![Curculionidae (Snout Beetle) They are recognized by their distinctive long snout and geniculate antennae with small clubs; beyond that, curculionids have considerable diversity of form and size, with adult lengths ranging from 1 to 40 millimetres (0.04 to 1.57 in).<br />
Weevils are almost entirely plant feeders, and most species are associated with a narrow range of hosts, in many cases only living on a single species. With so many species to classify and over 400 genera, the taxonomy of this family is quite complicated, and authors disagree on the number and placement of various subfamilies, tribes and subtribes.<br />
The word "weevil" has been made famous by the boll weevil, which lays its eggs and feeds inside cotton bolls, ruining the crop.<br />
[edit] Curculionidae,Insects,MACRO,Rhynchophorus ferrugineus,Snout Beetle,beetles,invasive species](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/80/1526_medium.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1683763210&Signature=g2b8qAuV5BO0cJhs5oEPrzuFbrw%3D)
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Curculionidae (Snout Beetle)
They are recognized by their distinctive long snout and geniculate antennae with small clubs; beyond that, curculionids have considerable diversity of form and size, with adult lengths ranging from 1 to 40 millimetres (0.04 to 1.57 in).
Weevils are almost entirely plant feeders, and most species are associated with a narrow range of hosts, in many cases only living on a single species. With so many species to classify and over 400 genera, the taxonomy of this family is quite complicated, and authors disagree on the number and placement of various subfamilies, tribes and subtribes.
The word "weevil" has been made famous by the boll weevil, which lays its eggs and feeds inside cotton bolls, ruining the crop.
[edit]
The red palm weevil, ''Rhynchophorus ferrugineus'', is a species of snout beetle also known as the Asian palm weevil or sago palm weevil. The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between two and five centimeters long, and are usually a rusty red colour - but many colour variants exist and have often been misidentified as different species . Weevil larvae can excavate holes in the trunk of a palm trees up to a metre long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant. As a result,.. more
comments (7)
Did I say nose? I meant snout of course ;)
Posted 11 years ago
"The Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a beetle within the family Curculionidae. It grows to a length of 2-4 centimeters and has an elongate-oval body which ranges from a ferruginous to black color. A native to Southeast Asia, this successful pest species has dispersed to over 60 countries within the past 3 decades. It can now be found throughout Africa, areas of Europe, parts of the Mediterranean, and even Southern California. It has proven to be a major threat to modern agriculture as its failed containment has led to the destruction of many palm plantations worldwide.
While the Red Palm Weevil prefers young date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) and coconut palms (Cocos nucifera), it also feeds on many other palm species. Infestations generally begin with an adult female boring a hole into a young palm trunk and ovipositing a clutch of around 200 eggs into the damaged tissues. Larvae emerge after around 3 days, further tunneling through the palm tree and into the heart with their strong, horizontal conical jaws. Furthermore, they feed on the soft tissues and terminal buds, cutting off the vital transport of water and nutrients to the palm tree. After completing their development, the larvae undergo pupation for 3 weeks before emerging as adults. Once their food source has been fully exhausted (and the palm has been weakened or killed), adult weevils will fly to other palms to continue the cycle of infestation.
{Observed by JungleDragon user, iryna melnyk}
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/1526/curculionidae_snout_beetle.html"; Posted 4 years ago