NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF RELATED WEEVILS. 41 



The following notes bear upon the biology of certain of the Texas 

 weevils. The determinations are b}^ Messrs. E. A. Schwarz, W. H. 

 Ashmead, D. W. Coquillett, August Busck, and W. E. Hinds, in those 

 groups respectively in which the}^ are specialists. 



ANTHONOMUS DISJUNCTTJS Lee. 



This species was found breeding in large numbers on Heterotheca 

 mtbaxillaris at Jacksonville, Tex., by Mr. C. R. Jones and the writer. 

 It oviposits in the bud at the base thru the involucre. The presence 

 of the weevil is indicated b}^ the blackening of the two or three involu- 

 €ral bracts which were punctured. The larva feeds among the seed 

 in the seed-head, and forms a compact cell of its exuviae. Here it 

 pupates and the adult emerges from the dried head. 



PARASITES. 



Three pteromalids were bred from a few buds brought in to the 

 laborator3^ 



ANTHONOMUS FULVUS Lee. 



Mr. W. W, Yothers has carried out an extensive series of notes on 

 the biology" of AntJionomxis fulvus incident to his finding the host 

 plant of this species. On June 9 th^ first weevils were taken, and 

 found to be ver}^ abundant on the flowers of the purple mallow, 

 ■Callirrhoe involucrata. This was, then, the weevil that had been 

 nought so long — a native insect infesting a close relative of the cotton, 

 and with life histor}^ parallel in all details to that of the boll weevil. 

 The questions at once arose as to whether the new weevil was held in 

 check b}^ parasites which might be transferred to the boll weevil, 

 whether it had more than one host plant, whether it would feed on 

 •cotton, and whether the boll weevil would feed on the mallow. 



The work of the season of 1905 answered some of these questions, 

 but not the one of primary interest. Onl}^ one parasite was bred, 

 viz, Bracon m.ellito')\ already known as a primary parasite of Afithono- 

 mus grandis. If this parasite was not originally parasitic on A. grandis 

 and was so on A. fulvus we ma}" reasonabl}^ expect that any other 

 primar}^ parasite of the latter ma}" be induced to transfer its energies 

 against the former. 



The host plant, Callirrhoe involucrata^ is largely distributed over the 

 Mississippi River basin, and its guest, Anthonoinus fulvus^ is known 

 by previous record to occur in Kansas and by observations of this 

 laboratory to breed at Ardmore, Ind. T. (C. R. Jones, collector), and 

 Dallas and Victoria, Tex. Thus it is highW probable tliat the weevil's 

 range is at least coextensive with the range of this host plant. 



The plant is a spring bloomer, thriving in May and June in Texas 

 and graduall}^ later toward the north. According to the laboratory 



