Chapter X: Introduction (8)

The Weevils or Snout Beetles are one of the largest and best defined groups of the Coleoptera, and though they comprise a great number of very different looking beetles in shape, they all have the front of the head produced into a more or less elongated snout with the jaws placed at the tip, and with the distinctly elbowed antennae standing out on either side of the snout, forming a regular angle. Most of them are provided with well developed wings, the elytra being usually very solid; and the whole insect is encased in thick armour plate integument. The majority are slow, sluggish beetles, that trust as a rule more to their shape and protective colouration harmonising with their surroundings, than to their activity. They feed chiefly upon foliage and bark, and when at rest cling to the twigs or stalks of their food plants, falling at the least alarm to the ground, where they remain perfectly motionless, with their legs and antennae tightly closed until the danger has passed.

Those living in the dry western country are represented by curious wingless forms with very short stout snouts, and are usually found under logs and stones in open grass lands; while in the tropical scrubs they are chiefly arboreal, and frequently richly coloured. They are all vegetarian in their habits both in the larval and perfect states; some infest seeds, others destroy the buds, foliage or roots of plants and do a great deal of damage to farms and gardeners’ crops. About 1200 described species are listed in Masters’ Catalogue, and a great number of new species have been added during the last few years by Messrs. Blackburn and Lea in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of N.S. Wales, and Transactions of the Royal Society of S. Australia. Pascoe, one of the most prolific writers on this family, described a great many between the years 1869–1883 (Journ. Linn. Soc. & Ann. Nat. Hist.). They have been divided into a number of sub-families, among which only the most important can be noticed here.

The remarkable Long-necked Weevil, _Rhadinosomus lacordairei_, measures under ½ an inch in length; is of a uniform dull reddish brown tint with a silvery white spot on either side of the rounded elytra, which are produced into a spine on each side. It breeds in the cavity in the large _Brachyscelid_ galls, feeding on the woody tissue; Lea says that in Tasmania it is a pest to strawberry growers.

The members of the Genus _Myllocerus_ are dainty little oval weevils found resting upon grass stalks or among the foliage of small shrubs peculiar to North Queensland and North West Australia. _Myllocerus carinatus_ is about ⅓ of an inch in length, and is finely striated and densely clothed with metallic green scales. _Catasarcus spinipennis_ is another West Australian insect of a brownish buff tint, with the abdomen broadly rounded; and the hind portions of the elytra covered with sharp spines. About 40 species of this genus are described, all of which with one exception are confined to West Australia. _Cherrus ebeninus_ is one of the large stout black weevils common in the bush around Sydney, where it is usually found clinging to the twigs of the blood-wood, _Eucalyptus corymbosa_. It is black, with broad rugose thorax and ribbed wing covers.

=83.= _Rhinotia hœmoptera_ (Kirby). The Red Weevil.

=84.= _Leptops tribulus_ (Fabr.). The Wattle
“Pig-beetle.”

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Genus _Leptops_ contains a large number of very characteristic beetles feeding upon the foliage of wattles and other scrub trees. They are usually grey, buff, or dark brown insects with thickened snouts and broad bodies. The Apple-root Borer, _Leptops hopei_, is sometimes a pest to the orchardist, damaging the roots of his apple trees; the beetle emerging from the soil crawls up the tree trunk, and laying her eggs upon the leaf, turns the edges over and gums them together with a sticky secretion; the young grubs hatch and crawl down to the roots. _L. tribulus_, often called by the Sydney boys the “Wattle Pig,” feeds upon the foliage of the black wattle; it is a much larger species, about 1 inch in length; dark brown to black in colour; the broad rounded body covered with short blunt spines, thickest towards the apex. The Grey-banded Leaf Weevil, _Ethemaia sellata_, described from S. Australia, has a wide range over the interior. The larvae are pale green legless creatures about ⅓ of an inch in length, lightly clothed with short hairs; they remain buried in the soil, coming out at night to feed upon plants, but if disturbed by a light they will drop to the ground and bury themselves very quickly. The beetle is ⅓ of an inch in length, dark brown, shaded with grey, which forms an irregular pattern on the thorax, legs, and elytra; rugose, deeply pitted; and the whole surface is clothed with white and brown scales.

The AMYCTERINAE are a large group of weevils with such short thick snouts that they are quite unlike the typical forms generally found in open forest country among grass or hiding under logs or stones; they are wingless, the elytra soldered together forming a very thick solid integument. Macleay described a great number (Trans. Ent. Soc. N.S.W. 1865). _Psalidura elongata_, common in the interior, measures slightly over 1 inch in length; is of a uniform black colour with a reddish brown tint; the short head and flattened thorax are finely granulated, with the elytron closely ribbed and punctured. _Talaurinus tuberculatus_, about ⅔ of an inch in length, is black, very coarsely granulated on the thorax, with the whole of the flattened elytron thickly covered with blunt tubercules. Nearly 90 species or this genus have been described, chiefly by Macleay, ranging all over Australia. _Amycterus draco_ is one of the most remarkable armour plated species in the interior; it is black, with a small deeply ribbed head and angulated thorax; and the broad, somewhat elongated elytron is turned down at the extremity and covered with rows of raised bosses. _Acantholophus echinatus_, as the generic name implies, represents a group containing a number of species covered with spines that extend even over the upper surface of the head and thorax. The Genus _Cubicorrhynchus_ contains the smaller ground beetles, almost cylindrical, with short rounded head and thorax: they dwell under stones, and when exposed lie quite motionless as if dead, their dull brown tints matching the ground. _C. morosus_, about ⅓ of an inch in length, is of the usual form and colour, with a very wide range, and often very numerous in grass lands.

