(invertebrate zoology) The true weevils or snout beetles, a family of coleopteran insects in the superfamily Curculionoidea.
| Sci-Tech Dictionary: Curculionidae |
(invertebrate zoology) The true weevils or snout beetles, a family of coleopteran insects in the superfamily Curculionoidea.
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| WordNet: Curculionidae |
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
true weevils: snout beetles
Synonym: family Curculionidae
| Wikipedia: Curculionidae |
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| Curculionidae | |
|---|---|
| Lixus angustatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Superfamily: | Curculionoidea |
| Family: | Curculionidae Latreille, 1802 |
| Subfamily | |
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(Many authors merge a lot of these) |
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Curculionidae, weevils, also called snout beetles or curculios (not to be confused with the genus Curculio), is the family of the "true" weevils (or snout beetles). With over 60,000 species described worldwide, it is the largest of any animal family.
They are recognized by their distinctive long snout and geniculate antennae with small clubs; beyond that, curculionids have considerable diversity of form and size, with adult lengths ranging from 1 mm to 40 mm.
Weevils are almost entirely plant feeders, and most species are associated with a narrow range of hosts, in many cases only living on a single species. With so many species to classify and over 400 genera, the taxonomy of this family is quite complicated, and authors disagree on the number and placement of various subfamilies, tribes, and subtribes.
The word "weevil" has been made famous by the boll weevil, which lays its eggs and eats inside cotton bolls, killing the plant.
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The phylogeny of the group is complex; with 60,000 species there is a spirited debate about the relationships between subfamilies and genera. A 1997 analysis (see references) attempted to construct a phylogeny based mainly on larval characteristics.
On the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
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| snout beetle | |
| curculio (insect) | |
| weevil (insect, arthropod) |
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