98 Zoologica: N. Y. Zoological Society [HI; 3 



ambrosia beetles, because like the Attiine ants of the Neotropical 

 Region and many Old World termites they cultivate fungi as 

 food for themselves and their larvae. The remarkable social 

 organization and the food-fungi of these beetles have been stud- 

 ied by Eichhoff (1881), Hubbard (1897a, 1897b), Hopkins 

 (1898), Neger (1908a, 1908b, 1909, 1911), Schneider-Orelli 

 (1911a, 1911b, 1912, 1913) and others, Hubbard's account of 

 the habits of Platypus compositus of our Southern States is so 

 interesting that I quote it at length : 



"These social instincts reach their highest development, ap- 

 parently in the genus Platypus. The species of this genus are 

 readily known by their very long cylindrical bodies, their promin- 

 ent head, flattened in front, the flattened and spur-tipped joint of 

 the front legs, and in the males the spine-like projections of the 

 wing cases behind. They are powerful excavators, generally 

 selecting the trunks of large trees and driving their galleries 

 deep into the heartwood. The female is frequently accompanied 

 by several males, and as they are savage fighters fierce sexual 

 contests take place, as a result of which the galleries are often 

 strewn with the fragments of the vanquished. The projecting 

 spines at the end of the wing cases are very eff'ective weapons in 

 these fights. With their aid a beetle attacked in the rear can 

 make a good defence and frequently by a lucky stroke is able to 

 dislocate the outstretched neck of his enemy. The females pro- 

 duce from one hundred to two hundred elongate-oval pearly 

 white eggs, which they deposit in clusters of ten or twelve in the 

 galleries. The young require five or six weeks for their develop- 

 ment. They wander freely about in the passages and feed 

 in company upon the ambrosia which grows here and there upon 

 the walls. The chitinous ridges upon the thoracic segments, to- 

 gether with the row of tubercles upon the other segments, enable 

 the larva to move as rapidly through the galleries as if it were 

 possessed of well-formed legs. The mouthparts of the larva are 

 also provided with strong cutting mandibles, but the inner jaws 

 are not adapted to masticating hard food, such as particles of 

 wood. The older larvae assist in excavating the galleries, but they 

 do not eat or swallow the wood. The larvae of all ages are sur- 

 prisingly alert, active and intelligent. They exhibit curiosity 

 equally with the adults, and show evident regard for the eggs 



