Scolopterus penicillatus
| Scolopterus penicillatus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Curculionidae |
| Genus: | Scolopterus |
| Species: | S. penicillatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Scolopterus penicillatus | |
Scolopterus penicillatus, also known as the black spined weevil, is an endemic beetle of New Zealand.[2]
Physical description
[edit]In appearance it is a shining black colour with a purplish tinge and looks very similar to its close relative Scolopterus tetracanthus. S. penicillatus can be distinguished from S. tetracanthus as the spines on the shoulders of the former are much less pointed.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The beetle is present throughout New Zealand and can be discovered by beating native flowering plants in the summer months.[2] Adult black spined weevils have been collected from Hedychium gardnerianum[3] and caught in the flowers of Helichrysum lanceolatum.[4] The larvae of S. penicillatus are known to develop in the recently dead bark of the various species of Pseudopanax.[5]
R A Crowson of Glasgow University spent some time in New Zealand in 1956 and 1957 during which period he found larvae associated with pupae and teneral adults under the bark of a dead branch of a Nothopanax. The larvae were found at Parahaki and Nelson and were later identified by him and Sir G. A. K. Marshall as Scolopterus penicillatus White.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Scolopterus penicillatus White, 1846". New Zealand Organisms Register. Landcare Researc. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ a b c Manson, D. C. M. (1960). Native Beetles of New Zealand. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed. p. 15.
- ^ Winks, C. J.; et al. (2007). Invertebrates and Pathogens Associated with Wild Ginger, Hedychium gardnerianum and Hedychium flavescens (Zingiberaceae), in New Zealand (PDF) (Report). Landcare Research. p. 35. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ Heine, E. M. (1937). "Observations on the pollination of New Zealand flowering plants" (PDF). Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 67 (2): 139. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ May, Brenda M. (1993). "Larvae of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera): a systematic overview" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 28: 76. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ Cawthra, E M (23 May 1965). "A Description of the Larva of Scolopterus penicillatus White (Curculionidae: Eugnominae)". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand : Zoology Page. 6 (16): 153.
External links
[edit]
- Scolopterus penicillatus discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week, 24 March 2023
- Scolopterus penicillatus at CitSciHub