The

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Curculioninae is part of the

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 ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 ...

. It contains over 23,500 described

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in 2,200

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

, and is therefore the largest weevil subfamily. Given that the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

(Coleoptera) contains about one-quarter of all known

organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...

s, the Curculioninae represent one of the – if not ''the'' – most successful radiations of terrestrial

Metazoa Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a hol ...

. Many weevils of this group are commonly known as flower weevils or acorn and nut weevils, after a food commonly eaten by Curculioninae

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e and imagines — the

reproductive organ A sex organ, also known as a reproductive organ, is a part of an organism that is involved in sexual reproduction. Sex organs constitute the primary sex characteristics of an organism. Sex organs are responsible for producing and transporting ...

s of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

Systematics

This large

is divided into around 30

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

s. Delimitation of the Curculioninae is fairly robust considering its enormous size; there is some dispute, however, in their exact boundary with the

Molytinae Molytinae is a subfamily of weevils described by Carl Johan Schönherr in 1823. Molytinae includes the following tribes: * Amalactini * Aminyopini * Amorphocerini * Anchonini * Cholini * Cleogonini * Conotrachelini * Cycloterini * ...

. The Phrynixini and Trypetidini are also included in the Curculioninae by some authors, but more often they are considered Molytinae; conversely, the Itini are usually placed in the Curculioninae but sometimes in the Molytinae, which are also expanded by certain authors to include, among others, the whole

Cryptorhynchinae Cryptorhynchinae is a large subfamily of weevils (Curculionidae), with some 6000 species. They are found in most zoogeographic regions, although they are most diverse in the Neotropics, Australia, and Oceania. They are distinguished by having ...

. These, as well as the Ceutorhynchinae, are sometimes included in the Curculioninae as additional tribes Cryptorhynchini and Ceutorhynchini. And some genera while almost certainly Curculioninae, are too unusual and/or ancient to be easily assigned to a specific tribe. Features used to distinguish some of the tribes are:

List of tribes

The subfamily Curculioninae consists of the following

s:
Some notable genera are also listed. * Acalyptini Thomson, 1859 ** '' Acalyptus'' ** '' Anchylorhynchus'' * AcentriniSeidlitz, 1890 * Acentrusini Alonso-Zarazaga, 2005 * Ancylocnemidini Voss, 1962 * Anoplini Bedel, 1884 * Anthonomini Thomson, 1859 ** '' Anthonomus'' ** '' Brachonyx'' * Camarotini Schönherr, 1833 * Ceratopodini Lacordaire, 1863 * Cionini Schönherr, 1825 ** '' Cionus'' * Cranopoeini Kuschel, 2009 * Cryptoplini Lacordaire, 1863 * Curculionini Latreille, 1802 ** ''

Curculio ''Curculio'' is a genus of weevils belonging 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 specie ...

'' * Derelomini Lacordaire, 1865 * Diabathrariini Lacordaire, 1863 * Ellescini Thomson, 1859 ** '' Dorytomus'' ** '' Ellescus'' * Erodiscini Lacordaire, 1863 * Eugnomini Lacordaire, 1863 ** '' Meriphus'' ** '' Pactolotypus'' * Geochini Zimmerman, 1994 * Gonipterini Lacordaire, 1863 ** '' Gonipterus'' * Itini Reitter, 1913 * Mecinini Gistel, 1848 ** '' Mecinus'' ** '' Rhinusa'' * Neosharpiini Hoffmann, 1956 * Nerthopini Lacordaire, 1865 * Otidocephalini Lacordaire, 1863 * Piazorhinini Lacordaire, 1863 * Prionobrachiini Hustache, 1938 * Pyropini Lacordaire, 1865 * Rhamphini Rafinesque, 1815 ** '' Rhynchaenus'' * Smicronychini Seidlitz, 1891 * Sphaeriopoeini Kuschel, 2003 * Storeini Lacordaire, 1863 ** '' Glaucopela'' ** '' Peristoreus'' * Styphlini Jekel, 1861 ** ''

Pseudostyphlus ''Pseudostyphlus'' is a genus of beetles 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 s ...

'' * Tychiini Gistel, 1848 ** '' Lignyodes'' ** '' Tychius'' * Ulomascini Lacordaire, 1865 ** '' Misophrice'' * Viticiini Morimoto, 1983

Systematics

List of tribes

See also

Footnotes

References

External links