoes 

 of wheat from Karachi and Bombay ; but there is no evidence 

 that it is able to perpetuate itself in Europe, nor has it been 

 found in grain imported from other regions than India. 



