branches during the fall or winter is an effective method of con- 
trol, provided the trees to be protected are located at some dis- 
tance from heavily infested stands. 
Oncideres cingulata texanus Horn and O. pustulatus LeC. are 
common in parts of eastern or southwestern United States. The 
former is a pest of pecan in the South; the latter attacks hui- 
sache, acacia, and mesquite in the Rio Grande River Valley and 
other parts of the Southwest. 
EHburia quadrigeminata (Say), the ivory-marked beetle, occurs 
in both eastern and western United States and breeds in the dry 
heartwood of various hardwoods. In the East, oak, hickory, ash, 
maple, honey locust, elm, chestnut, and cypress are attacked. 
Adults are light brown, with pairs of ivory spots at the base and 
middle of each elytron, and are about 24 mm. long. The larvae are 
wedge shaped, have tough, shiny skins, and are sparsely clothed 
with golden hairs. Mature oaks having “cat faces” or scars 
through which the larvae can gain access to the heartwood are 
often badly damaged. Seasoning lumber is also subject to occa- 
sional attack. The normal life cycle appears to be 2 years, but it 
may be considerably longer. There are records of adults emerg- 
ing from flooring, door sills, and furniture 15 years after it was 
placed in use. 
The twig pruner, H'laphidionoides villosus (F.) occurs through- 
out eastern United States. It breeds in the twigs and branches of 
living hardwoods such as the oaks, hickory, maple, locust, hack- 
berry, walnut, elm, sweetgum, and pecan.Adults are slender, elon- 
gate, light brown and about 23 mm. long. The dorsal surface is 
clothed with irregular patches of fine gray hairs. There are 
spines on the first few joints of the antennae and the tips of the 
elytra are notched and bi-spinose. 
Eggs are deposited in slits in the bark at leaf axils near the 
tips of twigs and small branches in late spring. Young larvae feed 
beneath the bark, often consuming much of the wood toward the 
base of the twig. Older larvae bore down the center of the stem 
toward the base until late in the summer. Then they sever the 
branch by making several concentric circular cuts from the center 
outward to, but not including, the thin bark (fig. 63). These 
branches, from 14-inch to 2 inches in diameter, break and fall to 
the ground with the larvae in them. The ground under heavily 
infested trees may be literally covered with these fallen twigs 
and branches. The larva returns up through the fallen branch and 
forms a cell between wads of fibrous frass where it pupates in 
the spring, or in the fall. There appears to be one generation per 
year. Heavily infested trees may be seriously damaged but are 
seldom killed. Shade and park trees may be so severely pruned 
they lose much of their esthetic value. The presence of numerous 
dead twigs and branches hanging in the crown also detracts from 
their appearance. The collection and burning of infested twigs 
and branches in the spring before the adults emerge should be 
helpful in control. 
Elaphidion mucronatum (Say), the spined bark borer, also breeds 
in the dead branches of various hardwoods in eastern United 
States. Adults are dark brown, irregularly clothed with fine 
brown hair and are about 19 mm. long. Eggs are deposited be- 
192 
