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WEEVILS

CURCULIONOIDEA

T

he superfamily Curculionoidea, the weevils,

are characterized by having their head

extended between the eyes into a projection called

a rostrum, with the mouthparts at its tip. The

length and breadth of the rostrum varies, and in

some groups (such as bark beetles, Curculionidae:

Scolytinae) it has been lost altogether. The rostrum

is used as a drill to make a hole into which the egg is

laid, enabling the larva to develop deep inside the

plant substrate protected from predators, parasites,

and dehydration.

Curculionoidea is one of the hyperdiverse groups

in the suborder Polyphaga, and is a candidate for the

most species-rich beetle superfamily, the other two

being Chrysomeloidea and Staphylinoidea, each

with more than 61,000 formally named, living

species. In the present classification, seven

families are recognized in Curculionoidea: the

superfamily

Curculionoidea

known species

62,000

distribution

Worldwide, including sub-Antarctic islands

but not Antarctica itself. Most abundant in

the tropics

habitat

Most habitats, from deserts to tropical

swamps

size

1–75 mm

diet

Adults and larvae of almost all species feed

on plants

notes

The family Curculionidae, with more than

50,000 species, is extremely diverse, and

several groups now regarded as subfamilies

have been treated as separate families in the

recent past. One example is the palm weevil

CURCULIONOIDEA—Weevils