Vine weevil

Vine weevil
Furrowed vine weevil (side view)
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta) Order : Beetle (Coleoptera) Family : Weevil (Curculionidae) Subfamily : Entiminae Tribe : Otiorhynchini Genre : Vine weevil
Scientific name
Otiorhynchus
Germar , 1822

The black weevil ( Otiorhynchus ) represent a genus of beetles from the family of the weevils (Curculionidae). Many representatives are regarded as agricultural pests, since the larvae eat the roots, tubers and rhizomes and the adults ( imagines ) are mainly from leaves, buds or feed young shoots of plants.

features

Black weevils are usually dark black or brown in color. However, some representatives can also be colored yellow. They can be between 3 and 14 mm in size. The proboscis typical for them is always strongly developed and has ear-shaped bulge-like structures ( called pterygias ), which are located next to the antennae. At the top they are widened and about twice as long as they are wide. The top of the body as well as the rails, the antennae and the thighs thickened in the middle are bald, less often hairy or scaly. The upper back (the pronotum ) is often fluted, wrinkled, granular and provided with dark brown to yellow colored dots.

Way of life

The adult animals usually appear at dusk or at night and are polyphagous on herbaceous plants or smaller trees from April to October. The introduction of the pest in agriculture or in the garden often takes place with the substrate or via potted plants, from which they then spread to the various plant species. The control of the larvae can be done with predatory nematodes .

After copulation , the eggs are laid in the ground, which is also possible with young generation, where the larvae first feed on the roots. The resulting pupae dig themselves into smaller holes in the ground and mostly overwinter again as larvae, less often as pupae. The beetle attracts attention through the leaves that have been eaten away from the edge. In case of danger, he drops to the ground and looks for a hiding place.

Types (selection)

The black weevil genus is extensive. It comprises around 1,000 species and subspecies in the Palearctic . Here is a small selection:

• Otiorhynchus armadillo
• Otiorhynchus coecus - Black Weevil or Large Black Weevil
• Otiorhynchus crataegi - hawthorn vine weevil or bush vine weevil
• Otiorhynchus cribricollis
• Otiorhynchus lepidopterus
• Otiorhynchus ligustici - clover lucerne weevil or alfalfa vine weevil
• Otiorhynchus morio
• Otiorhynchus niger - Medium black weevil
• Otiorhynchus ovatus - Small black weevil
• Otiorhynchus raucus - Rough vine weevil
• Otiorhynchus sulcatus - Furrowed vine weevil

Web links

Commons : Otiorhynchus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jiři Zahradník, Irmgard Jung, Dieter Jung et al .: Käfer Central and Northwest Europe , Parey Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-490-27118-1
2. ↑ Otiorhynchus Germar 1822. Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on July 2, 2007 .