Curculio

Curculio
A filbert weevil (Curculio occidentis) on an acorn cap
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Subfamily: Curculioninae
Genus: Curculio
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

About 30; see text

Curculio larva emerging from Chinese chestnut acorn
Curculio sayi

Curculio is a genus of weevils belonging the family Curculionidae and subfamily Curculioninae.[1][2] Members of the genus are commonly referred to as acorn weevils or nut weevils as they infest the seeds of trees such as oaks and hickories. The adult female weevil bores a tiny hole in the immature nut to lay her eggs, which then hatch into legless grubs. In autumn, the grubs bore holes through the shells from the inside to emerge into the soil where they may live for a year or two before maturing into adults.[3]

Species

Species of Curculio include:

References

  1. ^ Lester P. Gibson (1969). Monograph of the genus Curculio in the New World (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). College Park, Maryland: Entomological Society of America.
  2. ^ Frank W. Pelsue Jr. & Runzhi Zhang (2000). "A review of the genus Curculio L. from China with descriptions of new taxa. Part I (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini)". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 54 (2): 125–142. doi:10.1649/0010-065X(2000)054[0125:AROTGC]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 4009530.
  3. ^ Otto Kumpe & Dwight Isely (1936). "Notes on biologies of nut infesting weevils". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 9 (1): 13–16. JSTOR 25081433.