1928] 
The Destructive Mexican Booh Beetle 
49 
books examined, in proportion to the extensive mines, and with 
a consideration of the probable elapsed time of two to three 
years. No other explanation was conceived that seemed to fit all 
the facts as well. 
In view of the persisting activity of this Catorama beetle at 
room temperatures, since further examination of other volumes 
at the book store continued to show living larvae, and with an 
estimation of the chance of this pest spreading to uninfested 
volumes under the same roof and, perhaps, even gaining a foot- 
hold in the many heated libraries in Metropolitan Boston, it was 
agreed that a thorough program of fumigation with carbon bi- 
sulphide should be carried out. In spite of the remote contin- 
gency of a spread of this exotic pest to other libraries, adequate 
control measures were obviously justified. It would seem a safe 
rule, that, in general, any immigrant insect with destructive pro- 
clivities should be regarded as dangerous, and treated as such, 
at least, until all of its habits are known and its potentialities 
duly measured. 
Abstract. 
A tropical Anobiid, Catorama sp., either C. mexicana , the 
Mexican book beetle of the Hawaiians, or C. herbarium of the 
West Indies (if they are not synonymous, as they may be), in- 
flicted severe damage to a large shipment of books from Honolulu 
to Boston. Larvae have been active and have fed for at least 
seven weeks in Massachusetts at room temperatures, and the 
possibility of infestation of heated libraries throughout the city 
is advanced as adequate justification for a thorough carbon bi- 
sulphide treatment of the infested stock. In general, any im- 
ported noxious insect should be treated as a menace, at least 
until all of its habits are known and its potentialities measured. 
Bibliography. 
Dash, J. S. Cat(h)orama herbarium. In Rept. of Ass’t. Supt. of 
Agr. on the Entomological and Mycological Work carried 
out during the Season under Review. Rept. Dept. Agr. for 
1916-1917, Barbados; pp. 56-60 (1917). 
