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  WALTER 
  W. 
  FROGGATT 
  — 
  AUSTRALASIAN 
  HISPIDAE 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  upon 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  palm 
  frond, 
  covering 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  mound 
  of 
  che 
  wed- 
  

   up 
  fibre. 
  Under 
  this 
  protection 
  the 
  larvae 
  hatch 
  out 
  and 
  gnaw 
  their 
  way 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  leaf, 
  feeding 
  as 
  they 
  go, 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  excavated 
  a 
  regular 
  

   gallery, 
  forming 
  a 
  brown 
  blister 
  up 
  to 
  six 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  width. 
  

   When 
  fully 
  fed 
  the 
  larvae 
  pupate 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  excavation. 
  The 
  elongated 
  blisters 
  

   in 
  the 
  fronds 
  shrivel 
  up 
  and, 
  when 
  numerous, 
  the 
  whole 
  frond 
  is 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  

   beetles, 
  however, 
  do 
  more 
  damage 
  than 
  the 
  larvae, 
  because 
  while 
  swarming 
  over 
  the 
  

   under 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  and 
  also 
  while 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs, 
  they 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  fronds, 
  

   gnawing 
  long 
  parallel 
  furrows 
  down 
  the 
  centre. 
  Besides 
  the 
  damage 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  

   beetles 
  and 
  their 
  larvae, 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  damaged 
  fronds 
  becomes 
  a 
  centre 
  of 
  infection 
  

   for 
  the 
  fungus 
  diseases 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  prevalent 
  in 
  the 
  tropics. 
  Each 
  frond 
  dies 
  back 
  

   to 
  the 
  mid-rib 
  or 
  main 
  stalk, 
  which 
  turns 
  brown 
  and 
  decays 
  down 
  to 
  its 
  junction 
  

   with 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  palm. 
  Behind 
  the 
  basal 
  fronds 
  are 
  produced 
  the 
  flower 
  spathes, 
  

   afterwards 
  replaced 
  by 
  the 
  bunches 
  of 
  coconuts, 
  and 
  when 
  these 
  fronds 
  fall 
  from 
  the 
  

   trunk, 
  the 
  coconuts 
  as 
  they 
  increase 
  in 
  size 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  sustain 
  their 
  own 
  weight, 
  

   and 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  torn 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  attachment 
  to 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  palm, 
  and 
  fall 
  

   to 
  the 
  ground 
  while 
  still 
  immature 
  and 
  of 
  no 
  commercial 
  value. 
  

  

  Therefore, 
  after 
  the 
  beetle 
  infestation, 
  the 
  crop 
  is 
  very 
  poor, 
  unless 
  the 
  coconuts 
  

   happen 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  well 
  matured 
  before 
  the 
  beetles 
  attacked 
  the 
  foliage. 
  In 
  the 
  

   season 
  following 
  an 
  attack 
  by 
  Hispids 
  the 
  coconut 
  palms, 
  denuded 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  lower 
  

   leaves, 
  have 
  to 
  grow 
  a 
  fresh 
  crop 
  of 
  foliage 
  before 
  they 
  can 
  put 
  forth 
  fresh 
  flower 
  

   spathes 
  ; 
  the 
  annual 
  output 
  is 
  thus 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year, 
  and 
  often 
  it 
  

   is 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  season 
  that 
  the 
  coconut 
  palms 
  have 
  absolutely 
  regained 
  

   their 
  former 
  vigour. 
  It 
  is 
  frequently 
  stated 
  by 
  the 
  planters 
  that 
  the 
  palms 
  are 
  killed 
  

   outright 
  by 
  these 
  beetles. 
  But 
  the 
  coconut 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  hardy 
  tree, 
  and 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  

   terminal 
  leaf 
  -buds 
  are 
  uninjured 
  they 
  will 
  put 
  forth 
  fresh 
  leaves 
  and 
  recover 
  sooner 
  

   or 
  later 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  beetles, 
  unless 
  these 
  are 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  continuous 
  

   drought 
  or 
  other 
  abnormal 
  conditions, 
  when 
  the 
  enfeebled 
  palms 
  cannot 
  withstand 
  

   the 
  additional 
  strain. 
  

  

  The 
  Fiji 
  Coconut 
  Hispid 
  (Promecotheca 
  coeruleipennis, 
  Blanchard). 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  of 
  destructive 
  beetles, 
  and 
  was 
  described 
  from 
  Fiji 
  

   by 
  Blanchard 
  from 
  specimens 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  voyage 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Astrolabe," 
  

   which 
  was 
  sent 
  out 
  by 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  King 
  of 
  France 
  on 
  a 
  scientific 
  expedition 
  in 
  1837-40. 
  

   The 
  insect 
  is 
  described 
  and 
  figured 
  in 
  the 
  Zoology 
  of 
  the 
  expedition 
  published 
  in 
  

   Paris 
  in 
  1853. 
  From 
  Blanchard's 
  figure 
  and 
  description 
  this 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   common 
  leaf 
  Hispid 
  of 
  the 
  coconut 
  in 
  Fiji, 
  although 
  in 
  Jepson's 
  report 
  it 
  is 
  identified 
  

   as 
  Promecotheca 
  reichii, 
  a 
  species 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  Gestro, 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  

   P. 
  coeruleipennis. 
  

  

  Jepson 
  has 
  described 
  and 
  figured 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  and 
  states 
  that 
  it 
  

   has 
  only 
  been 
  found 
  upon 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  islands. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  a 
  local 
  pest, 
  and 
  is 
  

   not, 
  like 
  the 
  New 
  Hebrides 
  species, 
  spread 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  group, 
  though 
  its 
  life-history 
  

   and 
  habits 
  are 
  identical. 
  It 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  March 
  and 
  April, 
  but 
  is 
  heavily 
  parasitised 
  

   in 
  the 
  egg, 
  larval 
  and 
  pupal 
  stages. 
  The 
  parasite, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  different 
  hymenopteron 
  

   from 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  attacking 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  Leaf 
  Hispa 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Hebrides, 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  useful 
  check 
  upon 
  its 
  increase 
  in 
  Fiji. 
  

  

  