356 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Oct., '07 



Contributions to the knowledge of Rhynchophora.* 

 By W. Dwight Pierce, U. S. Bureau of Entomology. 



(Paper No. 1, Part I.) 



Considerable work has been done during the past year by 

 the members of the Cotton Boll Weevil Investigation commis- 

 sion upon the biology of weevils and their parasites. The pur- 

 pose in view has been to throw side lights upon the biology of 

 Anthonomu grandis, and also to obtain parasites which might 

 be propagated upon the weevil. The result has been very 

 favorable, as is shown in a bulletin of the Bureau of Entomo- 

 logy J us t prepared for publication by the writer. The miscel- 

 laneous notes obtained, which are foreign to the subject matter 

 of that bulletin are embodied in the present paper. 



It may be asserted with propriety that considerable light 

 will be thrown upon the systematic relationships of insects by 

 breeding work. In a group of weevils such as the Barini, 

 where the species are very close, a study of the breeding hab- 

 its and of the characters displayed by the immature stages is 

 necessary in order to obtain the correct definition of closely 

 related species. 



CLEONINI. 



LIXUS Fabr. 

 1. Lixus musculus Say. 



A few notes were obtained on this species in addition to 

 those published in Bull. 63 of the Bureau of Entomology. 



A few galls of this weevil were found October 2 and 20, 

 1906, at Dallas, Texas. Four galls were found, all parasitized. 



Parasites. 

 Glyptomorpha rugator Say (det. by Dr. W. H. Ashmead). 

 This Braconid evidently is in the habit of hibernating in its 

 cocoon as a pupa. From cocoons isolated in cell, September 

 28, 1905, parasites were bred as follows : April 21st, two 

 males ; April 25th, one female ; April 30th, one female ; May 

 3rd, two females ; May 8th, one female ; May 24th, one 

 female; June 12th, one female. The material was collected 

 at Clarendon, Texas. 



* This paper deals with the incidental work of the Bureau of Entomology, through its 

 Dallas, Texas, laboratory. 



