''Rhyephenes'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
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 ...
s in 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 ...
(true
weevils
Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. ...
) native to
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
and neighboring mountains in the Argentine Andes, ranging from the
Coquimbo Region in the north to
Magallanes Region
The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region () or Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctica Region in English, is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and sec ...
in the south.
In
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
it is known by the common names burrito and caballito de palo.
Description
Its
elytra
An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...
are fused, hence it cannot fly. The body is mostly black, with most species showing two white or orange spots on the elytra, and some showing a reddish hue in the
thorax
The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen.
In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
and legs. They grow up to long, the females slightly bigger than the males.
Taxonomy
''Rhyephenes'' contains the following species:
* ''
Rhyephenes gayi''
* ''
Rhyephenes maillei''
* ''
Rhyephenes squamiger''
* ''
Rhyephenes humeralis''
* ''
Rhyephenes lateralis''
* ''
Rhyephenes clathratus''
* ''
Rhyephenes goureaui''
References
Invasive.orgnublenaturaleza
Curculionidae
Beetles of South America
Insects described in 1837
Taxa named by Carl Johan Schönherr
{{Chile-stub