﻿26 
  

  

  ROBERT 
  VEITCH. 
  

  

  marks 
  on 
  the 
  elytra, 
  the 
  thorax 
  and 
  elsewhere. 
  Other 
  less 
  easily 
  observed 
  

   differences 
  exist, 
  but 
  the 
  above 
  are 
  quite 
  sufficient 
  to 
  separate 
  the 
  various 
  stages. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  never 
  observed 
  this 
  species 
  attacking 
  perfectly 
  sound 
  cane, 
  

   and 
  his 
  experience 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  generally 
  breeds 
  in 
  rotten 
  fallen 
  cane, 
  and 
  less 
  frequentfy 
  

   in 
  sickly 
  standing 
  stalks. 
  Were 
  it 
  to 
  turn 
  its 
  attention 
  to 
  sound 
  cane 
  it 
  would 
  un- 
  

   doubtedly 
  become 
  a 
  serious 
  pest, 
  as 
  its 
  rate 
  of 
  multiplication 
  is 
  very 
  great 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  

  

  Fig. 
  2. 
  Trochorrhopalus 
  

   strangulatus, 
  Gyl., 
  + 
  5. 
  

  

  present 
  its 
  importance 
  is 
  very 
  slight. 
  The 
  control 
  measures 
  recommended 
  for 
  the 
  

   larger 
  cane 
  beetle 
  would 
  also 
  be 
  effective 
  with 
  this 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  White 
  Grub 
  of 
  Sandy 
  Soils 
  (Rhopaea 
  vestita, 
  Arrow) 
  (fig. 
  4). 
  

  

  White 
  grubs 
  frequently 
  occur 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  in 
  certain 
  types 
  of 
  soil, 
  and 
  are 
  

   often 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  very 
  severe 
  damage, 
  so 
  serious 
  in 
  fact 
  that 
  several 
  tracts 
  of 
  coastal 
  

   land 
  have 
  been 
  thrown 
  out 
  of 
  cultivation 
  because 
  of 
  bad 
  infestation. 
  Two 
  species 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  attacking 
  cane 
  on 
  an 
  extensive 
  scale, 
  — 
  and 
  being 
  new 
  to 
  science, 
  

   they 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Gilbert 
  J. 
  Arrow 
  (Ann. 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  (8) 
  xvi, 
  p. 
  319) 
  

   under 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  Rhopaea 
  vestita 
  and 
  Rhopaea 
  subnitida 
  ; 
  both 
  species 
  are 
  natives 
  

   of 
  Fiji. 
  

  

  The 
  local 
  distribution 
  of 
  these 
  grubs 
  is 
  very 
  interesting, 
  for 
  on 
  no 
  occasion 
  has 
  

   the 
  writer 
  found 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  together 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  type 
  of 
  soil. 
  R. 
  vestita 
  has 
  

   always 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  sandy 
  fields 
  situated 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  coast, 
  while 
  R. 
  subnitida 
  

   occurs 
  in 
  rich 
  alluvial 
  lands 
  and 
  in 
  red 
  hill 
  soils, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  sandy 
  lands. 
  Although 
  

   the 
  latter 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  alluvial 
  soils, 
  it 
  is 
  never 
  present 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  

   and 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  observed 
  doing 
  appreciable 
  damage 
  ; 
  for 
  although 
  it 
  undoubtedly 
  

   attacks 
  the 
  cane, 
  its 
  numbers 
  in 
  such 
  soils 
  are 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  apparent 
  

   effect 
  on 
  the 
  crop. 
  On 
  several 
  occasions, 
  however, 
  this 
  same 
  species 
  has 
  caused 
  

   considerable 
  damage 
  on 
  red 
  hill 
  soils. 
  R. 
  vestita 
  is 
  responsible 
  for 
  extensive 
  injury 
  

   year 
  after 
  year 
  on 
  sandy 
  soils, 
  and 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  more 
  destructive 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  life- 
  history 
  of 
  R. 
  vestita 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  extensively 
  studied 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  

   R. 
  subnitida, 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  features 
  of 
  it 
  are 
  outlined 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  paragraphs. 
  

  

  