July 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
i^]}EICULTURIST, 
9 
Remedy.— Nothing further can be said than has 
already been mentioned in connection with the or- 
ange beetle. The insect should be collected and 
destroyed whenever seen. As with all others so with 
this species, it may be said, that the sooner the pest 
is attackea the better. It is, however, unfortunate 
that wa have to confess ignorance of the actual life 
history of this beetle. 
4. (C) ASTYOUS LATERALIS, Fabr, 
(Reg. No. 103, tube Xo. 131.) 
HlsTOEY. — Messrs. Balmer Lawhie & Co., on the 
3rd of .Tune 1897, were good enough to forward to me a 
few beetles that had been sent to them from the mana- 
ger of the Hukanpukri Division of the Jokai Com- 
pany's estates. Mr. B. Ramsden in forwarding the 
ppecimens reported that they had been found on 
one-year-old plants. They had come during the 
night in thousands and simply stripped the bushes. 
Fortunately they were easy to catch. My reply iden- 
tified the insect as a species of Astycus. Subsequently, 
however, on re-examining the specimens, I came to 
the conclusion that it might possibly be a species 
already identified by entomologists. I accordingly 
sent the samples to Dr. Anderson, of the Indian 
Museum, and he was good enough to inform me that 
the name of the insect was as above (A latesraUs). 
It is a much smaller beetle than A chrysochlonis^ is of 
a dark brownish black ground colour, with a distinctly 
green metallic tinge. The chief difference to the 
non-nrofessional eye may be said to be that A. 
Chry'sochlorus is about J of an inch in length 
and is of a bright pale green colour, while A. 
lateralis is about half an inch long and of a dull 
metallic green. 
Remedy. — There is nothing further to remark 
on this point than has already been said regard- 
ing A. chrysoclilorus. 
5. (C) ASTYOUS ? sp. nov. 
(Beg. No. 101, tube No. 72.) 
History.— A black beetle with a metallic green tint, 
is not uncommon in Assam as a tea pest. At first I 
cook this to be A. chrysochlonis, but, ©n comparing at 
the Museum my specimens with the beetle from 
Cachar, I agreed with Mr. Barlow that it must be 
regarded as a distinct and possibly an undescribed 
species. In point of size it is intermediate between 
A. lateralis and A. chri/sochlorus, but in colour is more 
like the former than the latter. 
I was shown specimens at Amguri, by Mr. Buck- 
ingham, which he had collected some time prior to 
the date of my visit. The insect had not appeared 
very severe but was known all over the Sibsagar 
District. It came one year, gave considerable cause 
for anxiety, and then disappeared for a number of 
years, perhaps to re-appear when least expected. 
Depredations. — At Dirpai, North Lakhimpnr, on 
the 8th July, I found a colony of this beetle doing 
much damage to some 10 to 12 bushes all near eaoh 
other in one portion of the garden. Tire beetle com- 
mences on the margin of the leaf and eats downwards 
towards the midrib. When about half way down it 
commences on a new place, so that great ugly holes 
are cut out of the leaf. 
Remedy. — Same as for the other beetles dealt with 
under this genus. 
6. (B) XYLEBORUS FORNICATUS, Eichliof. 
Wood-Boring Bkbtlh. 
Reference. — Indian Museum Notes, Vol. IV., p. 57 
Plate v., Fig. 2. 
History. — This curious little beetle has been found 
in Ceylon to riddle the tea stems. Specimens were 
Sent to the Indian Museum on the 20th January, 1897, 
by Mr. E. E. Green, and were forwarded to Mr. W. 
F, H. I5LANDP0RD, wlio identified the pest as the beetle 
above named. 
Depredations.— Mr. G. Alston, Superintendent of 
Craighead, Nawalapitiya, who first drevt' Mr. Gueen's 
attention to this new tea pest, wrote that it appears 
mostly in patches. " Most of the trees show no out- 
i 
ward sign of the pest, except when almost? every 
branch is attacked, when they turn rather yellow and 
stop flushing. Young trees about two years old, before 
they are topped, often snap off at the spot where the 
borers have made holes for their entrance or exit. 
Strong vigorous trees in good soil seem to be very 
little affected by it, and threw out good redwood 
even from badly bored stems. On the other hand, 
poor plants on ridges or poor soil seem to naturally 
feel the effect of it quickly, though in no case have I 
seen a tree killed by it. Isolated branches die off, 
but new branches come out in their place. As a rule, 
you can only tell an attack tree (except in the cise of 
poung plants, when the stems snap offj on pruning it, 
when the heles in the wood are very apparent. It 
rthe beetled does not attack the cut surface after 
pruning, but makes its entrance through the back. In 
the case of young red wood it very generally goes 
straight down the pith ; in older brances, I have often 
se§^ the wood riddled as if a charge of snipe-spot had 
been fired into it, with only one or two minute holes 
in the bark for exit or entrance. And yet in the case 
vigorous trees they seem to thrive notwithstanding. 
Since 1893 the pest has spread very much and become 
niore general, though I cannot say that .1 see much 
difference in the fields that were attacked then." 
The plate quoted above is an excellent one but if 
the reader possess a copy of Mias Ormerod's useful 
lihtle Text-Book of Agricultural Entomology he will find 
(p. 100) an illustration of the very closely allied 
species X. despar which shows the ravages of the 
European species on the plum. 
Remedy. — It would be dangerous to suppose that 
because strong, healthy, well-nourished bushes seem 
little affected by this pest that there is no occasion 
to take steps to secure its eradication. Should it 
appear in the Indian tea areas, every effort should be 
at once made to stamp it out. Improve the vigour of 
the plant by manuring, deep drainage and other 
means. Lop off and burn all affected parts. If found 
in a small compact area I personally should, however, 
prefer to fire the plot. In my experience this is by 
far the most effectual remedy with all diseases that 
occur over fixed and limited areas, more especially if- 
the diseaae is recognised and the firing can be accom- 
plished early in Spring. All over the plot dry straw 
should be placed within and through the bushes so aa 
to secure rapid combustion. The embers should be 
at once cleared away from the bark of the main stem. 
After the fire has burned out, the bushes should then 
be pruned and all charred portions removed. The 
Spring shoots may be delayed a few weeks, but in 
exceptional cases only will the bushes be killed, unless 
the firing be done late in the season. 
LII. — Other Beetles Beported as attacking the Tea 
7. CUROULIO TANYMECUS. 
In the Journal Agri. -Horticultural Society of Indi a 
Vol. VI. n. s- Proc., 34th July 1879, mention is made 
of a beetle sent to the Society by Messrs. William- 
son, Major & Co., "as doing much mischief to the 
tea bushes in the Munguldye Company's plantations." 
The specimens were forwarded to Mr. A. Geotb 
and ultimaitely submitted to Mr. F. Moore. The 
reply appears in the Proc, of the 18th December, 
1879. "The grsen beetle sent to you by the 
Munguldye Company is a Curculio allied, as Moore 
thinks, to C. tanijmecus, but these beetles ordinarily 
bore into the stem and branches of plants and do 
not meddle with their leaves." I am unable to 
trace the name C. tanymecus. There is a genus of 
beetles known aa Tanymecus but Gemninger and 
Harold make no mention undfir Curculio of a species 
O. tanymecus. 
It is somewhat significant that the pest alluded 
to, in above correspondence, should apparently have 
disappeared while two species of Astycus (that are by 
no means remote from Curculio) should have taken ita 
place as leaf-defoliators in Assam. 
8. Two other as species of beetle have been sent to ma 
b^ Mr, Fleet, injurious to teai visi; Criocris imj>ress<i 
