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Oxyops vitiosa, a leaf weevil
Image by Gary Buckingham, ARS Photo Library - License: Public Domain. (view image details)
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INSECT FACTS |
Identification
The Melaleuca Snout Beetle is a brown or reddish brown weevil that feeds on paperbark trees. The abdomen has indistinct banding of darker and lighter brown. the eyes are fairly large and the head forms a snout shape. Males tend to be smaller than females. The larvae are yellow when they hatch and become dark brown as they mature. This weevil has been introduced to the United States for biological control of Melaleuca quinquenervia which is an invasive species in the Florida Everglades.
Other Names
Melaleuca Leaf Weevil
Size
6 mm to 9 mm
Habitat
found where Melaleuca quinquenervia food trees are available. Both adults and larvae feed on Melaleuca leaves and shoots.
Food
the Melaleuca Snout Beetle feeds on the leaves and young growth of the broad leaved paperbark tree (Melaleuca Snout Beetle).
Breeding
The female lays eggs about 1 mm long which are yellow but covered with a dark brown secretion. The larvae grow to about 14mm long before they pupate underground.
Range
Oxyops vitiosa is found in eastern Queensland.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Coleoptera | | Family: | Curculionidae | | Genus: | Oxyops | | Species: | vitiosa | | Common Name: | Melaleuca Snout Beetle |
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