224

BROAD-NOSED WEEVILS

CURCULIONIDAE: ENTIMINAE

T

he large subfamily Entiminae are usually

called broad-nosed weevils because, unlike

most other weevils, the rostrum (informally called a

“nose,” though it is really an extension of the head

with the jaws at the end) is short and stout, housing

the powerful muscles for the large biting mandibles.

Long-lived adult entimines are able to consume

a wide variety of plant matter, including very tough

leaves, twigs, and the needles of conifers. Unlike

most weevils, they are usually polyphagous, meaning

they are not restricted to any particular plant family.

The larvae, white legless grubs with a brown head,

live in the soil, eating roots, and also feed on a range

of different plant families. Some species are pests of

horticulture, forestry, or agriculture, chewing notches

out of the leaves of crops, trees, or garden plants,

while their larvae eat the roots underground. The

adults are quite robust and long-lived, and many

suborder

Entiminae

known species

12,000

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica, although

several species are found in the sub-

Antarctic islands

habitat

Forests, plains, gardens, almost anywhere

where plants grow

size

2–25 mm

diet

Larvae feed in the soil on a variety of roots,

while adults feed on the green parts of the

plant, especially the leaves

notes

The metallic scales of entimine weevils have a

structural color, which means it is caused not

by pigments but by refraction and reflection

of light, working in the same way as some

CURCULIONIDAE: ENTIMINAE