The GONIPTERINAE comprise a number of diverse forms found upon foliage clinging to the twigs. The Genus _Oxyops_ contains a number of stout moderate-sized beetles which are remarkable for the curious habits of their legless slug-like larvae, which, covering themselves with a slimy secretion, crawl about over the surface of the eucalyptus leaves, feeding upon the epidermis and covering their backs with their excrement; when full grown they pupate on the ground among the rubbish beneath their food plant. _Oxyops concreta_ has a narrow short head with the thorax broadest behind; the elytra broadly swollen, rounded, deeply striated, and clothed with fine scales. _Bryachus squamicollis_ has a wide range over Australia, and is usually found clinging to the twigs of stunted gum trees; it measures about ½ an inch in length; is of a uniform dark chocolate brown, but thickly mottled all over with fine grey and black scales. This beetle forms rounded cells of a brown gummy substance (very much like large Lecanium scales) which are attached to the twigs, in each of which she places three eggs; from these emerge pale yellow oval larvae; when full grown the larva is an oval smooth rounded grub of a purplish tint, legless, flattened on the ventral surface, and with the head hidden from above, like a “pear-slug” larva; when adult it falls or crawls to the ground, and pupates among the rubbish. Mr. Gurney first discovered the curious egg-capsules on trees in the Bogan River district N.S.W. _Gonipterus gibberus_ is a small reddish-brown beetle with a white blotch on either side of the elytra; it has an elongated head and thorax, and is usually found clinging tightly to the tip of a eucalyptus twig. _Aterpus cultratus_, typical of the next group, measures ⅓ of an inch in length; the dorsal surface is flattened; is of a general dull brown tint, with the head, front of the thorax and tip of the abdomen buff. Usually found under dead bark on tree trunks, its larva forms a loose cocoon of bits of bark on the stems of Melaleuca bushes. _Lixus mastersi_, the weed weevil, is very common in neglected gardens, as its larvae feed in the roots of _Amaranthus_ and _Chenopodium_, causing them to swell out into cylindrical galls; the beetle is ⅓ of an inch in length, slender and cylindrical in form, of a light brown tint, but when freshly emerged is covered with a yellow mealy pubescence which soon rubs off.

The “Botany Bay Diamond Beetle,” as Donovan described it, _Chrysolophus spectabilis_, is one of our commonest and at the same time one of the most beautiful of our weevils. It has a very wide range all over Australia, and is found wherever the black wattle thrives, but also feeds upon many other species. It is very variable in size, measuring to 1 inch in length; is of a uniform black tint, but so thickly covered with patches of bright metallic green scales, that in freshly emerged specimens it seems more green than black. It deposits its eggs about the butt of the wattle tree buried in the bark; the stout fleshy grubs form irregular tunnels in the wood.

The Elephant Beetle, _Orthorrhinus cylindrirostris_, whose stout fleshy grubs do a good deal of damage to citrus trees, has a very wide range over Australia: it is a dark brown weevil, covered on the dorsal surface with fine buff and grey scales; the thorax is covered with irregular bosses which form ridges on the elytra. It measures about ½ an inch in length, and has a long slender snout turned down in front, and very long fore-legs terminating in large feathered tarsi; in its native state it feeds upon gum trees. _O. klugi_ is a much smaller species that feeds and breeds in wattles, but is also known as an orchard pest, infesting the canes of vines, and also eating the leaf buds.

The Botany Bay Diamond Beetle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_Eurhamphus fasciculatus_ is one of our largest and most remarkable looking weevils; it measures 2½ inches in length, and is of a general black tint, but the greater portion is finely clothed with grey and rusty red scales, which give it a uniform buff tint; it is further clothed with tufts of long soft reddish brown hairs forming a raised ridge down either side of the thorax, and are scattered in rows on the elytra intermixed with small tufts of long grey hairs, giving it a very remarkable spiny appearance. It is a rare insect as a rule, ranging from Pine Mountain, Queensland, to the Clarence River, N.S. Wales; but many years ago Masters when collecting in the north came upon a large dead pine tree in the scrub literally covered with hundreds of these great weevils boring into the dead timber with their long slender snouts, making a distinct scratching sound. It is therefore probable that they are confined to the strip of country where the Hoop or Maryborough Pine grows, and breed on it.

The Ant-like Weevil.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_Tranes sparsus_, ⅓ of an inch in length, is common among the coarse palm-like foliage of the Currawong; it is of a uniform reddish brown tint with a slender snout, rounded flattened thorax, and oval, flattened, finely striated elytra. A smaller black species, _T. xanthorrhoeae_, is found in the foliage of the grass trees. The Genus _Belus_ contains a number of very slender weevils with the snout standing out in front of the head, long antennae, thickened thighs, and the slender elytra coming to a point at the apex. They feed upon wattles, and are very active, flying about in the heat of the day. _Belus semipunctatus_ is about ¾ of an inch in length; of a uniform dark reddish brown tint, with a broad white stripe down each side of the thorax and down the centre of the back, with small spots on each side. _B. bidentatus_ is a stouter thickset beetle; and is of a darker brown colour, with a rounded buff spot on either side of the wing covers. _B. plagiatus_ is a smaller almost black species, richly variegated with reddish yellow spots and blotches; it comes from the more tropical scrubs of N.S. Wales and Southern Queensland. _Rhinotia hoemoptera_, a very handsome slender cylindrical weevil, is about ¾ of an inch in length, with the snout furnished with thickened antennae turned down below the head; it is rich black with bright brick red wing covers which have a fine dorsal black stripe down the centre. The curious large-headed larvae feed in the stems of the Sweet-scented Wattle, _Acacia suaveolens_. _Eurhynchus acanthopterus_ is the type of another group, which has a shorter snout, and the head broad and rounded, fitting closely into the somewhat attenuated thorax; the body is broadly oval, and the wing covers furnished with short conical spines in the centre of the back. It measures about ½ an inch, and is of a uniform reddish brown tint. The Ant Weevil, _Myrmacicelus formicarius_, usually found crawling about on the trunks of wattle trees, is a shining black weevil about ⅙ of an inch in length, and is as ant-looking as its names suggest. The Genus _Balaninus_ represents the tiny little rounded weevils with very long slender snouts adapted for feeding upon seeds. _B. amoenus_ is black spotted with white; is almost oval in form, and about ⅙ of an inch in length. It feeds upon the ripe fruit of the little yellow fig, _Ficus rubiginosa_.

