749470 



A REVISION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF 

 BEETLES BELONGING TO THE FAMILY BOSTRICHIDAE 



By W. S. Fisheb, entomologist. Division of Insect Identification. Bureau of Entomol- 

 ogy and Plant Quarantine. Agricultural Research Administration 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 1 



Key to the subfamilies and tribes 



of Bostrichidae 2 



Subfamily Dysidinae 3 



Subfamily Psoinae 5 



Tribe Polycaonini 5 



Tribe Psoini 15 



Subfamily Endecatominae 19 



Subfamily Dinoderinae 23 



Page 



Subfamily Bostrichinae 51 



Tribe Dinapatini 51 



Tribe Bostrichini 52 



Tribe Xylopert hiiii 101 



Addenda 143 



Index to species 145 



Index to host plants and com- 

 mercial products 153 



INTRODUCTION 



This publication summarizes the results of several years' study of 

 the beetles of the family Bostrichidae and treats all the species of the 

 family known to occur in America north of Mexico and including 

 Lower California. In addition, a number of exotic species, int jrcepted 

 from time to time in imports from foreign countries, are included in 

 anticipation of the necessity of correctly identifying such material. 

 In all, o'A genera and i>:2 species are considered. So far as is known. 

 29 of these species have not become established in the United States. 

 Eight species are described as new. 



From a utilitarian point of view the family Bostrichidae is one of 

 the most destructive families of the Coleoptera. A number of the 

 species cause considerable damage to stored vegetable products, such 

 as dried roots and all kinds of grain. Members of the family are espe- 

 cially destructive in the Tropics, where they cause great damage to 

 felled timber and bamboo, particularly in regions where bamboo is 

 widely used in construction of buildings and furniture. It has been 

 commonly supposed that bostrichids were simply wood borer- and did 

 no damage to living trees. Recently, however, it has been established 

 that many species will attack and oviposit in weakened standing green 

 trees. Some species have the damaging habit of tunneling into the 

 green shoots of plants, either for food or for hibernation. The pro- 

 pensity for members of this family to burrow in wood products, such 

 as packing ca-es and articles made of bamboo, has resulted in their 

 being widely distributed through commerce. 



This study, which has been made almost entirely from material in 

 the United States National Museum, was undertaken because of the 



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