388 RHYNCHOPHOEA. [Catctnd/'ina. 



the fourth more or less conspicuous and the third not broad, tarsal claws 

 free and simple. 



In the European catalogue of Heyden, Reitter and Weise Sphenopliorus 

 mutilatus, Laich, is assigned to Britain ; it may have occurred in this 

 country, but if so is evidently an importation; the insect is closely allied 

 to Calandra, but is about twice the size of either of our species, and 

 may be known by having the club of the antennae widened, and inarticu- 

 late, and bevelled off at apex. 



CAIiANDRA, Clairville (Sitophilus, Schonherr). 



This genus contains about twenty-five species, which are chiefly 

 natives of warm or tropical countries ; three occur in Europe, but appear 

 to be all importations, although C. granaria has to a certain extent 

 been naturalized and has been found on growing wheat ; they may be 

 known by their very long thorax, which is as long as the elytra, and 

 the exposed pygidium ; the rostrum is slightly curved ; the f uniculus of 

 the antennae is 6-jointed and is much longer than tbe club, which is 

 oblong with the apex conical ; the posterior coxae attain, to the episterna 

 of the metasternum, and the latter are free. 



Both the British species do considerable damage to stored wheat, and 

 C. granaria, the " weevil " par excellence, is often exceedingly destruc- 

 tive ; C. oryzce, as its name implies, is originally a devourer of rice, but 

 also attacks grain : a long account of the two species is given by Curtis 

 ("Farm Insects," pp. 321 329); the female of C. granaria makes a 

 hole in the grain of wheat and deposits an egg ; from this there issues a 

 small white maggot, about 2 mm. in length, with a large, round, horny, 

 yellowish head and strong mandibles; this devours the substance of the 

 grain and changes to a clear white transparent pupa in its interior ; in 

 eight or ten days the perfect insect issues forth ; it has been calculated 

 that a single pair are capable of producing 6045 individuals in one 

 season, so that we cannot wonder at the amount of corn sometimes de- 

 stroyed in granaries, where the temperature is warm and the enemies of 

 the beetle are few ; it is hard to detect the amount of the damage 

 done, as the outside of the grain is not touched and often the presence 

 of the weevil can only be detected by throwing a handful of the grains 

 into water, when the attacked grains float ; many remedies have been 

 suggested, but none is so effective in our climate as keeping granaries 

 clean and well whitewashed and the woodwork and planks as sound as 

 possible; when the weather is warm the beetles keep to the corn heaps, 

 but when it gets cold they leave them and take to holes, crevices and 

 cracks ; in the colonies the following method is adopted sometimes for 

 getting rid of weevils from rice, corn, &c., and it might perhaps be used 

 with advantage ; a tank is rilled with the grain to within a short distance 

 of the top; a candle is then set on the top of the grain, and the tank is 

 covered and rendered air-tight by the use of white lead; the caudle 