The Genus _Laemosaccus_ contains a number of short flattened weevils of a general black or dark brown colour ornamented with white or buff down; they are generally found feasting upon the bark of freshly fallen tree-trunks, particularly wattle and eucalypts, in which they also bore holes and deposit their eggs. _Laemosaccus electilis_ measures ¼ of an inch in length; is black with white pubescence on the under surface, and white markings on the tips of the wing covers, which are finely striated. My specimens come from Condobolin, N.S. Wales.

The members of the Genus _Haplonyx_ contain a number of curious, short, broadly rounded beetles generally found clinging to the twigs of eucalypts, but their larvae breed in the fleshy galls of the Brachyscelid coccids, where they destroy the gall makers and pupate in the cavity. _Haplonyx centralis_ is a typical dark brown species with a large white circle occupying the centre of the back. _Perissops ocellatus_, about ½ an inch in length, comes from the Tweed River N.S. Wales and Southern Queensland: it is of a general light brown tint; is oval and rounded in form, with the wing covers marked with buff, so that when viewed from behind it resembles a pair of eyes and nose on a man’s face.

=87.=--_Axionicus insignis_ (Pascoe).

The Mimic Bark-weevil.

=88.=--_Tepperia sterculiae_, (Lea).

The Seed-pod Weevil.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

_Axionicus insignis_ is always found upon the trunk of the Kurrajong tree hidden in the crevices of the bark, where in spite of its size (¾ of an inch in length) it is very difficult to detect, owing to the exact blending of its white grey and brown markings with the tints of the bark. It lays its eggs in the injured bark; the larvae are typical obese legless white grubs; they feed between the bark and the wood often in such numbers as to kill large branches. They pupate in regular oval cocoons formed of gnawed wood and bark. _Tepperia sterculiae_ breeds in the seed pods of the Kurrajong, and is a smaller but somewhat similar tinted beetle clothed with brown and grey scales, the latter forming a well defined patch toward the apex of the wing covers. The two species of the Genus _Enteles_ are smaller, smooth, shining, black beetles, with the head and legs curving underneath the body; they are both found in the semi-tropical scrubs of the north. _Enteles vigorsi_ is marked with two white transverse lines crossing the elytra; while _E. ocellatus_ has more parallel lines crossing the transverse ones, making an eye-like pattern upon the back. The Grass-tree Weevil, _Trigonotarsus rugosus_, is 1½ inches in length; is of a uniform black colour; and of the typical Calandra or palm weevil shape, with a slender curved snout, and small head sunk into the thorax, with the dorsal surface of the thorax and elytra flattened. The obese white larva feeds in the roots of the grass-trees. Allied to this are the two tiny cosmopolitan grain weevils, _Calandra orizae_ and _C. granaria_, which are destructive pests to all kinds of grain and other food stuffs.

Family 49. Longicorns.

CERAMBYCIDAE.

The longicorn beetles from their number, variety, size, and the damage they do to timber and plants, are well known beetles, and have always been a favourite group with collectors. They are usually elongate in form, with powerful gnawing jaws, and long slender many-jointed antennae standing out in front of the head, the basal joint often half encircled by the large compound eye; the elytron is always divided down the centre, and the large hind wings well adapted for flight are folded beneath them; the legs are strongly developed, well adapted either for running about or clinging to their food plant.

They deposit their eggs in bark or timber; the larvae burrow into the tissue beneath, upon which they feed; they often remain, long cylindrical or flattened naked grubs, for several years before they pupate in the end of their last gallery.

They are divided into three large sub-families by modern entomologists; our species have been chiefly described by Newman in “The Entomologist” 1842; “Annals of Natural History” 1840; and a number of other Journals. Pascoe contributed a great many papers to over half a dozen of the leading entomological societies in England between 1857 and 1875. Hope, in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London 1841, and other Transactions, added largely to our list, while Messrs. Boisduval, Germer, White, Saunders, and others described odd specimens. In our own Journals, Macleay and Blackburn have also dealt with these beetles.

The PRIONINAE comprise a number of large broad thickset beetles with the front coxae large and transverse, and the prothorax having well developed side margins. The determination of several of our commonest species was a matter of some doubt, so I submitted most of our common forms to Professor Lamare of Brussels, who has identified them and enabled me to speak with some authority.

_Sceleocantha glabricollis_ is one of the shortest thickset forms; about 1¼ inches in length; of the usual uniform reddish brown tint; the small shining thorax furnished with a fine spine on either side; and the broad rounded elytron finely granulated. It is found along the southern coast of N.S. Wales. The common large white grub which bores in the trunks of the honeysuckle (_Banksia serrata_) growing along the coast of the south-east of N.S. Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, is the larva of _Paroplites australis_ described in 1842 by Erichson; in most of our Museum collections it is known as _Macrotoma servilis_. It is variable in size, measuring to 2 inches in length, and is of a dull dark brown tint, with a flattened rugose thorax with serrate edges. _Eurynassa australis_ is a large somewhat slender species 2¼ inches in length; the broad flattened dull coloured thorax is marked in the centre with two shining triangular patches pointing toward the head; the reddish brown elytra are finely granulated. _E. odewahni_ is a smaller species, with the thorax more constricted, shining, rugose, and serrate on the margins; it is found in the interior, and has an extended range westward from N.S. Wales to W. Australia. _Agrianome spinicollis_ comes from the north-east of N.S. Wales; it is a broader more flattened form, about 2 inches in length; the thorax is rounded and serrate on the sides; and the general colour is light reddish brown. _Iotherium metallicum_ hardly measures over ½ an inch; is of a rich metallic purple tint; the thorax is produced into a broad spine on the sides; and the wing covers are broadly round at the apex. The male is a much smaller coppery tinted beetle, and was described under the name of _Phaolus macleayi_; it is usually taken on grass stalks in open forest country.

