THE IMBRICATED SNOUT-BEETLE. 63 



DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES; DISTRIBUTION. 



The imbricated snout-beetle, as its name indicates to the student of 

 entomology, is a member of the superfamily Bhynchophora, the weevils 

 or snout-beetles, and of the family Otiorhynchidse, or short-snouted 

 weevils. 



The beetle. — The beetle was first described by Thomas Say in the year 

 1824 ( Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. m, p. 317), from Arkansas, as 

 Liparus imbricatus. It is one of our largest weevils, measuring from 

 about three-eighths to nearly half an inch in length, and is of the gen- 

 eral appearance indicated in the figure at a and b. The body is covered 

 with minute imbricated scales (whence the insect's name), the lighter 

 portions appearing as brownish gray, the darker as light brown, the 

 latter arranged on the elytra in bands, as shown. The head is pro- 

 longed into a rather short, broad snout, with elbowed antennae, and the 

 elytra into a point, as shown at b. 



Distribution. — This is a widely distributed species, occurring in most 

 of the States, except the more northern ones, east of the Eocky Moun- 

 tain range. In the Boreal zone it does not appear to be represented, 

 and in the transition rarely, if it occurs there at all. 



The following list of localities is taken from divisional and published 

 records, from material in the National Museum (which includes the 

 Hubbard and Schwarz collection) and in the writer's collections: New 

 York City (vicinity); Camden and elsewhere in New Jersey; Newark, 

 Smyrna, Felton, Del. ; District of Columbia; Baltimore, Locust Grove, 

 Md.; Strasburg, Oaktown, Herndon, Eosslyn, Falls Church, Va.; 

 Madisonville, Stillwater, Tenn. ; Horse Cave, Ky.; Garfield and else- 

 where in Arkansas; Agricultural College, Mich.; Cramer, 111.; Iowa; 

 Louisiana; Sedalia, Hallsville, and elsewhere in Missouri; Tonganoxie, 

 Clay County, Kans.; Stillwater, Okla.; Catoosa County, Ga.; Cypress 

 Mills, Columbus, New Braunfels, San Diego, and elsewhere in Texas; 

 New Mexico; Colorado; Wasatch, Utah. 



The egg. — Elongate, more than three times as long as wide, somewhat 

 variable in outline owing to close deposition, subcylindrical, sometimes 

 slightly curved on one side, broadly rounded at each end; surface 

 smooth, shining, with no apparant sculpture; color light dull yellow, 

 becoming sub translucent, first at base and afterwards at apex; con- 

 sistency rather firm, being readily detached from the surfaces of deposit. 

 Length: 1.50 to 1.60 mm ; width 0.48 lum . 



The egg is figured in outline at e of the accompanying illustration,/ 

 showing an egg mass. 



The newly hatched larva. — The young larva when first hatched is 

 uniform whitish yellow and no ocelli are visible, but the color deepens 

 in a day or two, the head becomes honey yellow, the thoracic shield 

 becomes evident and a pair of ocelli placed as shown in the illustration 

 (c and d) may be plainly seen on each side. The mouth-parts also 

 become darker ? the tips of the large, prominent mandibles showing 



