1921] Wheeler: Habits of Cucujidae 175 



always first destroys the germ of the kernel and hence causes 

 considerable injury to seed maize in the Southern States. "It is 

 essentially an out of doors species, but when conditions favor its 

 increase may become a serious pest in granaries, as it is capable 

 of breeding from egg to adult in the short period of three weeks" 

 (Chittenden, 1897, 1911). 



Silvanus unidentatus Fabr. — Europe. Ferris (1853, 1876) 

 states that the larva is common in France under the bark of oak, 

 poplar, chestnut and willow, rarer under pine bark. It is agile 

 and photophobic and lives gregariously with the adult beetles 

 among the detritus left by the larvae of Bostiychus, Cerambycids 

 and Buprestids. In Germany under elm bark (Kaltenbach, 

 1874) ; in Britain under bark of beech, oak, horn-beam, etc. 

 (Fow^ler, 1889), of deciduous trees in general (Reitter, 1911). 



Silvanus fagi Guerin. — Europe. Under beech bark; in 

 England in dead branches of fir (Fowler, 1889) ; in Germany 

 under fir bark and fir-cones (Reitter, 1911). 



Silvanus planatus Germ. — Eastern United States (N. J., 

 Ind., Fla.). Under pine-bark in New Jersey (J. B. Smith, 1909). 



Cathartus advena Waltl. — Cosmopolitan. Lives and breeds 

 in stored wheat, rice, corn in stack, grain, meal, middlings, flour, 

 dates, figs, lichi nuts, table beans, cacao-beans, edible tubers, etc., 

 but apparently only when these substances are not kept dry and 

 clean. "In breeding experiments recently conducted by the writer 

 it failed to develop in fresh grain or meal, but bred freely in 

 corn-meal which was moistened and produced mold. The beetles 

 particularly fed freely on the molds, of which there were three 

 or four species, and it would appear that this is the normal habit 

 of the insect" (Chittenden, 1897) . Pierce (1917) cites C. advena 

 among the insects infesting teak in India, stating that it "breeds 

 in leaves, forming galls, causing leaves to drop" (sic!). Ferris 

 (1876) found the larva in lichi nuts in company with larvse of 

 0. surinamensis. Fowler (1889) states that C. advena is some- 

 times found out-of-doors in England and that Waterhouse took 

 it under cut grass. In New Jersey it is "rare under bark ; more 

 common in stored grain, fruits, nuts, etc., particularly such as are 

 spoiled" (J. B. Smith, 1909) 