The great brown Longicorn.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The CERAMBYCINAE comprise a much larger division of the longicorn beetles, differing from the last group in having the first coxae not greatly extended transversely; the thorax not margined, and the last joint of the maxillary palpus usually broad. _Pachydissus sericus_ is a slender silvery dark brown beetle about 1¼ inches in length, with the tip of the wing covers spined and the basal joint of the antennae thickened. It is generally found clinging to the rough bark of tree trunks. They deposit their eggs in the bark of _Acacia longifolia_; the larvae bore all through the trunk and larger branches; they have a wide range over the southern half of Australia.

The Silvery Longicorn, breeding in the stems of _Acacia
longifolia_.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Genus _Phoracantha_ contains a number of typical dark yellow or mottled brown beetles which in the larval state feed between the bark and sapwood of different gum trees when the trees are dead or dying; several species are common in firewood blocks about Sydney. The beetles are remarkable for long antennae fringed on the inner edge with fine hairs and short spines at the joints, and a single large spine on the sides of the thorax. _Phoracantha recurva_ has a very wide range from the North-west coast to Victoria; it measures under 1 inch in length; is of a general dull yellow tint, with the apical half of the wing covers crossed with a broad band of reddish brown. _P. tricuspis_ is a much larger, darker reddish brown beetle with mottled wing covers that lives in the timber of the ironbark gums. _P. semipunctata_, smaller than the last, has a regular pattern of dark brown on its back; it is common about Sydney N.S.W., and has a wide range over Australia. _Epithora dorsalis_ is remarkable for its very long fringed antennae, and is easily distinguished by its uniform reddish tint marked across the centre of the wing covers with a broad patch of dull yellow. It also has a wide range over the continent, and is often taken about Sydney in summer on flowering shrubs. _Aphanasium australe_ is a slender, light reddish brown beetle, under ¾ of an inch in length, the larvae of which feed in the stems of the prickly Hakea bushes. _Piesarthruis marginellus_ is a very distinctive dull reddish brown insect with the centre of the wing covers pale brown; the smaller more slender male is furnished with remarkable feathered antennae. The larva breeds and pupates in the centre of the branches of _Acacia longifolia_, and can be easily reared from infested wood, though it is very rarely found on the food plant, for as soon as it emerges it crawls up to the top of the tree and clings to the branchlets.

_Strongylurus thoracicus_ is a handsome brown longicorn brightly marked with white on the sides of the thorax. Its larva is very destructive in gardens, cutting off large branches of white cedar and pittosporum bushes.

In the Genus _Uracanthus_ the beetles are long and slender, with almost cylindrical bodies, and the thorax contracted slightly behind the head. _Uracanthus triangularis_ in Victoria confines its attention almost exclusively to the branches of the black wattle; but in N.S. Wales I have bred it from a number of different shrubs. It measures about 1 inch in length; is of a general uniform reddish brown colour, but so thickly clothed with fawn-coloured pubescence that there is only an angular bare reddish patch on the sides of the wing covers. _U. cryptophagus_, the largest known species, is nearly twice the length, more cylindrical in form, and of a uniform buff tint. In its native state it fed in the northern scrubs of N.S. Wales upon the wild lemon, from which it migrated to the cultivated orange, and the larvae burrowing through the branches did a great deal of mischief to the trees. _Syllitus grammicus_ is a slender reddish brown beetle with six parallel grey lines running down the elytra, and is under ½ an inch in length. _Lygesis mendica_ breeds on the twigs of the black wattle in the neighbourhood of Sydney. It measures under ½ an inch in length; is of a uniform reddish brown colour, and has a slender head and long cylindrical thorax. The wing covers are rounded at the tips, and the whole insect is clothed with stout white hairs. _Macrones rufus_ is a long, slender, bright reddish brown beetle about 1¼ inches in length; the thorax is roughened into rounded bosses; the body is narrow in the centre, but swells out into a rounded apex; the wing covers narrow, and not reaching to the tip of the abdomen give it a very wasp-like appearance. It is usually taken upon flowers in the summer months.

The Pittosporum tree borer, and larva.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The slender grey-haired Longicorn.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The great Orange-tree Borer.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Genus _Hesthesis_ contains a number of brightly marked yellow and brown beetles that mimic flower-wasps both in colour and shape, and are found in similar situations upon flowering shrubs. The wing covers are shortened into rounded pads only covering the shoulders, while the wings are exposed. _Hesthesis vigilans_, under ¾ of an inch in length, is black, mottled on the thorax, and barred with two bands of bright yellow on the abdomen, and one on the front of the thorax. _H. ferruginea_, slightly larger, is bright yellow banded with black; and _H. cingulata_, about the same size, is black, blotched upon the thorax, and marked with three white bands on the abdomen. _Distichocera macleayi_ has the smaller male black with feathered antennae, and deeply ribbed wing covers tapering to the apex. The female, nearly 1½ inches in length, and broader and thickset in proportion, has the dorsal surface clothed with rusty red pubescence. _D. maculicollis_ is a much smaller species, hardly over ½ an inch in length in the male, which is of a dull black faintly marked with white; the larger female is rusty red except a parallel stripe of black down the centre of the thorax. This species breeds in the stems of _Kunzea corifolia_; commencing under the bark the larva gnaws irregular passages backwards and forwards, finally hollowing out several large parallel chambers toward the centre of the stem, in one of which it pupates. Among the most beautiful of our flower haunting longicorns are the members of the Genus _Tragocerus_, with stout angular thorax and broad deeply ribbed wing covers almost truncated at the extremities. _T. lepidopterus_ is variable in size and colouration in the sexes, the smaller male being darker coloured than the large reddish brown female, which measures nearly 1¾ inches in length; both have the wing covers mottled with little patches of grey hairs. _T. spencei_ is a smaller species without the white patches, but having dark wavy bands crossing the centre of the back.

