THE TOBACCO BEETLE. 



29 



Fig. 10. — Eggs (enlarged) of the larger tobacco beetle (Catorama tabaci) on leaf tobacco. 



Silvanus surinamensis Linnaeus and Cathartus ad vena Waltl are 

 occasionally extremely abundant in tobacco warehouses, and the 

 first-named species has been found to feed to a slight extent on to- 

 bacco and tobacco seed. The pupa of S. surinamensis is shown in 

 Plate II, figure 4. 



Jones (77) states that in the Philippines a species of Bostrychidae 

 and the shot-hole- borer of bamboo (Dinodems brevis Horn) are 

 abundant and often are mistaken for the tobacco beetle. Like other 



insects often found in tobacco, their 

 occurrence, however, is purely ac- 

 cidental. Three other species of 

 beetles have been recorded (43) as 

 injuring cured and manufactured to- 

 bacco. These are the drugstore 

 beetle {Sitodrepa panicea Linnaeus) , 

 the rice weevil (Calandra oryza Lin- 

 naeus), and the leather beetle (Dermestes vulpinus Fabricius). The 

 first of these insects is similar in general appearance to the tobacco 

 beetle and might be mistaken for it, but the form of antenna (fig. 11) 

 serves to distinguish it from the tobacco beetle (fig. 7). 



Fig. 11. — The drug-store beetle (Sito 

 drepa panicea) : Antenna of adult 

 Greatly enlarged. 



