Curculionidae
Encyclopedia
Curculionidae is the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of the "true" weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...

s (or "snout beetles"). It was formerly recognized in 1998 as the largest of any animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...

 family, with over 40,000 species described worldwide at that time. Today, it is still one of the largest known.

Description

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 mm (0.0393700787401575 to 1.6 ).

Weevils are almost entirely plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

 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
Boll weevil
The boll weevil is a beetle measuring an average length of six millimeters, which feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central America, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all U.S. cotton-growing areas by the 1920s,...

, which lays its eggs and feeds inside cotton bolls, ruining the crop.

Phylogeny

The phylogeny of the group is complex; with 40,000 species there is a spirited debate about the relationships between subfamilies and genera. A 1997 analysis attempted to construct a phylogeny based mainly on larval characteristics.

See also

  • Black vine weevil
    Black vine weevil
    Otiorhynchus sulcatus, commonly known as the black vine weevil, is native to Europe, but common in North America as well. It is a pest of many garden plants.-Overview:...

  • Boll weevil
    Boll weevil
    The boll weevil is a beetle measuring an average length of six millimeters, which feeds on cotton buds and flowers. Thought to be native to Central America, it migrated into the United States from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all U.S. cotton-growing areas by the 1920s,...

  • Pecan weevil
    Curculio caryae
    The pecan weevil, Curculio caryae is an obligate feeder on the nuts of North American hickories and pecans , most widely recognized as an economically important pest of the pecan, Carya illinoinensis...

  • Wheat weevil
    Wheat weevil
    Wheat weevils , also known as grain weevils or granary weevils, occur all over the world and are a common pest in many places. They can cause significant damage to harvested grains that are being stored and may drastically decrease yields...

  • Hylobius
    Hylobius
    Hylobius is a genus of true weevils . Several Hylobius species are major pests of coniferous trees.-Species:Species include:*Hylobius abietis Linnaeus, 1758 — pine weevil...

  • Pests and diseases of roses
    Pests and diseases of roses
    Roses are susceptible to a number of pests, diseases and disorders. A large number of the problems affecting roses are seasonal and climatic. Certain varieties of roses are naturally more resistant or immune than others to certain pests and diseases...

  • Rhinomacer
    Rhinomacer
    Rhinomacer is a genus of true weevils that can usually can be found on pine trees.-Species:*Rhinomacer alni*Rhinomacer antiodontalgicus*Rhinomacer attelaboides*Rhinomacer auratus*Rhinomacer australiae*Rhinomacer avellanae...


External links

On the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...

Featured Creatures website:
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