''Euops'' is a genus of the leaf-rolling weevils (family
Attelabidae
The Attelabidae is a widespread family of weevils. They are among the primitive weevils, because of their straight antennae, which are inserted near the base of the rostrum. The prothorax is much narrower than the base of the elytra on the ab ...
) containing more than 300 species. It is spread over most tropical and subtropical regions but is missing from America. The centre of its radiation is
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
and
Australia where it is the only representative of the subfamily Attelabinae.
Females of ''Euops'' have
mycangia in the space between
metathorax
The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the third pair of legs. Its principal sclerites ( exoskeletal plates) are the metanotum (dorsal), the metasternum (ventral), and the metapleuron (lateral) ...
and
abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the tors ...
. Leaf rolls prepared for
oviposition are inoculated with spores from these mycangia.
Moreover, the leaf-rolls are treated by the female using abdominal setose brushes that in most species apply secretions of unknown function. The
fungus
A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...
growing on a thus treated leaf-roll does not improve its nutritional value but may play a role as an antagonist of other microbes potentially harmful to the weevil
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
.
References
Attelabidae
{{Attelabidae-stub