''Phyllobius glaucus'' is a

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), ...

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 ...

found across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, especially in carrs. It is a pest of a variety of

fruit tree A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans. All trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the te ...

s, but has little economic effect. It was first described by

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italians, Italian physician and natural history, naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first ...

in 1763.

Description

Adults grow to long. The body is black, but is covered with elongate, hair-like scales that give the animal a very variable, greenish-brown appearance. The legs are reddish brown.

Distribution

''Phyllobius glaucus'' is common and widespread in

. A single specimen of ''P. glaucus'' (under the name ''P. calcaratus'') has been recorded from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, but this is thought to be an error.

Ecology and life cycle

''Phyllobius glaucus'' is associated with a wide range of trees and shrubs, and is a minor pest of

s, including

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

and

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

s. The insects chew small holes in the

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

and

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s of the trees. It is a typical component of the fauna of

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

carr in

northwestern Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The term is used in geographic, history, and military contexts. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northwestern ...

Taxonomic history

''Phyllobius glaucus'' was first described by

in his 1763 work ', under the name ''Curculio glaucus''. A second species was later named ''Curculio glaucus'', but has since been renamed to '' Coniocleonus glaucus''. Taxonomic synonyms of ''Phyllobius glaucus'' include: *''Curculio glaucus'' Scopoli, 1763 *''Curculio coelestinus'' Scopoli, 1763 *''Curculio carniolicus'' Gmelin, 1790 *''Curculio calcaratus'' Fabricius, 1792 *''Phyllobius calcaratus'' (Fabricius, 1792) *''Curculio caesius'' Marsham, 1802 *''Curculio cnides'' Marsham, 1802 *''Phyllobius atrovirens'' Gyllenhal, 1834 *''Phyllobius alneti'' C. G. Thomson, 1859 *''Phyllobius maculatus'' Tournier, 1877 *''Phyllobius nudus'' Westhoff, 1882 *''Phyllobius densatus'' Schilsky, 1886 *''Phyllobius schilskyi'' Faust, 1890 *''Phyllobius nigripes'' Gerhardt, 1900 *''Phyllobius nigrofemoratus'' Gabriel, 1900 *''Phyllobius fuscofumosus'' Reitter, 1906 *''Phyllobius tibialis'' Schilsky, 1908 *''Phyllobius pseudodensatus'' Reitter, 1916

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16669845 Entiminae Beetles of Europe Beetles described in 1763 Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli

Description

Distribution

Ecology and life cycle

Taxonomic history

Further reading

References