Curculio

Belongs within: Curculioninae.

Curculio is a genus of weevils with a thin, elongate rostrum and cone-shaped, vertically moving mandibles. Larvae feed on seeds and galls of Fagaceae, Betulaceae and Juglandaceae. They then bore holes to emerge into soil in which they may live a further two years before maturing to adulthood. Some species are economically significant pests including the pecan weevil C. carya and nut weevil C. nucum. The acorn weevil C. glandium can significantly reduce the number of viable seeds among oak populations.

Characters (from Anderson 2002): Body size 4.2–13.0 mm; body with more or less uniform vestiture of brown or grey appressed scales; eye partly covered by anterior margin of pronotum; rostrum very long and slender; mandible prominent, slender, triangular in outline, inner face simple, not dentate; antenna with club longer than wide; front coxae positioned much closer to posterior margin of prosternum than to anterior margin, distance to anterior margin greater than twice distance to posterior margin; tarsus with claws free at base, claw with distinct and long basal tooth.

<==Curculio Linnaeus 1758 (see below for synonymy)A02
    |--*C. nucum Linnaeus 1758M94 [=Rhynchaenus nucumL02]
    |--C. abietis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. acridulus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. albinus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. algirus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. alliariae Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. alni Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. amoenus Fabricius 1775Z93 [=Balaninus amoenusMas86, Rhynchaenus amoenusB35]
    |--C. annulatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. apterus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. arator Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. argentatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. argyreus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. ater Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. aterrimus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. baculiM94
    |--C. barbarus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. betulae Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. bipunctatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. carbonarius Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. caryaB14
    |--C. caryatrypes (Boheman 1843)B14
    |--C. cervinus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. chinensis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. cloropus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. cordigerL02
    |--C. cornutus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. cupreus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. cyaneus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. depressus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. dorsalis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. elegansZ02
    |--C. elephasB14
    |--C. emeritus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. fagi Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. fraudatorM94
    |--C. glandium (Marsham 1802)HF03
    |--C. granulatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. guttatusMas86
    |--C. hemipterus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. hispidus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. imperialisG20
    |--C. indus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. lapathi Linnaeus 1758L58 [=Rhynchaenus lapathiL02]
    |--‘Balaninus’ mastersi Pascoe 1872Mas86
    |--C. melanocardius Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. mendicusZ93
    |--C. micansG20
    |--C. monticolaA02
    |--C. mucoreus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. nebulosus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. ovatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. pardalis (Chittenden 1908)D09
    |--C. pedicularius Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. pini Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. pomorum Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. populi Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. purpureus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. pusio Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. pyrrhoceras (Marsham 1802)HF03
    |--C. quadrimaculatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. quercus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. quinquemaculatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. quinquepunctatus Linnaeus 1758L58 [=Rhynchaenus quinquepunctatusL02]
    |--C. rectirostris Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. ruficornis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. rufipes Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. rumicis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. salicis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. salicivorus Paykull 1792HF03
    |--C. scaber Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. sedecimpunctatus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. segetis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. speciosus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. stigma Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. syriacus Desbrochers 1875HF03
    |--C. t-album Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--‘Balaninus’ tersus Pascoe 1885Mac86
    |--C. tridensB35
    |--C. vaginalis Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. violaceus Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--C. viridis Linnaeus 1758L58
    `--C. vittatus Linnaeus 1758L58
Nomen nudum: Curculio sanctus Hoffmanns in Schoenherr 1823 [=Somatodes sanctus]Z93

Curculio Linnaeus 1758 [incl. Balaninus Germar 1817, Carponinophilus Voss 1962, Pelecinus Wiedemann 1823 non Latreille 1800, Tropibalaninus Heller 1927; Balaninides]^A02

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[A02] Anderson, R. S. 2002. Curculionidae Latreille 1802. In: Arnett, R. H., Jr, M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley & J. H. Frank (eds) American Beetles vol. 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea pp. 722–815. CRC Press.

[B35] Boisduval, J. B. 1835. Voyage de Découvertes de l’Astrolabe. Exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826–1827–1828–1829, sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont d’Urville. Faune entomologique de l’océan Pacifique, avec l’illustration des insectes nouveaux recueillis pendant le voyage vol. 2. Coléoptères et autres ordres. J. Tastu: Paris.

[B14] Bouchard, P. (ed.) 2014. The Book of Beetles: A lifesize guide to six hundred of nature’s gems. Ivy Press: Lewes (United Kingdom).

[D09] Davis, S. R. 2009. Morphology of Baridinae and related groups (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). ZooKeys 10: 1–136.

[G20] Goldfuss, G. A. 1820. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte vol. 3. Handbuch der Zoologie pt 1. Johann Leonhard Schrag: Nürnberg.

[HF03] Halperin, J., & J. Fremuth. 2003. Contribution to the knowledge of Curculionoidea (Coleoptera) and their host plants in Israel. Zoology in the Middle East 29: 93–100.

[L02] Latreille, P. A. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière des crustacés et des insectes vol. 3. Familles naturelles des genres. F. Dufart: Paris.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis revised 10th ed. vol. 1. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[Mac86] Macleay, W. 1886. The insects of the Fly River, New Guinea, “Coleoptera” (continued). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (1): 183–204.

[Mas86] Masters, G. 1886. Catalogue of the described Coleoptera of Australia. Part V. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (3): 585–686.

[M94] May, B. M. 1994. An introduction to the immature stages of Australian Curculionoidea. In: Zimmerman, E. C. Australian Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) vol. 2. Brentidae, Eurhynchidae, Apionidae and a chapter on immature stages by Brenda May pp. 365–728. CSIRO Australia.

[Z02] Zherikhin, V. V. 2002. Ecological history of the terrestrial insects. In: Rasnitsyn, A. P., & D. L. J. Quicke (eds) History of Insects pp. 331–388. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht.

[Z93] Zimmerman, E. C. 1993. Australian Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) vol. 3. Nanophyidae, Rhynchophoridae, Erirhinidae, Curculionidae: Amycterinae, literature consulted. CSIRO Australia.