Pine Needle Weevil - unnamed 1

The bright green Pachyrhinus lethierryi is very small, between 3.5 and 4.5 millimetres in length.
This species has been sponsored by: 
Kevin Lavis

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Pachyrhinus lethierryi
Family: 
Pine Needle Weevils
Family Latin name: 
Curculionidae
Category: 
Insects other

Species description

Species description

The bright green Pachyrhinus lethierryi is very small, between 3.5 and 4.5 millimetres in length. A variety, lositae, seen in the photographs shown here, has a paler head. It has a domed head and its eyes are set far apart.

Although this creature was found and photographed on a Deadly Nightshade plant, it didn't appear to be grazing. Given that it belongs to the Pine Needle Weevil family, and that it was in the shade of a Monterey Cypress tree, the assumption is that the insect had either fallen or was enjoying a roam around its neighbourhood. Indeed, it could have flown, as adult weevils, as with the majority of beetles, have wings.

This Pine Needle Weevil (of which there are perhaps 30 different species) has no common English name. It was first found in this country in 2003. Records show that it appears to be moving north, so this insect can be considered to have a 'migrated' status.

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)
The bright green Pachyrhinus lethierryi is very small, between 3.5 and 4.5 millimetres in length.
This Pine Needle Weevil (of which there are perhaps 30 different species) has no common English name.

Details

Species family information

The Pachyrhinus weevils are a group/genus of Pine Needle Weevils, that in turn are members of the Curculionidae beetle family. 

Category information

Insects evolved in the Ordovician from a crustacean ancestral lineage as terrestrial invertebrates with six legs (the Hexapoda). This was the time when terrestrial plants first appeared. In the Devonian some insects developed wings and flight, the first animals to do so. An early flying group was the Odonata from the Carboniferous, the damselflies and dragonflies, which have densely-veined wings and long, ten-segmented bodies. They are day-flying carnivores, with an aquatic larval stage, so are commonly seen flying near water. The carnivorous larvae are called nymphs. Odonata species are short-lived, damselflies surviving for 2-4 weeks, dragonflies for up to 2 months.

Some insect groups in the Cretaceous co-evolved with the flowering plants, and they have had a close association ever since. These groups are the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the Diptera (flies), and the Coleoptera (beetles). The diversity of beetles is astonishing. Of all the known animal species on the planet, one in five is a beetle!