The members of the Genus _Clytus_ are active little ant-like beetles, common in the more tropical parts of Australia, running up and down on freshly fallen tree trunks in the bright sunlight, or hunting over flowering shrubs; some are richly marked with golden yellow or red on the rounded thorax. _Clytus curtisi_, measuring under 1 inch in length, is black spotted and mottled with white. One of our commonest and most widely distributed flower haunting longicorns is _Aridaeus thoracicus_, a reddish yellow beetle with short rounded thorax, and the wing covers crossed in the centre with two black V-shaped bands. It is very variable in size, the largest measuring nearly 1 inch in length. _Purpuricenus quadrinotatus_ is a very handsome black and bright red beetle about ¾ of an inch in length, with a short broad almost globular thorax, and a short body round at the apex. It is common along the Flinders River N. Queensland upon low scrub, and I have taken them in all variations of red and black; usually the head and thorax are black, with the wing covers red blotched with black; a variety with the thorax red is described as a distinct species.

The LAMIINAE comprise the third division which, usually stout and broad in proportion, are found chiefly upon branches or twigs feeding upon bark; and are frequently very numerous upon fallen timber in forest clearings. They differ from the former group in having the front coxae round and deeply embedded; the maxillary palpi pointed at the tips; and the fore tibiae with a more or less distinct groove on the inner side.

_Microtragus mormon_ is typical of several closely allied genera of short, thickly coated longicorns, with the rounded slightly spined thorax and the tapering body ridged or coarsely punctured; they are found upon logs or tree trunks on the ground, and somewhat resemble the ground weevils. This species comes from Kalgoorlie, W. Australia, but has a wide range over the western country; it is of a dull reddish brown tint, and measures about 1 inch in length. _Ceraegidion horrens_, not uncommon in the Illawarra district N.S.W., is a smaller darker coloured beetle covered with stout spines upon the dorsal surface of the thorax and elytra. The Genus _Monohammus_ contains a number of very fine brown or mottled beetles with long stout antennae; the small rounded thorax produced into a blunt spine on either side; and the broad wing covers arcuate at the tips and sometimes spined on the sides. _M. holotephrus_ is of a uniform dull buff tint and measures over 1 inch in length; it comes from S. Australia and Queensland. _M. ovinus_ is a much smaller species with the thorax spined on the summit and sides; it is of a pale brown tint finely mottled with grey. It has a wide range, being recorded from Kalgoorlie W.A., N.S. Wales, Queensland, and S. Australia.

The great Fig-tree Longicorn.

(Original Photo. Burton.)]

The tropical Genus _Batocera_, containing many of the largest and most handsome of our longicorns, is well represented in our semi-tropical scrubs. _Batocera frenchi_ has a very wide range from the Northern Coast of N.S. Wales to Cape York. The great white grubs burrow in the trunks of native figs and other forest trees, and the collectors in Cairns, N. Queensland, capture the beetles by cutting down fig trees and waiting for them at twilight when they come to feed upon the bark. This species measures over 2 inches in length, has a spined rugose thorax, broad wing covers, and immense stout spined curved antennae; its general colour is slate grey to dark brown, with the elytra marked with irregular oval white spots. _B. sapho_ is a more reddish brown beetle, somewhat more slender, and with fewer spots on the wing covers: it is found in the forests of Cape York, N. Queensland. _Rosenbergia megacephala_ is larger still, and is of a beautiful creamy white tint, with the basal portions of the elytra finely spotted with black; the thorax is deeply ridged and spined: it is found at Port Darwin N.A., and Cairns, Queensland. Horace Brown informs me that this large beetle frequents fig trees in the forests of N. Queensland, where they can often be detected by the number of small branches scattered beneath, which have been cut off by their powerful jaws. _Thyada barbicornis_ is a very handsome greyish brown mottled beetle with an oval blackish spot on each side of the elytra, and the antennae are so thickly fringed with fine hairs that it forms a regular brush toward the extremities; it measures under ¾ of an inch in length, and is common on the foliage of native figs on the Tweed River N.S.W.

The Genus _Hebecerus_ contains a number of moderate-sized, grey or brownish mottled beetles, many of which lay their eggs in the bark of the wattle trees; the larvae feed and pupate in the tips of the dead twigs. _Hebecerus australis_, a thickset greyish brown species about ½ an inch in length, has a wide distribution over Australia, and has been described under half a dozen synonyms: _H. marginicollis_ is a smaller beetle, with the sides of the thorax marked with buff. _H. crocogaster_ is smaller still, of a similar general tint, with the antennae barred with grey and brown.

The Genus _Symphyletes_ contains a number of large and handsome longicorns that are found clinging to twigs and branchlets; many of them in the larval state burrow in the stems of wattles, gum trees and other smaller shrubs. _Symphyletes neglectus_ is an elongate dull brown beetle about 1 inch in length; it girdles the branches of _Acacia longifolia_, laying its eggs under the bark of the dying portion in which the little grub feeds in the early part of its life. _S. nigrovirens_ is a much smaller beetle, with the head, thorax, and base of the elytra clothed with dull yellow hairs; the rest of the wing covers is deep green striped with white on the sides. It feeds upon a number of small shrubs, but its commonest food plant is the stunted prickly wattle (_Acacia juniperina_). _S. solandri_, a larger beetle clothed with a dense coat of fine buff hairs, breeds in the flower stalk of the grass tree, often cutting it right through and causing the upper half, beneath which it pupates, to fall off. _S. vestigialis_ measures ¾ of an inch; it is brown, richly mottled with buff and grey. It feeds upon wattles; it has a wide range over Southern Australia.

