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PRIMITIVE WEEVILS

BRENTIDAE

B

rentidae are sometimes called “primitive

weevils” because they have straight antennae

(while the other very large family in the superfamily

Curculionoidea, the Curculionidae, have antennae

that are angled). There are two large subgroups of

Brentidae, the subfamilies Brentinae and

Apioninae, as well as a number of smaller

subfamilies.

The subfamily Brentinae usually have elongated,

dark-colored adults, and larvae that develop feeding

on fungi inside dead wood. They are almost entirely

confined to the tropics and subtropics, and very

uncommon in temperate zones; only two species

reach southern Europe, three are found in the USA,

and one in New Zealand. One of the European

species, Amorphocephalus coronatus, is extremely

unusual among weevils, as it lives and breeds as

a scavenger in the nests of ants.

Apioninae, which are small, pear-shaped weevils

that feed on living plants and have larvae that

develop in seeds or seedheads, are much more

widespread, with hundreds of species distributed

family

Brentidae

known species

4,000

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica. Subfamily

Brentinae mainly in the tropics, subfamily

Apioninae widespread

habitat

Subfamily Brentinae generally in tropical

forests, breeding in fallen wood. Apioninae

occur in a wide range of habitats depending

on their host plant, but they are characteristic

grassland weevils

size

1.5–90 mm

diet

Brentinae larvae feed on fungi growing in

their tunnels in dead wood, or in some rare

cases, such as Amorphocephalus, feed in

the nests of the ants with which they live.

Apioninae feed on living plants or in a few

BRENTIDAE—Primitive Weevils