#weevil

#weevil

Trigonopterus corona: New Species of Tiny Beetle Named after the CoronavirusWhat was supposed to be a research trip to Papua New Guinea became a discovery of new weevil species for Alexander Riedel when he found himself grounded on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Together with Raden Pramesa Narakusumo, Riedel studied the local weevil specimens, and they discovered 24 species.The duo found it difficult to name the newly discovered species, but they settled calling one Trigonopterus corona, to show how much impact the pandemic had over the project.Some species had "standard" names, while others were named after Indonesian film characters and Star Wars characters, like the T. gundala and the T. yoda, respectively.Trigonopterus corona is not the first species to be named after the coronavirus. A caddisfly and some wasp species were named after it, too.More about this over at PENSOFT.(Image Credit: Alexander Riedel)#Taxonomy #Weevil #Beetle #NewSpecies

Ancient Mammoth Weevil Used Huge Beak To Fight A 100-million-year-old weevil fossil has been identified to represent a new tribe, genus, and species. Internationally renowned paleobiologist George Poinar Jr. calls the specimen a ‘mammoth weevil’ because of its huge rostrum or beak. Scientifically called Rhamphophorus legalovii, experts believe that the weevil wielded its trunk against other males over potential mates. With its straight antennae, Rhamphophorus is classified as a primitive weevil. In addition, Poinar placed the creature in the Nemonychidae family, also known as “pine flower weevils.” According to Poinar, “the larvae and adults of many nemonychidae eat pollen from developing male cones of pines and other conifers.” In terms of genus and species, the Rhamphophorus was classified to belong to the  sub-family Cimberidinae, which consists of particularly long-nosed weevils whose physical characteristics are developed like highly specialized tools. Image credit: Oregon State University #Weevil #Fossil #Science #MammothWeevil #NewDiscoveries