468 



8. Hind femora with one tooth and no denticles. A small, 



compact species, entirely leaden gray above 



Briicliiis pruininus 



9. Hind femora with one tooth and two denticles beyond the 

 tooth. Larger, more elongate species, more or less mottled 

 or marked above 9. 



9. Elytra reddish, hind femora entirely reddish, pygidinm 

 more nearly horizontal, sides of three ventral segments 



visible from above.... Bruckus prosopis 



Elytra dark, hind femora dark above, pygidinm more 



nearly vertical, no ventral "segments visible from above 



Bnichiis ohtectus 



Bruckus pndninus. 



BruchiLS pruininus was taken in Angaist, 1917, while sweep- 

 ing beneath a clump of the bushes of Leucaena glauca, locally 

 known as false koa or koa haole, from a fancied resemblance 

 to the leaf -bearing shoots or young trees of Acacia koa. The 

 plant was investigated as a host plant and B. pruininus has 

 since been bred in large numbers from its seeds, both those 

 naturally infested and those with eggs deposited on them by 

 the beetles in captivity. 



The pods of Leucaena are flat, about six inches long by a 

 half inch broad, and contain about a dozen rich brown flat 

 ovate seeds. They are produced in great abundance and hang 

 in clusters upon the bushes for some time after they have 

 ripened and turned brown. Then they split apart from the 

 edges in the iniddle and thus the seeds are exposed for a little 

 while before they drop to the ground and during this period 

 a few of the eggs are deposited on them. Apparently most of 

 them are, however, laid after the seeds have dropped. I have 

 seen no signs of any eggs being laid upon the pods of this plant 

 or on those of any other of its host plants. In one instance the 

 eggs of this species were found deposited upon the seeds of 

 indigo. (Indigifera anil) and subsequently some undersized 

 adults emerged. The pods of the indigo are small and curved 



