Weevils, curculios or snout beetles

Code QCAN9999

A family of weevils in which the head is developed as a rostrum and the antennae are elbowed with a more or less compact club. The body usually is moderately to strongly convex, heavily sclerotised, and more or less circular in cross-section. There are 5-6 visible abdominal sternites, the first two of which are fused rigidly to the thorax.

Curculionidae (Polyphaga: Curculionoidea) is the most speciose family of beetles, indeed of any taxon, with around 6000 species known from Australia. Most species are terrestrial. All feed on living plants. The subfamily Erirhininae are well-suited to a fully submerged existence - adults possess a ventral plastron, whilst most larvae possess the spinose spiracles discussed above, used to tap internal air spaces of aquatic plants for oxygen. This subfamily includes the introduced Cyrtobagous salviniae , control agent for salvinia weed in waterways.

Reference:

Lawrence, J.F. and Britton, E.B. (1991) Coleoptera. pp. 543-683. In: CSIRO, Insects of Australia. Volume 2. Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria.