Broad-nosed weevil
Broad-nosed weevil |
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Scientific Classification |
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Genera |
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Broad Nosed Weevils are any of the species of weevils belonging to the taxonomic subfamily Entiminae.
The Broad Nosed Weevil can be confused with the many other Weevils in the family Curculionidae, such as the Short Snouted Weevil. Many of these species can not fly and are often thought of as annoying pests and are a big problem to farmers and people who just do not like insects[3] Weevils are herbivorous, and most are not harmful to humans. Weevils do not live that long and only last a couple of months before they die. Their main purpose after they come out of their egg, is to find a mate and lay as many eggs as they can before their life time comes to an end.[4]
Body Design
The Weevil is separated into three parts. It has a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. In the abdomen it has a tymbal and tymbal muscles, and a air cavity. It has has an operculum that helps protect the animal and is used like a hard covering over the shell.The head has multiple sets of mouth parts that are used for chewing and grinding plants, animal tissue, and particles. The mouth parts are located at the tip of the snout so the Weevil can get to the food easier. The Weevil has a set of antennae that act as receptors that help them with their every day living such as, finding food, water, mating, and egg laying. It also helps determine the weather that they are in.[5]
The Weevil also has a pair of compound eyes, that are divided into to sections. One section is located on the upper part of the eyeball and are used for seeing the air, while the bottom half is used for seeing under water. Some males have horn like shapes on their heads, jaws, or midsections of their body. It is common for a beetle to have two pairs of wing. The hard, leathery wings are called elytra. These types of wings cover the thorax and the abdomen. The second pair of wings are called flight wings, they do the most work in helping the beetle fly from place to place and helping them keep balance. The legs of the Weevil help it to get to where it needs to be and for burrowing, swimming, and running. Their feet are curved at the end with claws and sticky brush pads that let them stick onto surfaces. Some males have special suction cups at the end of their feet to help it stick to their mate under water. The tip of the abdomen has a structure that are for the egg laying process. [6]
Life Cycle
The Weevil had 3 stages before becoming an adult. An egg, larva, and pupa. The female can lay up to 400 eggs in its lifetime and to fertilize them, she finds the grain and drills in holes and puts the egg in place and closes it with a glue like substance. The larva takes about 18 days until it can become a pupa and the pupa stage takes about 6 days until it can become an adult. When the pupa is ready to become an adult, it drills a whole into the grain where it was put for fertilizing and comes out an adult and immediately goes to find a mate to start the mating process over again.[7]
The life cycle in the summer is not as long as it is in the winter. Weevils live longer in winter then in summer. Their life cycle span in summer is about 30-40 days, while in the winter it is 120- 150 days. The adult Weevil can live up to 7-8 months depending on the environment and temperature they are in. [8]. The Weevil can get to the size of .02 to 6.7 inches long. They have a long,round shaped body that is bumpy and slender and formed like a cylinder. Most Weevils are not very colorful. Weevils are more likely to be a dark brown or black color, but some kinds of Weevils are shiny and have a glimmer like tint to their color created by chemicals in their exoskeleton. On their body surface they also have hair like coverings, wax coat, and scales. The texture and appearance of their body is to help protect the bug from any danger. Each weevil notices each others appearance and knows how to use their body to help one another. The skin can help it stay away from predators and help it from the temperature if it is to cold or to hot. [9]
Ecology
The Broad Nosed Weevil is originally a Central American insect. It can be found in South, Central, U.S., and West Indies. It is not a friendly insect to those who have farmlands. They like to eat away crops and ruin them.[10] The Weevil is found all over the world and lives on every continent besides Antarctica. The most common place to find them is on an island where the temperature is hotter and more humid. Most Weevils have a preference on where they live. Some like different environments then others and can live better in different climates. Weevils have grown all over the world in a large amount. They started out mostly on islands and due to transportation they have gone to a lot more places. In the United States and Canada alone there are about 25,000 species. [11]
Is the Weevil really evil?
The Weevil can be a annoying bug. It tends to destroy farmers crops and destroy plants. If the other bugs do not do their job by eating the harmful bugs keeping the plant from danger, the Weevil takes over and starts eating the plants itself. The Weevil can destroy a whole plant in the time period of only two days. The process that it goes through to destroy it is at a fast pace and kills the plant very fast. The Weevil first starts chewing on the plant eating away at it placing itself inside the plant. It makes a whole the right size to put a fertilized egg inside the whole. The Weevil closes up the whole and leaves the eggs behind. When the eggs are done developing, the new Weevil starts chewing its way out of the nest the adult has made. [12]
References
- Bennet, Stuart M. Sitophilus granarius. .the-piedpiper.co. Web. 2003.
- Weevil. Animal Planet. Web. November 22, 2011. Unknown Author.
- Beetles and Weevilis. animals.jrank.org. Web. November 22, 2011. Unknown Author.
- Beetles and Weevils: Coleoptera . animals.jrank.org. Web. November 22, 2011. Unknown Author.
- Broad-nosed granary weevil. grainscanada.gc.ca. Web. Date Modified: 12/22/2009. Unknown Author.
- Preston Montford, Shrewsbury, Shropshire Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae . field-studies-council.org. Web. November 22, 2011.