The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-09-28
Cattle Chief Cause OF
Destruction.
PROF. KOEBELE SAYS THEY
SHOULD BE SHOT DOWN
Interesting Report of the Learned Government
Entomologist on Our Arborea Enemies
To Commissioner Wray Taylor.

been introduced some five years since. II
has become very common.
The seeds of the koa trees were Destroy
ed to some extent by the larve of tor
tried. apparently a species of carpocapsa,
and as Mr.. Perkins informs me- It ID
represented on all the Islands. We are
breeding the same at present from lot
of seeds of "mamani," saphora chryso-
phylla, brought down from Puuwaawaa.
Judging from the large quantities of par
asites issuing, these larvae are never SO
numerous as to destroy all the koa seeds.
Perhaps more numerous is a weevil, OF
foreign origin, represented on all the ISL
ards wherever the koa tree Is growing.
, upon the seeds of which It breeds. Not
only is this the only tree upon which It
Is found, but the seeds of most of the
acacia, and especially those Of prospis
dulcis, are destroyed by this bruchus.
Nevertheless, any part OF koa forest
I fer ced off. or entirely undisturbed, will
sc on reproduce large quantities of young
trees of this valuable timber, rs can be
seen at Lihue, Kauai.
What Is most appar-
HOLES DO ent throughout the dy-
NOT CAUSE ing forests are the nu-
THE DECAY. merous small holes seer
on some of the trees, ir
nm unhealthy condition. 1t is supposed
that the insects producing the same are
the cause of the ultimate decay Of the
trees, which Is by no means the case In
any undlsturbed forest such signs are In
deed rarity. save perhaps in the Ma
co." myoporum sandwicense, which prac-
tically has these holes during the entire
time of its existence, with but little det-
riment to the plant itself If by any
cause, natural or otherwise, tree be-
comes injured. branch blown off, etc.
the first insects to appear are the indigo
nous cerambycidae, which produce tbs
hnlnz n q a q
greatest help to aScollector of these in
sects to cut down one of the particular
trees, upon which the desired beetle feeds
In couple of days or so they will often
APPEAR In large numbers ready to oviposit
their eggs.
! I will now refer to the more common
and well-known form of these cerambye
Ids, and tho respective trees upon which
they breed. 1t must be borne in mind
however, that the insects referred tt
will never attack trees in a perfectly
healthy condition. A popularity OF these
insects Is their habit: instead of bein.
nocturnal, they are active during the hot,
test part of the day, from l. a. m. tc
p. M. when the sun is highest.
Plagithmysus variaIs Is found upon thu
koa tree on Hawaii. where 1t breeds bott
in the trunks and larger limbs. as do the
rest of the genus.
Plagithmysus puloerulentus and pla
githmysus cristatus are found upon tbs
same tree on Oahu: on Kauai two othe,
species are found upon the same tree
these are plagithmysus aeqnal!s and
plagithmysus arachnipes.
-Four species are known to breed upor
the "mamani," sophora chrysophylla. o.
these two are found on Hawaii. plagith.
mysus. Darwinianus and plagithmysus
Blackburne. The first was found very
common at Puuwaawaa, where the tree Is
numerous as yet.
Plaglthmysus funebris Is found on Maui
and plagithmysus bilineatus on this tree
or. Kauai.
The large genus of "alani," Pelea hav,
so far four known species: two out o
Plagithmysus bishopi and pla;githmysu
vicinus have been found on these tree
b. Mr.. Perkins, and the first named ha.
been met with at Puuwaawaa.
Plagitbmysus collaris occurs on Mau
and plagithmysus diana on Kauai.
The "ohia Lehua," metrosideros poly
morpha, has four known species at least
plagithmysus finschi and plagithmysu
puvillatus are on Maui: plagithmysu
Lanaiensls on Lanai; plagithmysus aesti
vus on Molokai. We know that this tre'
Is also attacked on Hawaii.
The "ohia-ha," eugenia sandWicensis, Il
affected on Kauai by plaglthmysus CONGO
lor, and on the same Island plagithmysu'
nermundus infests the "ahakea." bohef
sp. The same trees are attacked on OAHU
by callithmysus microgaster.
Plagithmysus perkinsi is the insect up
on the marc" myoporum sandwiches
on Hawaii. Plagithmysus lamarklanus Il
found upon the ''mamake," pipturus abb
dus. on the Island of Hawaii, whilst or
Oahu, upon the same tree, an undescrib
ed species was found.
At Puuwaawaa W.
TWO NEW found two new specie
SPECIES of plagithmysus, one In
ARE FOUND. habiting the 'aiea.'
nothocestrum brevlfior
um and the other is found breeding II
the "koko" or "akoko," euphorbia lori
folia, a dead tree of which was fount
filled with larvae, which are rather badl,
parasiticed,
Another genus, or rather small cerambi
cidae, Is living chiefly In the deaC
branches of various trees, and as far al
known they are attached to sophora chry
rophylla and acacia koa. Clytarlus fill
pes and clytarlus medccris have beer
found on the first named tree, on Hawai-
and Maui respectively
Ten species are known to infest th'
koa tree, clytarlus debilis. clyereus claw
ger and cligtarlus nodifer on Hawaii
clytarlus modestus, clyterlus latlcolli
and clytarlus pennatus on Maui; Oahl
has but one known species, clytarlu
branches of koa from Nuuanu valley
The branches were brought in during De
cember. 1898. and on January 10th. 1893
seven beetles had Issued, and of para
sites, 90 females and rs males. Again OF
March Sd, 1899. we counted II beetles. II
females and IS male parasites; all thes
of one species and found on all the Isl
ahds, paratisio upon piagithmysus a
well; It has also been bred upon larvae o
introduced cerambycids.
The three other species, ciytarlus moder
tus, clytarlus longipes and clytartus an
nectens. We're found by Mr. Perkins {