The Attelabidae is a widespread family 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 ...
s. They are among the primitive weevils, because of their straight
antennae, which are inserted near the base of the rostrum. The
prothorax
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ...
is much narrower than the base of the
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 ...
on the abdomen. Attelabidae and the related family
Rhynchitidae
The tooth-nosed snout weevils, Rhynchitidae, are small beetles (1.5 to 6.5 mm) that are usually found in vegetation. They usually use buds, fruits, or seeds for oviposition. The tooth-nosed snout weevils receive this name due to the teeth on ...
are known commonly as the leaf-rolling weevils.
[Legalov, A. A. (2004)]
New data of the leaf-rolling weevils (Coleoptera: Rhynchitidae, Attelabidae) of the world fauna with description of 35 new taxons.
''Baltic Journal of Coleopterology'' 4(1) 63-88. Rhynchitidae may be treated as subfamily Rhynchitinae of the Attelabidae.
Some members of this family have long necks and may be called
giraffe weevil
The giraffe weevil (''Trachelophorus giraffa'') is a species of small weevil endemic to Madagascar. They are black-bodied and have bright red Elytron, elytra covering their wings. Giraffe weevils are known for their elongated necks, with the mal ...
s, particularly ''
Trachelophorus giraffa
The giraffe weevil (''Trachelophorus giraffa'') is a species of small weevil endemic to Madagascar. They are black-bodied and have bright red elytra covering their wings. Giraffe weevils are known for their elongated necks, with the males having ...
''. A few species are minor
agricultural pests
A pest is any organism harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. Humans have modified the environment fo ...
. The larvae of Rhynchitinae feed in flower buds, fruits, and terminal shoots, or are
leaf miner
A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera), sawflies (Symphyta, a paraphyletic group which ...
s. The subfamily Attelabinae are the true leaf rollers. The female cuts slits into leaves to deposit her eggs, and rolls that part of the leaf in which the larvae will feed.
Taxonomy
Selected genera
*''
Apoderus
''Apoderus'' is a genus of leaf-rolling beetles belonging to the family Attelabidae.
Selected species
* '' Apoderus coryli'' (Linnaeus, 1758
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von L ...
''
*''
Attelabus
''Attelabus'' is a genus of weevils belonging to the family Attelabidae.
Species
These species are members of the genus ''Attelabus'', found in Europe.
* '' Attelabus abdominalis'' Angelov, 1964
* '' Attelabus abyssinicus'' Hustache, 1923
* '' ...
''
*''
Cycnotrachelus''
*''
Eleuscelus''
[
*'']Euops
''Euops'' is a genus of the leaf-rolling weevils (family Attelabidae) containing more than 300 species. It is spread over most tropical and subtropical regions but is missing from America. The centre of its radiation is New Guinea and Australia ...
''
*'' Paralleuscelus''[
*'' Pareleuscelus''][
*'' Pheleuscelus''][
*'' Rhodocyrtus''
*'']Rhynchites
''Rhynchites'' is a genus of leaf and bud weevils in the family of beetles known as Attelabidae.
Species
These nine species belong to the genus ''Rhynchites'':
* '' Rhynchites auratus'' Schoenherr, 1833
* '' Rhynchites bellus'' (Legalov & Fremu ...
''
*'' Sawadaeuops''[
*'' Suniops''][Legalov, A. A. and N. Liu. (2005)]
New leaf-rolling weevils (Coleoptera: Rhynchitidae, Attelabidae) from China.
''Baltic Journal of Coleopterology'' 5(2) 99-132.
*''Trachelophorus
''Trachelophorus'' is a genus 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 w ...
''
Tree
The phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...
position of the family within the Curculionoidea based on 18S ribosomal DNA
The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) consists of a group of ribosomal RNA encoding genes and related regulatory elements, and is widespread in similar configuration in all domains of life. The ribosomal DNA encodes the non-coding ribosomal RNA, integral struc ...
and morphological data can be illustrated in a tree:
References
External links
Bugguide
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
Beetle families
{{Attelabidae-stub