Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

A bulldozer of the Insect World

I have a certain fascination with Weevils. The large ones, such as this specimen, are easy to see, and relatively slow moving, so they are photographable. Just.

This one would walk relatively quickly from any leaf or branch on which I put it. So I resorted to putting it on my hand. Even then, it walked straight off the edge of my hand. I let it go, because it was so determined to escape.



Black Leaf-rolling Weevil.
What surprised me about this specimen was that it lacked the long "nose" which I associate with Weevils. This Weevil has a double line of special reinforcing on the short "rostrum". It is clearly built for heavy-duty work. The antennae, come out from the "rostrum" in typical Weevil fashion. But the rostrum is very short, and heavy, with mouth parts very prominent.

Click to enlarge the head, rostrum and mouth parts.
Rostrum and mouth parts of Black Leaf-rolling Weevil
Here is a more usual Weevil, with a long rostrum.
I don't know exactly what the Weevil on today's story (in the first two photos) does with the leaves it apparently rolls, but it strikes me as being built like a virtual "bulldozer". That is especially true when comparing this heavy built insect with the Butterfly, from yesterday.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi there, i am also facinated by weevils, i am now studying Zoology because of my childhood facination. I have a few questions, i am not sure if you might know, but i have found a pair of black short Rostrum weevils on my driveway in a mating embrace, i collected them because i thought they had died, but to my amazement they where indeed alive and well, however i have been observing them for the past hour and a half and they have not seporated. i have been researching the mating habbits, and cannot find any information on this subject. I was curious to know if they stay like this long after the act, or are literly 'petrified'

any information would be most helpful.

on another note, i have not seen a brown cuckoo dove before, what a wonderful looking bird!


-Robyn.


p.s feel free to email me with any information you may find.

r_sewell@hotmail.com