248 THE PEANUT— THE UNPREDICTABLE LEGUME 



principal damage to peanuts by these pests might be spoilage of products 

 intended for the edible trade. 



Other Pests of Stored Peanuts. The Mediterranean flour moth, 

 Ephestia kuehniella Zell. may cause economic damage to peanuts. Larvae 

 of this species were considered by Popenoe (121) as sixth in importance 

 among stored peanut insects. However, the writer has found no ad- 

 ditional references to this insect infesting peanuts, although it is 

 distributed over many parts of the world. 



Bruchids attack peanuts in storage, mostly in foreign countries. 

 Bruchus chinensis L. attacks peanuts in Java ( 129) . Pachymerus acaciae 

 Gyll. is reported (40) as infesting peanuts and as having spread from 

 Asia to Greece, Italy and the north and west Coasts of Africa. This 

 species is recorded as attacking stored peanuts in Senegal (26) with 

 59,000 tons of peanuts being destroyed by it ( 145) . Howard (79) referred 

 in a general way to fumigation as a means of protecting peanuts against 

 pea and bean weevils. However, this is the only reference found indicating 

 bruchid injury to peanuts in the United States and it is concluded that 

 such damage is not common. 



The flat grain beetle, Laemophloeus minutus (Oliv.), a sap beetle, 

 Carpophilus sp., the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F) and 

 numerous psosids were found (17) in stored peanuts in Georgia and 

 were suspected of being injurious. Other reports include a sap beetle, 

 Carpophilus sp., in peanuts in Australia (83) ; a relative of cigarette 

 beetle, Lasioderma testaceum in peanut cake in Pusa; sap beetles, C. 

 ligneus Murr., C. hemipterus L., and C. decipens, attacking peanuts in 

 Europe (172) and C. obsoletus in Japan (75). All of these insects are 

 cosmopolitan in distribution. With the exception of the cigarette beetle, 

 they are probably incapable of damaging sound peanut kernels but may 

 thrive in peanuts already damaged by other insects or in certain products 

 derived from peanuts. 



Five hundred tons of peanuts, imported into California from China, 

 were reported as destroyed by Aphomia gularis Zell. of the family 

 Galleridae (43). This species closely resembles Mediterranean flour 

 moth. 



Additional reports of infestation in peanuts include the following: 

 Tobacco (currant) moth, Ephestia elutella (Hbn.), injuring peanuts in 

 Zomba (99), infesting peanut cake in Senegal (84) and in France 

 (85), and infesting peanuts imported into California from China (44) ; 

 Sitophilus oryza (L.) in shelled peanuts in Fiji (90) and in Georgia 

 (17); Alphitobius diaperinus (Panz.), A. piceus 01., and Corcyra 



