•2^6 



that this insect is occasionally instrumental in destroyint;' its 

 host tree. The habit of the adult in feeding both in decaying 

 and sound bark would probably serve at times to inoculate the 

 living tree with decay producing organisms. HoTvever, there 

 seems to be no indication that it is producing any consideral)le 

 injury, since the trees attacked are among the most vigorous 

 species of trees in the native forests. 



It is quite evident that the insect is not uncomuiou l)ut 

 on account of the scattered trees which it attacks it is only 

 abundant in any one place when a fallen tree or dying tree 

 permits the development in numbers; ordinarily it attacks 

 only a branch here and a branch there, but our observation 

 indicates that several of these branches might be found at 

 almost any time if carefully searched for. 



Plate VI shows views of portions of the trunk of a tree 

 observed 1>y ^Ir. Swezey along the Manoa Cliifs Trail on 

 Tantalus. It was a standing trunk of a large Clielrodendron 

 (laudlcliaudil tree, from which the l)<irk had fallen, exposing 

 thousands of the 0})enings of the pupal cells of this weevil. 

 Evidence was not at hand to determine whether the weevil 

 larvae had l)een the cause of the death of the tree, or Avhether 

 their work was performed after the tree was dying from other 

 causes. 



The upper surface of the rostrum in the male is provided 

 with tuberculate spines irregularly disposed l)ehiud the 

 antennae and in an irregularly spaced series on either side in 

 front; the rostrum is widened a little at the apex in the male 

 but not iu the female; in the male the antennae are inserted 

 more than half way from the eyes to the tip of the beak, they 

 are greatly elongate, the scape and flagellum each as long as 

 the greatly elongate beak, and the joints of the funicle are 

 provided with long loose hairs four or five times as long as the 

 width of the joints ; in the female the antennae are shorter, 

 inserted about one-third the distance from the eyes to the 

 apex and none of the hairs are longer than the width of a 

 joint. The last tergite of the female is pectinate along its 



