471 



identity with B. pridninus^ with the description of which it 

 agrees. The insect is apparently extending its range in Cali- 

 fornia since I have seen specimens taken by Mr. Swezey at 

 Chico, while all the earlier records were from Southern Cali- 

 fornia. Its establishment in the Hawaiian Islands was not, 

 however, probably due to this particular shipment of seed, 

 since this was probably fumigated at once, as is the custom 

 there. It must, however, have been established from similar 

 shipments about that time or earlier, since I am informed 

 by Mr. David Ilaughs, plantings of Acacia molVissima and 

 A. decurrens have practically ceased since that time because 

 these trees have not proved adaptable to Hawaiian conditions. 

 Bruchus pruininus has been found generally distributed 

 wherever looked for in the warmer coastal belt of Oahu and 

 has been taken by Mr. Swezey in similar localities on Maui. 



The Dolichos Weevil. 



Mr. Swezey bred the Dolichos weevil in 1908 from the 

 beans of a white variety of Dolichos lahlah escaped from culti- 

 vation, and called my attention to it and to its peculiar method 

 of oviposition upon the pods of its host-plant. The eggs are 

 laid upon the -pods often while still quite green in masses of 

 from three to six and are attached to each other and to the pod 

 by means of a glue-like substance extruded by the female, as 

 are the single eggs of B. pnuninus and many other species. 

 The larvae from an egg mass enter a single bean and develop 

 there, practically destroying it during their development. Upon 

 emerging from the bean the adults pair immediately and eggs 

 are laid within 24 hours. These eggs instead of being laid in 

 egg masses are scattered singly over the surface of the other 

 beans of the pod, several upon each bean. From 133 beans 

 of a dark variety of Dolichos lahlah naturally infested in the 

 pods in the field, 503 weevils emerged or an average of 4.23 

 weevils. From 296 beans of a white-seeded variety also ap- 

 parently naturally infested, 1286 adults were produced or 4.34 

 per bean. The greatest number of adults for any one bean 



