''Cionus hortulanus'' is a species of

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...

s belonging to the family

Curculionidae 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 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae. Th ...

, subfamily

Curculioninae The beetle subfamily Curculioninae is part of the weevil family (biology), family Curculionidae. It contains over 23,500 described species in 2,200 genera, and is therefore the largest weevil subfamily. Given that the beetle order (biology), or ...

Etymology

The genus name ''Cionus'' derives from the Greek ''kíonos'', meaning ''column'', with reference to the shape of the snout. The Latin species name ''hortulanus'' means ''garden warden''.

Distribution and habitat

This species is present in most of Europe, in NW Africa, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Iran, Siberia, Central Asia and India. These beetles mainly inhabit meadows and hedge rows.

Description

''Cionus hortulanus'' can reach a length of .Commanster
/ref> These tiny beetles have a short, oblong and convex body, a conical thorax and a long thin rostrum. Thorax and elytra are covered with grey scales. The basic body color is grey-brown, with one large velvety black spot in the middle of the elytra and a smaller one at the apex. The elytra bears four raised lines with a series of black markings. The antennae are reddish.

Biology

Adults of these beetles can be found from June to September. They feed on leaves of ''

Buddleja ''Buddleja'' (; ''Buddleia''; also historically given as ''Buddlea'') is a genus comprising over 140 species of flowering plants endemicity, endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The generic name bestowed by Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus posthu ...

'' and ''

Verbascum ''Verbascum'' is a genus of over 450 species of flowering plants, common name mullein (), in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae. They are native to Europe and Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean. Mullein or "mullein le ...

'' species, while larvae feed on Water Figwort (''

Scrophularia auriculata ''Scrophularia auriculata'', the shoreline figwort or water figwort, is a perennial plant of the genus Scrophularia in the family Scrophulariaceae. It is found commonly in Western Europe and North Africa, on the margins of rivers, ponds and simil ...

''), Common Figwort (''

Scrophularia nodosa ''Scrophularia nodosa'' (also called figwort, woodland figwort, and common figwort) is a perennial herbaceous plant found in temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere except western North America. It grows in moist and cultivated waste ground. ...

'') and Great Mullein (''

Verbascum thapsus ''Verbascum thapsus'', the great mullein, greater mullein or common mullein, is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand. It is a hairy biennial plant that can ...

'').Bullock, J.A., 1992 Host Plants of British Beetles: A List of Recorded Associations Females lay eggs on leaves of the host plants.

References

* * Curculioninae Beetles described in 1785 {{Curculioninae-stub