Ecological data on some neotropical Scolytidae, Platypodidae and Bostrychidae (Coleoptera), mainly of Surinam

When working at the Tropical Institute, Amsterdam (1952—1957), some cases came to my notice of small borers belonging to the Scolytidae, Platypodidae and Bostrychidae attacking newly felled timber in Surinam and causing the same well-known trouble as in other tropical regions. My interest in the neotropical representatives of these families was further aroused by the material handed to me by my friend J. G. Betrem who had collected it during the two months that he carried on investigations into the status of Xyleborus morigerus in coffee plantations near Cali, Colombia, in 1959. This led me to assembling and assorting the material of these families of West Indian origin to be found in the collections of the Leiden and Amsterdam museums. This material was rather scanty and partly unnamed but it still provided some interesting data. Recently Mr. P. H. van Doesburg jr, entomologist at the Landbouwproefstation (Agricultural Experiment Station) at Paramaribo submitted some newly acquired Scolytidae which he had collected in the Surinam plantations. They provided some data on the habits and economic status of the little borers additional to those compiled by J. B. M. van Dinther in his book on the Insect pests of cultivated plants in Surinam (1960), in which survey a few species collected by him but not fully identified, were mentioned. At my request I then received for examination the latter specimens kept in the collection of the Entomological Laboratory at Wageningen, and, through the kind cooperation of Dr. D. C. Geyskes and Mr. van Doesburg, also all the material preserved in the collections of the Surinam Museum and the Experiment Station at Paramaribo. My main interest was directed towards the ecological data and a search was made for information to be found in earlier reports and in the literature of adjacent countries. In this way sufficient relevant data accumulated to warrant the publication of the present paper. For the identification of species unknown to us and the verification of old names I applied to Professor S. L. Wood, Provo, Utah, U.S.A. on various occasions. A few Bostrychidae were identified by the late Professor J. M. Vrijdagh, Brussels.