46 
Psyche 
[March 
usually ascribed to Gorham, but in Gorham’s own book 1 , where 
it is described, he ascribes it to “Chevrolat, the Salle Collection, 
Habitat Mexico, Cordova (Salle).” This species seems wide- 
spread throughout tropical America, and is reported as injurious 
to books, leather goods, upholstery, furniture, woods, etc. in 
Brazil, Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent, and other West Indian 
Islands. It is considered much more destructive than any other 
book pest. 
Catorama mexicana, which is listed in the Fauna Hawaiiensis 
and there ascribed to Chevrolat, has been reported a number of 
times as highly injurious to books and leather goods, has also 
been found in tamarind bark and has been bred put of velvet 
bean seeds. It seems distributed throughout the Hawaiian Is- 
lands. 
Since this species, C. mexicana, is not listed in Junk’s Cole- 
opterorum Catalogus (1912) nor to be found elsewhere, there 
remains the decided possibility that an error has been made and 
that these two names are synonymous. An error in transcrip- 
tion, once made, might easily be perpetuated indefinitely, or 
until the genus was revised. The common name, Mexican book 
beetle, has been given to C. mexicana by a committee of the 
Hawaiian Entomological Society and this common name would 
be equally applicable in every way to C. herbarium. 
A brief description of the insect found may not be amiss. 
The larva, about 3.5 mm. in length, is a light grayish-cream 
colored little grub, somewhat thickly covered throughout, in- 
cluding the head, with fine, rather long, yellow hairs. The head 
is unicolorous with the body and not heavily chitinized except for 
the mouthparts and surrounding parts. These latter parts are 
light brown to darker, and the mandibles are tipped with black. 
The adult is a typical Catorama, a reddish-brown, ovoid-rec- 
tangular beetle about 3 mm. in length. The anterior portion of 
the elytra and dorsum of the head are smooth and polished; the 
cheeks and the remainder of the elytra, as well as the ventral 
parts, are covered with a fine, light yellow pilosity. 
In regard to the life history of Catorama herbarium, de Faria 
says that the eggs are laid on the bindings or leaf -edges of books, 
^iologia Centrali- Americana, Vol. 3, Part 2, p. 207. 
