''Rhynchaenus'' is a genus 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 alternatively placed in the subfamily Rhynchaeninae or in

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 ...

, of 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 ...

. It previously included members of the genus ''

Orchestes ''Orchestes'' is a genus of beetles either classified in the subfamily Rhynchaeninae or in the tribe Rhamphini of the subfamily Curculioninae, of the family Curculionidae. It encompasses six species in North America, including ''Orchestes stepp ...

'', but is now restricted to a vastly smaller group of species, all of which occur in Europe, Japan, or North Africa and feed on plants in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. Reports of its occurrence in North America refer to ''Orchestes'' species.

Taxonomy

A large number of species have been historically classified as ''Rhynchaenus'', although nearly all former species now are placed in different genera.

References

Literature cited

* Anderson, R.S. 1989
Revision of the subfamily Rhynchaeninae in North America (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
(subscription required). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 115(3):207–312. * Anderson, R.S., O'Brien, C.W., Salsbury, G.A. and Krauth, S.J. 2007
''Orchestes alni'' (L.) newly discovered in North America (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
(subscription required). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 80(1):78–79.

Taxonomy

References

Literature cited

Further reading