''Trichapion rostrum'', the baptisia seed pod weevil or wild indigo weevil, 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), ...
of
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 ...
in the
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 ...
Brentidae
Brentidae is a cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family of primarily xylophagy, xylophagous beetles also known as straight-snouted weevils; they have sometimes been called "primitive weevils", but this name also applies to taxa such as the ...
.
Description
Adult is entirely black. Its namesake elongated snout is called a
rostrum
Rostrum may refer to:
* Any kind of a platform for a speaker:
**dais
**pulpit
** podium
* Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects
* Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ...
, and has antennae attached near its base.
Ecology
Adult females deposit eggs in seedpods of wild indigo (genus ''
Baptisia
''Baptisia'' (wild indigo, false indigo) is a genus in the legume family, Fabaceae. They are flowering herbaceous perennial plants with pea-like flowers, followed by pods, which are sometimes inflated. They are native to woodland and grassland i ...
'') plants; the larvae feed on seeds in the pods.
Seed predation by weevils can adversely affect reproduction of the ''
Baptisia
''Baptisia'' (wild indigo, false indigo) is a genus in the legume family, Fabaceae. They are flowering herbaceous perennial plants with pea-like flowers, followed by pods, which are sometimes inflated. They are native to woodland and grassland i ...
'' host.
References
External links
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Brentidae
{{Brentidae-stub