28 Indian Museum Notes, [Vol. IV. 



the Indian Museum compound. From a batch of pupae a consider- 

 able number of specimens of the beetle were reared in the Entomo- 

 logy room, but the insect proving to be new to the Museum collec- 

 tion, specimens were submitted to Mr. L. O. Howard, United States 

 Entomologist, who writes— 



" It is interesting to find that this Coccinellid is not distantly related to the 

 well-known Vedalia cardinalis, Mulsant, which Mr. Albert Kcebeleof this Depart- 

 ment brought from Australia some years ago, and which destroyed Icerya purchasi 

 on our western coast. It is Mulsant's Radolia rosepennis, which according to 

 Crotch's revision of the Coleopterous family Coccinellidse, is a colour variety of R 

 fumida, Muls. Accepting the nomenclature given by Crotch, the name of the in- 

 sect is therefore Vedalia fumida, var. roseipennis, Muls. This is the dictum of my 

 assistant, Mr. E. A. Schwarz, who is a most competent student of the Coleoptera" 



In June 1894 specimens of a caterpillar found destructive to young 

 Cerambycid larvse de- seedlings of Robinia and Albizzia were for- 

 structive to Robinia and j j u i.i, r\' i. r ^i t • i r- 



Aibissia. warded by the Director of the Imperial Forest 



School, Dehra Dun, from the Divisional Forest Officer, Chenab, with 

 the information that the caterpillar is said to live about nine inches 

 below the ground, and cutting through the tap root of both species, 

 feeds upon the pulpy portion of it. 



The specimens proved to be the larvpp of a Cerambycid beetle, 

 the material being insufficient for precise identification. 



The following are some further observations which have been 



^, ^ . furnished by Mr. J. Cleghorn on the life- 



Cheroot borer. / "' ., , . , 



history or the cheroot weevil, Lasioderma 



testaceum, Duft. This insect has been referred to in several places 



in the pages of these Notes. 



" 5th February 1894. — Full-fed grub commenced cell for laying up. 



1 7th „ „ Formed into chrysalis. 



22nd „ „ Commenced changing. 



24th „ „ Completed change into perfect insect. 



27th „ „ Made opening for leaving cell. 



28th „ „ Left cell. 



4th April „ Died. 



"In some cases I have had the weevil live for over two months. 



" The grubs are most eiratic in their development ; changes in temperature 

 will cause them to lay up or hybernate. I have made grubs lay up for eight 

 days by the application of heat, but this interferes with their progress and devel- 

 opment, after recovery, for an indefinite period. I can speak for delaying a 

 full-fed grub turning into a chrysalis for 2\ months, the grub feeding- and amua^ 

 ing itself as if there was nothing the matter. 



