SOME INJURIOUS INDIAN WEEVILS (CURCULIONIDAE) — II. 369 



lamina dorsally which is broadly simiate in the middle, the base deeply bisinuate ; 

 the upper surface moderately convex and with coarse reticulate punctation throughout, 

 a small tubercle on each side a little behind the middle, and a basal impression in front 

 of the scutellum. Elytra scarcely as long as their greatest width, broadest at the 

 shoulders, which are rounded, and gradually narrowed behind, the sides being almost 

 straight ; upper surface with a flattened triangular area in the basal half, the posterior 

 declivity sloping gradually and without any prominent tubercles, a deep impression 

 round the scutellum, the striae rather shallow and not very conspicuous through the 

 scaling, omng to each containing a row of recumbent setae, the intervals broad, very 

 rugosely sculptured in the flattened area and rather less so elsewhere. Legs fairly 

 densely clothed with narrow elongate whitish scales. 



Length, 2 J mm. ; width, 1| mm. 



Bengal : Pusa. 



Recorded as injuring purslane {Portulaca oleracea), which is cultivated as a 

 vegetable. The larvae mine the leaves of the plant. 



Only two species of Ceuthorrhynchus have been previously described from India, 

 €. asperulus, Fst. (D. E. Z., 1898, p. 323) and C. sexnotatus, Schultze (D. E. Z., 1899, 

 p. 190). The former may be distinguished by the following characters, inter alia : 

 the sides of the prothorax are parallel in the basal half and the apical margin is not 

 sinuate dorsally, the entire upper surface bears only setae without any scales, and the 

 intervals of the elytra are set with small acute tubercles. C sexnotatus has a much 

 longer and more slender rostrum, which is tricarinate in the basal portion ; the 

 terminal joints of the funicle are double as long as broad, and the apical margin of 

 the prothorax is not elevated ; it is a much larger insect (4|-5 mm.) and differs in 

 colouring. A much nearer ally is the European C. cognatus, Schultze, which is very 

 similar in general shape and sculpture, but the rostrum is much longer and more 

 slender, the anterior edge of the prothorax is not so elevated nor sinuated, the elytra 

 are much less coarsely sculptured, the legs are much stouter and the femoral tooth 

 is larger. 



Baris portulacae, sp. nov. (fig. 3). 



General colour black, the head, rostrum and legs red-brown ; prothorax rather 

 thinly covered with long truncate yellow-brown scales, all lying transversely, and 

 leaving bare a narrow median line, a basal patch on each side of it, and the anterior 

 angles ; elytra with a transverse basal patch of similar scales extending on each side 

 to the third stria and continued backwards as a narrow sutural stripe to well beyond 

 the middle, where it unites with a transverse band of white scales, which extends on 

 each side as far as the fourth stria ; a small humeral spot of white scales, and a few 

 isolated white scales on intervals 5, 7 and 9 and near the apex ; venter with very 

 minute sparse white scales ; sternum with much larger and closer scales, which are 

 densest on the side-pieces. 



Head bare, finely shagreened, with scattered shallow punctures. Rostrum 

 strongly bent near the base and gently curved beyond, slightly dilated from 

 base to apex, coarsely punctate throughout, each puncture containing a minute 

 white seta, and with two fine longitudinal carinae on each side ; a tuft of a 



