PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 919 



5.— SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE LIFE-HISTORY OF AN 

 EROTYLID BREEDING IN ITALIAN MILLET. 



By P. V. Isaac, B.A., Entomological Assistant, Agricultural Department, 

 Madras. 



(Plate 144.) 



I. Introduction. 



Recently a small Erotylid beetle, a species of Languria* attracted 

 considerable attention to itself as a pest of Italian millet [Setaria italica]. 

 Without exaggeration it may be said that during certain seasons the beetle 

 did more damage to the crop on the College farm, Coimbatore, than all 

 other insects combined. 



Apparently the msect has not been noticed elsewhere although on 

 the above farm they were numerous enough, and found in almost every 

 field, the worst infestation being in certain small plots attached to the 

 Insectary. 



//. General Observations. 

 A summary of the general observations is as follows : — 



(1) The first sign of injury is a withering earhead, the stalk of which 



when pulled smartly breaks at a ring a few inches above the 

 ground. 



(2) The damage is done by a grub which neatly rings the stem from 



inside. The cut, which extends almost up to the epidermis, 

 not only causes the flow of plant sap to discontinue, but 

 also makes the stem liable to break in a strong wind. 



(3) The gmhs were not found in the stout central stem of every 



clump, nor were they seen to attack certain thick-Stemmed 

 strains of Italian millet. 



(4) A good number of stallcs having snapped yielded nothing, while 



others with very little or no sap passing up the ring yielded 

 more chaff and less grain or no grain at all. 



///. Life cycle. 



Considering the amount of damage this pest was responsible for. 

 ir was decided to make a study of its life-history. 



The egg. The egg is 175 mm. long, cigar-shaped, smooth, shiny, 

 and cresm-coloured. In about two days, except at the tips, it becomes 

 orange. 



* Since determined as a speoiea of Anaiastus (aee ante, page Z\Q). — -Editor. 



