86 



THE COCO-NUT 



CHAP. 



attacked. Full-grown trees are not touched." " The 

 remedies employed have been preventive, and consist 

 in tarring wounds. ... As long as the bud is not 

 damaged, the larvae are cutAand the wound dressed 

 with tar." OL ' r • 



R. phoenicis is also a less-known pest because it is 

 prevalent in countries where a great coco-nut industry 

 has not yet been developed. 



Minor Beetle Pests, Weevils. — Beside Rhyncho- 

 phorus, of which more than one species is found, Banks 

 has encountered three other weevils in Philippine coco- 

 nut trunks. One of these, Cyrtotrachelus, is a common 

 enemy of the betel-nut palm, but sometimes attacks 

 sound, or at any rate apparently healthy, coco-nuts. 

 The trees found attacked have usually been those about 

 to come into bearing. This weevil is much smaller 

 than Rhynchophorus, the larva being 20 millimetres, 

 the pupa 13 millimetres, and the cocoon about 35 milli- 

 metres, and the adult 17 millimetres in length, snout 

 included. The same measures to be taken in guarding 

 against the two chief beetle pests will probably provide 

 immunity against this one. 



The shot-hole coco-nut weevil is about the same size 

 as the preceding, but does not form a cocoon. It is 

 able to penetrate old hard wood, and is not uncommon, 

 locally, in it. It is found in living trees, but rarely, if 

 ever, in sound ones or sound parts of trees, and there- 

 fore seems unlikely to do direct injury. The third of 

 these insects, called by Banks the four-spotted coco-nut 

 weevil, is decidedly smaller, the body of the adult being 

 only 5 millimetres long. This also is found only in 

 dead parts of the tree, where other enemies have gone 

 before ; it probably never does direct damage. 



Sphenophorus obscurus, Boisd., is a weevil nearly 

 related to Rhynchophorus, which is found in Polynesia, 

 reaching as far north as Hawaii, and west to New 

 Guinea. It is better known as a pest of sugar-cane, 

 and is accordingly known as the " sugar-cane weevil." 

 The insect is about 2 centimetres in length, with black 