The White-cheeked Longicorn.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Genus _Penthea_ comprises a number of more thickset beetles with similar habits, and which have the upper surface of the thorax and wing covers granulated or ribbed and these are either covered with a dense pubescence or mottled all over in a very characteristic manner. _Penthea vermicularia_, one of the commonest and with a very wide range, is black with the antennae banded, and the elytra covered with irregular wavy white markings. It is very variable in size, 1¼ inches to under ¾ of an inch in length. _P. saundersi_, found in W. Australia, is much larger, of a more shining dark chocolate brown tint, and more deeply impressed with well defined spots, blotches and irregular buff coloured markings. _P. sannio_, smaller than the last and with a more constricted thorax, has the whole of the upper surface clothed with a creamy grey pubescence overlaid with deep orange red, and irregular dark lines crossing the wing covers; this beautiful beetle is a native of Queensland. _Rhytiphora argus_ takes its name from the dark brown eye-like spots all over its back showing through the rich buff pubescence; it also ranges over a large part of Queensland. _Depsages granulosa_ resembles a _Penthea_ in its robust form; it measures over 1½ inches in length; is of a uniform dark dull brown tint, with the elytra covered with fine granules or bosses. It is common about Sydney, found clinging in summer time to the stems of gum saplings. _Zygrita diva_ is a handsome little dark orange yellow coloured beetle irregularly marked and mottled with black. It is very common upon grass stalks in the open forest country of North Australia.

The Buff-painted Longicorn.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Family 50. Plant-eating Beetles.

CHRYSOMELIDAE.

These foliage-destroying beetles have a regular, thickened, more or less oval or rounded form, with the thorax sometimes forming a neck; but in other groups are rounded and fit closely into the head and abdomen. The head, buried up to the eyes in the front of the thorax, is furnished with short stout biting jaws, and slender filiform antennae composed of many short segments; the tarsi are generally four jointed. They are as a rule small insects, rarely measuring over ½ an inch in length; their prevailing colours are red, yellow, or brown, marked with black or bright metallic tints. They lay their eggs on the foliage or twigs of their food plants, upon which the larvae feed when they emerge, and when full grown crawl down and pupate in the soil beneath.

This is a very large family; about 18,000 species are described from all parts of the world, and most of the typical groups are represented in this country. We have had a number of workers on the Chrysomelids: Baly (Ann. Nat. History 1862), (Jour. Linn. Soc. 1864), and (Trans. Ent. Soc. of London 1877): Clark in the “Journal of Entomology” 1864: Marsham (Trans. Linn. Society 1808): Chapius has described a number (Soc. Entom. Belgium Vol. xvii.), and (Journal, Museum Godeffroy xiv.): while Lea (Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1904) has monographed the CRYPTOCEPHALIDES; and Blackburn revised the Genus _Paropsis_ (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1896 and 1901), adding many new species.

The SAGRIDES are very distinctive beetles, with the thorax elongated in front and broad behind; some of the more tropical forms are of rich metallic tints, with the thighs of the hind legs greatly enlarged; and our beautiful representative species, _Sagra papuana_, is known to collectors in the North Queensland scrubs as the “Kangaroo Beetle.” It measures 1 inch in length, and the swollen hind legs fringed with reddish hairs and a large angular spine are fully another inch in length. It is a uniform deep metallic blue. _Carpophagus banksiae_ measures ½ an inch in length; is of a uniform dark reddish brown, with the elytra irregularly striped and banded with dark yellow; the thighs of the hind legs are thickened, and the under surface is clothed with fine grey hairs. It has a wide range, and is found about Sydney clinging to the low scrub. _Mecynodera coxalgica_ is a larger, broader, dull reddish brown insect, clothed with a lighter tinted pubescence, and is found in similar localities.

The CRYPTOCEPHALIDES are a group of short, oval or truncate beetles, with long slender antennae: the sexes often differ in size and markings; they are usually found feeding upon the tender tips of the branches of wattle, young gum, and other low shrubs. _Elaphodes tiqrinus_ is a small, oval, reddish brown beetle, thickly clothed with golden yellow pubescence forming a mottled pattern over the elytra; it feeds upon the foliage of the black wattle. The members of the Genus _Ditropidus_ are small oval beetles, similar in shape and habits, black and shining; over 100 species have been described from Australia. The Genus _Cadmus_ contains some very handsome ovate insects, with long slender antennae; they chiefly frequent the young eucalypts: the larvae have the curious habit of living in jug-shaped cocoons fitting closely to the body, with the horny flat forehead closing the opening at the apex; when moving along the fore-legs are extended like those of a bag-moth. _Cadmus rubiginosus_, our largest common species, is under ½ an inch in length; it is of a general reddish brown colour, with darker markings. _C. litigiosus_ is a smaller yellow beetle; the head and thorax are black above, and the elytra yellow, finely punctured and spotted with black. The Genus _Cryptocephalus_ comprises a number of similar shaped beetles with smaller wrinkled head and thorax, and the tip of the abdomen truncate. _Cryptocephalus scabrosus_ is black, very rugose on the upper surface, with the tip of the elytra tinged with reddish brown: it measures about ¼ of an inch, and is common about Sydney. _C. viridinitens_ is slightly larger, of a uniform dark metallic green on the upper surface.

The EUMOLPIDES are represented by one of our most beautiful species, _Spilopyra sumptuosa_, common on low scrub on the northern rivers of N.S. Wales: it is about ½ an inch in length, and is of a fiery coppery red and deep metallic tint, giving out beautiful shades of colour in a bright light.

