Curculionidae
True weevils and bark beetles | |
---|---|
Cholus cinctus, Panama | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Clade: | Phytophaga |
Superfamily: | Curculionoidea |
Family: | Curculionidae Latreille, 1802 |
Diversity | |
Some 20 subfamilies (see text) |
The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families with 6,800 genera and 83,000[1] species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae.[2]
They include the
Description
Adult Curculionidae can be recognised by the well-developed, downwards-curved snout (rostrum) possessed by many species, though the rostrum is sometimes short (e.g. Entiminae).[3][4] They have elbowed antennae that end in clubs, and the first antennal segment often fits into a groove in the side of the rostrum.[3][4] The body tends to be robust, convex, heavily sclerotised and covered in scales or bristles.[3] Curculionidae range in size from 1-35 mm long, usually being 5-15 mm long.[4] Most Curculionidae are sexually dimorphic with females (compared to males) having antennae positioned more basally and a longer, thinner rostrum.[4]
Larval Curculionidae are C-shaped and lightly sclerotised, with minute antennae, robust mandibles[3] and no legs.[5]
Most weevils feed on plants as larvae and adults, and they include important pests of cultivated plants that chew holes in fruits, nuts and other parts.[4] The long rostrum possessed by most adult weevils is used by females to help lay eggs (oviposit) inside plant tissue.[5] Some feed on rotten wood or bark (e.g. Cossoninae and Cryptorhynchinae), and some are wood-borers that feed on ambrosia fungi (Platypodinae and some Scolytinae).[3]
Although pesticide resistance hasn't historically been an issue with these insects, recently a mutation was discovered in association with the voltage-gated sodium channel in the species Sitophilus zeamais, indicating there is a lot to learn about how these insects adapt to changing environments.[6]
Behavior
When disturbed, adult curculionids often play dead by lying motionless on their backs.[4]
Many species of weevils are common household and garden pests, but don't harm people, pets, or buildings. Their presence is more of a temporary nuisance. In tropical areas they have larger effects, specifically several species in the genera Conotrachelus and Copturus.[7]
Cylas formicarius has been observed with an increased amount of inbreeding suppression than is normal for the average population of weevils, both intraspecific and interspecific.[8]
Phylogeny and systematics
The
Recent work on the phylogenetic relationships in weevils mentions the two subfamily groups Adelognatha (short-nosed weevils, subfamily Entiminae) and Phanerognatha (long-nosed weevils, subfamilies of Curculionidae other than Entiminae) for the species of Curculionidae.[9]
Almost two dozen
The timeline for current and extant weevil speciation and diversification is consistent with the radiation of gymnosperms during the Mesozoic period.[10]
The subfamilies considered valid by at least some authors today:
- Bagoinae (sometimes in Molytinae)
- Baridinae
- Brachycerinae (disputed)
- Conoderinae (sometimes in Baridinae)
- Cossoninae
- Cryptorhynchinae (sometimes in Curculioninae)
- Curculioninae – flower weevils, acorn and nut weevils
- Cyclominae
- Dryophthorinae (sometimes placed at family level)
- Entiminae – broad-nosed weevils
- Etheridgea (disputed)
- Hyperinae (sometimes in Molytinae)
- Lixinae (sometimes in Molytinae)
- Mesoptiliinae (sometimes in Molytinae)
- Molytinae
- Orobitidinae (sometimes in Baridinae)
- Platypodinae – typical ambrosia beetles, "higher" Curculionidaes[2]
- Raymondionyminae (sometimes in Brachycerinae)
- Scolytinae– bark beetles
- Xiphaspidinae (sometimes in Baridinae)
See also
- Black vine weevil
- Boll weevil
- Pecan weevil
- Wheat weevil
- Hylobius
- Orthorhinus cylindrirostris
- Premnotrypes
- Scolytoplatypus
- Pests and diseases of roses
References
- ^ "Curculionidae". www.gbif.org.
- ^ ISSN 2052-174X.
- ^ a b c d e "Coleoptera | What Bug Is That?". anic.csiro.au. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ a b c d e f "Family Curculionidae - Snout and Bark Beetles". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ S2CID 202843753. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- S2CID 205307830.
- ISBN 978-953-51-3033-8.
- S2CID 25037423.
- ISBN 978-1-4020-2240-1.
- PMID 29294021.
External links
- Media related to Curculionidae at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Curculionidae at Wikispecies