Weevil 'Pachyrhinus lethierryi' (lostiae variety)

A native weevil of the Mediterranean. first recorded in the UK in 2003, from when it has since spread, usually upon plants used for domestic hedges, which is how it probably reached the UK in the first place. Records on NBN Atlas give the impression of a widespread but highly localised distribution.

Elongate with a black body covered with dense green scales above and below. Generally this also applies to the teddy-bear shaped head area too, but this specimen on my Ivy demonstrated the 'lostiae' variation where the head sometimes has puprle of pinkish scales.

In this case, it's determined to be 'infrasubspecific', which means a classification lower than a sub-species. One not covered by a nomenclatural Code.

Breeding occurs in the spring and early summer following which larvae develop in the soil among the host roots. They overwinter in soil and complete their development in the spring.