The Genus _Edusa_ contains a number of bright metallic coloured beetles of oval form, which are chiefly found among the foliage of eucalypts. _Edusa distincta_ is of the usual bright coppery red tint, with greenish head and thorax; it measures nearly ⅓ of an inch in length. _Rhyparida didyma_ is a dull yellow beetle, with a narrow parallel stripe of black down each side of the elytra; it is of the usual elongate oval form with the head turned down in front. They are found clinging to grass stalks; this and several other species are common on the North West coast of Australia.

The CHRYSOMELIDES are one of the typical groups; many of them are rich in bright metallic tints; are either rounded or oval in form; and their larvae are active six legged grubs that crawl about the foliage. _Aesernoides nigrofasciatus_ is a handsome, broad, convex, black beetle, with the elytra crossed with three broad irregular bands of dark orange yellow; it measures nearly ½ an inch in length, and is common on several shrubs in the Northern River scrubs. The Genus _Phyllocharis_ contains a number of more elongated beetles with thicker antennae; they are chiefly found upon grass. _Phyllocharis cyanicornis_ measures slightly over ⅓ of an inch in length; the general colour is dark orange, with the antennae and legs black; and the dorsal surface of the thorax and elytra are irregularly blotched with shining blue-black. It has a wide range over Australia and Tasmania. _P. cyanipes_, a larger species from N. Australia, has the head, thorax, blotch on each side of base, and tips of elytra light yellow, with the rest of the wing covers shining black. _Lamprolina perplexa_ is a smaller, elongate, metallic, dull bronze coloured beetle, with yellow head and thorax; it is common upon the foliage of the native blackthorn, _Busaria spiniferous_.

The larvae of several species of the Genus _Calomela_ feed upon the foliage of the black wattles: they are short, squat grubs, with black heads and small green oval bodies. _Calomela paralis_ measures 2½ lines in length; its general colour is dark orange yellow, with a broad parallel band of rich metallic green occupying the centre of each wing cover and tapering down to the tips; the elytra are deeply and finely punctured. Twenty-five species are described from various parts of Australia, chiefly by Baly (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1856–1863: and Ann. and Mag. N.H. 1862).

The Genus _Paropsis_ is the most extensive and characteristic of all our plant-eating beetles, and some of our common species are very plentiful about Sydney. Marsham wrote a monograph of the species (Trans. Linn. Soc. 1808), placing them in the Genus _Notoclea_; in Masters’ Catalogue 269 species are listed; since then, Blackburn has revised the Genus (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1896–1901), and added a number of new species.

The beetles are found chiefly upon the foliage of young eucalypts, and lay their yellow spindle-shaped eggs in a ring round the small twigs: the young larvae when first hatched cluster together, but as they increase in size they scatter all over the foliage upon which they feed. They are very active, short, stout grubs, with three pairs of well developed legs; when full grown they crawl down and pupate in the soil. The beetles are very convex and broadly rounded; most of them are more or less yellow, brown, or black in tint; some are very richly and delicately shaded with metallic tints, which however unfortunately fade after death. _Paropsis variolosa_, one of our largest species, measures ¾ of an inch in length, and is nearly as broad in proportion; it is of a general yellowish brown tint mottled with lighter yellow and closely punctured; the under surface except the legs is black. _P. alternata_ is a smaller, dark brown beetle, the elytra banded with parallel lines of black and reddish brown: _P. immaculata_ is about the same size; dull reddish brown, with the outer half of the elytra darkest; it is usually found feeding upon the foliage of the black wattle. _P. liturata_ is slightly smaller than the last, with the wing covers irregularly spotted with pale yellow. It is common on the eucalypts about Sydney, and has a wide range over the State. The small green larvae of _P. pictipennis_ feed upon the foliage of _Leptospermum_; the beetle is a small form, dull yellow marked with bright spots, but fades into a dull brown when dead.

The Green Striped Wattle Beetle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The HALTICIDES are popularly known as “flea beetles,” as they have the thighs of the hind legs swollen out into rounded lumps which enable them to jump to a considerable distance: specimens are often found feeding upon sedges about watercourses. _Nisotra submetallica_ is a tiny, shining green beetle, with a light reddish brown head and thorax; it is often a pest in the herb bed, where it feeds upon mint. _Arsipoda macleayi_ is a much larger, deep metallic blue beetle with very large thighs; it has been found eating the surface of vine leaves in the Gosford district N.S.W., and covering them all over with brown blotches.

The GALLERUCIDES comprise several very destructive garden pests, among which is the well known Pumpkin Beetle, _Aulacophora olivieri_, a reddish yellow and black beetle often called a “lady-bird,” and which in many parts of Australia swarms over the young melons and cucumbers and devours the flowers and foliage. _Monolepta rosae_ is a delicate pale yellow beetle, with the front half of the elytra shaded with rose red; it has a wide range, and on the northern rivers congregates in great numbers at times, eating up the young foliage of the citrus trees. The Fig-leaf Beetle, _Galleruca semipullata_, lays its spindle-shaped eggs in patches on the leaves of both the wild and cultivated figs, upon the surface of which the dirty yellow coloured larvae feed, finally crawling down the trunks and pupating in the ground. The beetle measures about ⅓ of an inch in length; is of a dull ochreous yellow, with the outer margins of the broad elytra striped with dull bluish black. _Hoplostinus viridipennis_ is a much smaller, dull brownish yellow beetle, with shorter, rounded, deep metallic green elytra. It feeds upon the foliage of the nettle trees growing in the scrubs of the Northern Rivers, N.S.W.

