PITYOGENES CONIFER, MS. 243 
Ne ER ee aE 


to be found boring into Blue pine trees towards the end of 
April in company with the Polygraphus major beetle, preferring 
the softer portions of the old trees, saplings, and young 
growth, The first brood of beetles of the year from the eggs 
laid by the April beetles (which are the over-wintering ones) 
appear in June (probably much earlier in favourable localities), 
a second generation in August-September, whilst mature beeties, 
probably ‘of a third (or fourth ?) generation of beetles were 
taken from trees as late as November 17th. These beetles 
hibernate in the trees during the winter. The exact number of 
generations requires further careful observation, as they will 
almost certainly vary with the elevation, aspect, etc., and lam 
rather inclined to think that they overlap. 
The galleries made by this beetle consist of a central 
breeding chamber (fig. 4, f (p)) having several arms or egg gal- 
leries gnawed out in the bast and sapwood. Occasionally the 
pairing chamber Is entirely in the bast from which several, from 
four to as many as six, short egg galleries take off, the whole 
having an irregular stellate appearance. The eggs are laid in 
small depressions made usually on the outside curve (but they 
may be on the inner one) of the winding egg gallery (see fig, 
4, f (e)). The pairing chamber is as much as 3 millim. across 
and the egg galleries vary in length up to 13 millim, (cf. 
PE XH, fig. 4, fy (p) (e)+) As many as four beetles have 
been found in the pairing chamber, and it is probable that 
each 9 beetle bores one of the egg galleries. About 10-12 
» eggs are laid in each gallery. The larve on hatching out 
bore away from the mother gallery, changing to pupe at the end 
of their tunnels. They bore mainly in the bast layer, but often 
when about to pupate bore down into the sapwood and change 
to pupz there (see fig. 4 f (m)). 
