4 
Indian Forest Records. 
[ VoL. II. 
Part I : THE BUPRESTID BEETLE OF THE OAKS. 
AMORPHOSOMA ? sp. 
(The Oak Buprestid beetle.) 
Nature of Attack. 
The egg is probably laid in a crevice or depression on the bark of the 
oak. The grub on hatching out bores down through the bark to the bast 
layer and eats out in this an irregular winding gallery which grooves both 
bast and sap wood. The larval galleries destroy the bast, and when 
numerous the insect helps to kill the tree. 
Previous Record of Insect. 
1 have no previous record of reports of this insect. I first took larvae 
of the species in Jaunsar, North-West Himalayas, in 1902. 
Distribution. 
The insect is fairly plentiful in Naini Tal and thi'oughout Kumaun. 
It is probably spread throughout the Morn and Ban oak areas of the 
Western Himalaya. 
General Appearance. 
Larva or Grub . — The larva is yellowish white, flat, elongate, with 
narrow body segments and a large circular segment immediately following 
the small yellow head ; the segments following this large prothoracic 
segment are of equal size save the last which tapers slightly posteriorly. 
The grub is one inch in length, and in its gallery it is often found 
curled up, the posterior segments lying almost in contact with those 
immediately below the large one. Plate I, figs. 1, \a, show the larva 
dorsal and side view. 
Beetle . — The beetle is a small insect of brilliant green metallic 
colouring. The head is exserted and horizontal ; the prothorax shining, 
constricted in front, and finely pitted. The elytra are brilliant metallic 