A typical Leaf-eating Beetle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Painted Leaf Beetle.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The HISPIDES are a very distinct group of the plant-eating beetles, whose larvae are sometimes very destructive; they bore into the foliage or stalks of plants, feeding in, and not upon the plant tissue. The beetles might be divided into two sections; those that are short and broad shouldered like _Monochirus multispinosus_, which measures ⅙ of an inch in length, is black in colour, with the whole of the dorsal surface covered with short fine spines, and is common upon grass blades on the South coast of N.S. Wales; and the elongate almost cylindrical forms found on sedges belonging to the Genus _Euryspa_. These beetles are remarkable for the situation of their antennae, which are very close together at the base, and stand straight out in front of the head. _Brontispa froggatti_, belonging to the latter section, is a very serious pest on the cocoa nut palms in New Britain and Solomon Islands.

The CASSIDIDES are curious ladybird-like beetles of a general yellow or light brown colour spotted or marked with black, with the outer margins of the elytra spreading out into an encircling flange or rim. They are confined to the more tropical forests of Queensland, but one species, _Aspidomorpha deusta_, comes into the northern scrubs of N.S. Wales; it is of the usual shape and mottled tints, measuring about ¼ of an inch in length.

Family 51. Fungus Beetles.

EROTYLIDAE.

The larvae of these beetles can be often found in numbers feeding in the different kinds of woody fungi that grow upon tree trunks, old fences, and fallen logs. If these infested fungi are collected and kept in a box the beetles can be very easily bred out. They can be readily recognised by their elongate, boat-shaped form, and clubbed antennae.

_Episcaphula pictipennis_, one of our commonest species, is black, but thickly mottled with deep orange red forming three interrupted bands across the elytra. It measures about ¼ of an inch. _Thallis janthina_ is a smaller, shining, blue black beetle, slightly roughened on the elytra; it breeds in the large, spongy, white fungus growing on the tree trunks known as “punks.”

Family 52. Lady-bird Beetles.

COCCINELLIDAE.

These well-known beetles differ from the last family (which many of them resemble in outward appearance) in having 3 jointed tarsi, and the short usually 11 jointed antennae (occasionally 8–10) being slightly clubbed at the tips. In their habits however they differ in being carnivorous both in the larval and adult state, with the exception of the members of the Genus _Epilachna_, which are phytophagus. They are all small rounded beetles; the short head fits close into the thorax, which in turn rests against the front of the elytra: most of them are yellow, spotted or marked with darker yellow, metallic blue or black, and are slightly pubescent. These insects are well known in our gardens to the children as “lady-birds,” and the quaint rhyme of “Fly away lady-bird” is said to have originated in the hop fields of Kent: after the hop picking, the dead plants, where the common English lady-bird was abundant feeding upon the hop aphis, were burnt off, and this was a warning by the children to them to fly away before the fires were started. They have been closely studied by economic entomologists because they are the natural enemies of so many aphis and scale insects.

The Spotted Leaf-eating Lady-bird.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

Over 2,000 species have been described from all parts of the world, and in the latest list given by Lea (Pro. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1901), 110 are recorded from Australia. Mulsant published his great work (Species Coleopteris Trimeres Securipalpes) in 1850: Crotch published his “Revision of the Coccinellidae” in 1874; in both of these will be found descriptions of Australian species. Blackburn (Trans. Royal Soc. S.A. 1892) and Lea previously quoted, added a number of new species to our fauna.

The Potato-leaf Lady-bird.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Common Spotted Lady-bird.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Genus _Epilachna_ contains all our plant-feeding lady-bird beetles, two of which are common. The 28-spot lady-bird, _Epilachna 28-punctata_, has a wide range extending from China and India to all parts of Australia; it measures about ⅓ of an inch in length, is of a dull yellowish brown tint marked with rounded black spots, and clothed with a fine pubescence. Crotch says: “This species varies almost to infinity, and gradually runs into the common 6-spotted type, so that I cannot give any structural differences.” Its curious gregarious larvae are dull yellow covered with black spined tubercles; about Sydney they are often found upon the foliage of the trumpet flower (_Datura stramonium_), but in the north of N.S. Wales often damage the foliage of potatoes. _E. guttatopustulata_ ranges from Tasmania to North Australia, and is a common insect in the Richmond River scrubs, N.S.W.; it is a large beetle, easily recognised by the large, rounded, yellowish red blotch on the sides of the elytra.

The Yellow-shouldered Lady-bird.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Striped Lady-bird.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The typical _Coccinella repanda_ measures ⅕ of an inch in length; it is a little, rounded, bright yellow beetle, with the head and thorax blackish, the elytra striped down the centre, and marked on either side with two irregular black V-shaped blotches. It has a wide range over Australia, and feeds upon all kinds of aphids, sometimes appearing in great numbers all over the country. _Leis conformis_ is a larger species, of a uniform bright orange yellow, thickly spotted with black. It is a common garden insect, where the clusters of its slender yellow eggs may be often noticed attached to the bark of aphis infested trees; and its elongated, smoky tinted larvae, blotched on the sides with orange, may be often watched feeding upon rose or peach aphis. _Thea galbula_ is a dainty little lady-bird, with the dorsal surface bright pale yellow, marked with black in the centre of the thorax; the dorsal stripe down the centre of the elytra connects two pairs of black blotches crossing the centre and base. It measures about ⅙ of an inch in length, and is at times common in our gardens. _Verania frenata_ is ⅙ of an inch; it is yellow, with the thorax black behind, and with three stripes of the same colour down the elytra. It has a wide range from Tasmania to New Caledonia and the Malayan Islands.

The Genus _Orcus_ contains a number of metallic blue-black lady-birds which feed chiefly upon scale insects; their larvae are grey and black creatures with the dorsal surface covered with fine spines; several species are common on scale infested citrus trees. _Orcus chalybeus_, measuring about ⅛ of an inch in length, is of a uniform deep metallic steel blue. _O. australasiae_ is a larger species with two rounded yellow spots on each side of the elytra. _O. bilunulatus_ is a still larger insect, with only one yellow blotch on either side of the front of the thorax.

The Steel-blue Lady-bird.

(“Agricultural Gazette,” N.S.W.)]

The Six-spot Blue Lady-bird.