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  in 
  Hungary, 
  thence 
  spreading 
  to 
  Austria, 
  Moravia 
  and 
  south-eastern 
  

   Germany. 
  The 
  author 
  gives 
  a 
  hst 
  of 
  25 
  species 
  of 
  Curculionidae 
  

   which 
  he 
  has 
  observed 
  from 
  1903 
  to 
  1905 
  in 
  beet 
  plantations 
  in 
  Kiev, 
  

   of 
  which 
  14 
  species 
  are 
  recorded 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  from 
  beet 
  (pp. 
  12-14). 
  

   He 
  has 
  not 
  found 
  Leucosomus 
  pedestris, 
  Poda 
  {ophthalmicus, 
  Rossi) 
  

   or 
  Psalidium 
  maxillosum, 
  F., 
  though 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  by 
  

   other 
  authors 
  ; 
  he 
  also 
  gives 
  some 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  some 
  

   of 
  these 
  pests. 
  

  

  B. 
  pundiventris 
  winters 
  in 
  the 
  imago 
  stage, 
  the 
  beetles 
  remaining 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  earth 
  after 
  their 
  emergence 
  from 
  the 
  pupa 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  

   Only 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  percentage 
  (1-4 
  per 
  cent.) 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  pupal 
  

   stage, 
  and 
  a 
  considerable 
  proportion 
  of 
  these 
  perish 
  during 
  the 
  

   winter. 
  In 
  spring 
  the 
  insects 
  appear, 
  and 
  the 
  resulting 
  larvae 
  pupate 
  

   in 
  July, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  normally 
  only 
  one 
  generation 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  Outside 
  beet-plantations 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  Httle 
  food 
  for 
  these 
  insects, 
  

   as 
  their 
  wild 
  food-plants 
  are 
  only 
  Atriplex 
  and 
  Chenopodium 
  ; 
  they 
  

   do 
  not 
  touch, 
  even 
  when 
  starving 
  in 
  captivity, 
  either 
  Artemisia, 
  

   Plantago, 
  vetches, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  papilionaceous 
  plant 
  ; 
  the 
  damage 
  

   done 
  by 
  them 
  to 
  beet 
  is 
  therefore 
  the 
  more 
  serious, 
  once 
  they 
  get 
  on 
  to 
  

   a 
  plantation, 
  especially 
  if 
  they 
  arrive 
  there 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  when 
  the 
  

   sprouts 
  just 
  appear. 
  In 
  that 
  case 
  they 
  attack 
  the 
  cotyledons 
  and 
  bite 
  

   through 
  the 
  shoots. 
  When 
  the 
  second 
  pair 
  of 
  leaves 
  appears, 
  the 
  

   sprouts 
  are 
  better 
  able 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  insects, 
  which 
  

   then 
  eat 
  round 
  the 
  leaves, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  gnaw 
  through 
  the 
  whole 
  

   plant. 
  

  

  The 
  female 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  lay 
  1-6 
  eggs 
  daily 
  ; 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   laid 
  by 
  3 
  females 
  in 
  captivity 
  was 
  82, 
  84 
  and 
  110 
  respectively. 
  The 
  

   insects 
  apparently 
  prefer 
  friable 
  surfaces 
  for 
  oviposition. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  

   duration 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  insects, 
  specimens 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  which 
  

   live 
  three 
  months 
  and 
  more, 
  the 
  male 
  usually 
  living 
  the 
  longer 
  ; 
  one 
  

   male 
  was 
  kept 
  alive 
  for 
  6 
  months. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  further 
  describes 
  very 
  fully 
  the 
  egg, 
  the 
  larva, 
  its 
  moult- 
  

   ing 
  stages, 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  moulting, 
  the 
  pronympha 
  and 
  the 
  pupa 
  of 
  

   B. 
  punctiventris. 
  According 
  to 
  his 
  experiments 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  

   the 
  larva 
  inside 
  the 
  egg 
  lasts 
  10-11 
  days, 
  the 
  larval 
  stage 
  occupies 
  

   somewhat 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  months 
  (48, 
  49, 
  51 
  days) 
  the 
  pronymphal 
  

   stage 
  about 
  5 
  days, 
  and 
  the 
  pupal 
  stage 
  about 
  13-16 
  days. 
  The 
  

   larvae 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  roots 
  and 
  the 
  direct 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  them 
  does 
  not 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  great, 
  causing 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  only 
  when 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  drought 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  sugar 
  production 
  

   is 
  considerable. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  goes 
  on 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  conditions 
  favouring 
  and 
  check- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  B. 
  punctiventris. 
  The 
  weather 
  conditions 
  

   influence 
  the 
  oviposition 
  and 
  consequently 
  also 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   laid 
  ; 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  also 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  meteorological 
  

   conditions, 
  as 
  they 
  require 
  a 
  moderate 
  amount 
  of 
  moisture 
  in 
  the 
  

   soil 
  ; 
  abundant 
  moisture 
  provokes 
  various 
  fungus 
  diseases, 
  while 
  

   drought 
  causes 
  the 
  larvae 
  to 
  pass 
  deeper 
  into 
  the 
  earth, 
  where 
  they 
  

   find 
  no 
  food, 
  and 
  dwarfed 
  pupae 
  are 
  produced. 
  Extensive 
  drought 
  

   .also 
  provokes 
  red 
  muscardine 
  (Sorosporella 
  uvella, 
  Krass.). 
  The 
  

   weather 
  conditions 
  influence 
  also 
  the 
  hibernation 
  of 
  the 
  imago, 
  a 
  rainy 
  

   autumn 
  and 
  a 
  winter 
  with 
  httle 
  snow 
  and 
  frequent 
  thaws 
  causing 
  the 
  

   death 
  of 
  many 
  beetles. 
  

  

  