Phyllobius glaucus explained

Phyllobius glaucus is a species of weevil found across Europe, especially in carrs. It is a pest of a variety of fruit trees, but has little economic effect. It was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763.

Description

Adults grow to 8mm12mm long. The body is black, but is covered with elongate, hair-like scales that give the animal a very variable, greenish-brown appearance. The legs are reddish brown.[1]

Distribution

Phyllobius glaucus is common and widespread in Europe.[2] A single specimen of P. glaucus (under the name P. calcaratus) has been recorded from Canada, but this is thought to be an error.[3]

Ecology and life cycle

Phyllobius glaucus is associated with a wide range of trees and shrubs, and is a minor pest of fruit trees, including apples, pears, cherries and plums.[1] The insects chew small holes in the leaves and petals of the trees.[1] It is a typical component of the fauna of alder carr in northwestern Europe.[4]

Taxonomic history

Phyllobius glaucus was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 work , under the name Curculio glaucus. A second species was later named Curculio glaucus, but has since been renamed to Coniocleonus glaucus.[2] Taxonomic synonyms of Phyllobius glaucus include:[5] [6]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: D. V. Alford . 2007 . Pests of fruit crops: a color handbook . Plant protection handbook series . . 978-0-12-373676-5 . Phyllobius glaucus (Scopoli) . 165.
  2. M. A. Alonso-Zarazaga . 2008 . The types of Palaearctic species of the familia Apionidae, Rhynchitidae, Attelabidae and Curculionidae in the collection of Étienne Louis Geoffroy (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea) . . 64 . 1 . 17–44 . . 10.3989/graellsia.2008.v64.i1.52. free . 10261/23431 . free .
  3. Book: Donald E. Bright & Patrice Bouchard . 2008 . Weevils of Canada and Alaska: Coleoptera, curculionidae, entiminae . Part 25 of Insects and arachnids of Canada . . 978-0-660-19400-4 . Genus Phyllobius Germar, 1824 . 151–155.
  4. Scott A. Elias, Lucy Webster & Marc Amer . 2009 . A beetle’s eye view of London from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age . . 44 . 537–567 . 10.1002/gj.1158.
  5. Web site: . Curculio glaucus (Scopoli, 1763) . June 24, 2010 . June 3, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110622085747/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=255245. dead. June 22, 2011.
  6. Marek Wanat . 2005 . Phyllobius fessus Boheman, 1843, a new weevil species in Poland and Lithuania (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) . . 16 . 4 . 611–617 . PDF.