318 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



Chelidonium cinctum, Guer. (Plate 9, fig. e.) Mr. Anstead, the 

 Deputy Director of Agriculture for Planting Districts, has recently found 

 this insect attacking Citrus trees in the Mysore uplands. Probably it is 

 similar in habits to the other well-known orange-borer of Coorg, Cklori- 

 dolum alcmene. It may be the same or similar to one noted in Coorg 

 by Fletcher (See Rept. of Second Entomological Meeting, p. 211). 



The Morinda shoot borer. This insect is a very small pale-browTi 

 beetle, the whitish grubs of which are found attacking the growing 

 terminal shoots of Morinda tinctoria plants. The presence of the 

 pest is easily seen by the faded and drooping appearance of the 

 young distal shoots ; the latter turn black in course of time and drop 

 down. The larva is a minute pale white grub ; the pupa is also found 

 in the same place. The beetle appears to be a Scolytid, having an 

 oval prothorax and small brownish head tucked underneath the thorax. 



The Kolingi pod beetle. (Plate 10, fig. g.) As a green-manure plant 

 in wet areas, the kolingi or wild indigo {Tephrosia purpurea) is held 

 in high esteem in South India. Seeds are regularly collected and even 

 sold by the Department. The growing pods of this bush are attacked 

 by a small beetle borer — an Anthribid, probably a species of Arcecerus 

 — which eats away the seeds and makes the pod empty. The pupa is 

 also found inside the attacked pod. The insect is found in Tinnevelly, 

 Tanjore and South Arcot districts. The adult beetle is very small in 

 si^e, 2-5 mm. long, pale greyish in colour and is almost similar in 

 appearance to the kolingi seed. It is a very active creature. 



Longitarsus nigripennis, Motsch. The gi'ub of this small flea-beetle 

 ■contributes a share to what is called the Pollu disease of pepper in North 

 Malabar. The adult beetle is a very active small creature with the head 

 and thorax ochraceous and the elytra bluish-black ; the hind femora are 

 extraordinarily thick. Eggs are thrust singly just under the rind of the 

 growing pepper-berry ; the small cream-white grub feeds on the inner 

 contents of the berry and makes it hollow — this hollowing of the pepper- 

 berry, to whatever cause it is due, being called the Pollu disease of 

 pepper. The mature grub drops down into the soil and pupates under- 

 groimd enclosed in an earthen cell. I am readuig a separate paper on 

 this insect [See page 925]. 



There are also other species of flea-beetles which are often noted as 

 sporadic local pests causing a certain amount of damage to crops in certain 

 seasons. Of these the following are the chief : — 



= c The Bael flea-beetle. This dark shining beetle has been noted in 

 Coimbatore and Kollegal doing damage to the foUage of bael, Mgle 

 marmelos. They feed together in numbers and cause considerable 



