Please help!
Yesterday, my four year old entomologist found this outstanding bug at a wildlife rescue place. It is near farmlands (strawberries, squashes, etc). I have had one person help identify it as a snout beetle or weevil, but could you help be more specific so we can learn more about it? Thank you! Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Needless to say, we are very intrigued by your insect, a Weevil or Snout Beetle from the largest insect Family Curculionidae. We are not familiar with your species and one expert we questioned even suggested the possibility your images were Photoshop™ enhanced, a theory we quickly dismissed. We did some web research and found a tribe of Weevils known as Leptopiinae, the Painted Weevils, including the genuses Gymnopholus and Eupholus which are described as “very handsome and metallic blue, green or reddish”. They are found in New Guinea and Indonesia. That is the best we can do at the moment, but we would love to know where your Weevil was found and perhaps we can learn something more concrete.
HOLY MOLY GUACAMOLE!
We are more than excited as well–I was about to nix him and glue him to a card to start Max’s bug collection, but I think we’ll wait! We are in Miami, Florida, USA. This is so exciting–I wasn’t too impressed with Max’s finds up until now (they mostly consisted of cockroaches-EW!), but this has definitely peaked my interest! We wrote to one guy and sent the same pictures–he wrote back and offered to trade a bug book in exchange for our weevil. We’ve decided to hold onto him for a bit. We would like to keep him alive, though, but if we can’t, do you have suggestions for preserving him? We “carded” a practice beetle with a little elmer’s glue and his body color and shape seems to be good. Is this sufficient? I am quite anxious to hear more! Feel free to call: 305-251-9091. Thank you!
Joanna
Ed. Note: Eric Eaton passes on the following advice on dealing with Exotic specimes:
Dear Friends:
Daniel Marlos of “What’s that bug?” was kind enough to pass along your e-mail that accompanied the photo.I am personally unfamiliar with this insect, and wonder if it might not be an exotic species. If that is the case, someone in the U.S.D.A. (Department of Agriculture) needs to see the thing. Urestricted “free trade” is leading to many more accidental importations of pest insects. The authorities need our help in documenting newly-arrived species so as to thwart outbreaks. Please consider contacting an official soon, while the insect is still alive. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Eric R. Eaton
(04/13/2005)
Spoke to a guy at the USDA this morning and we’re going to drop him off this afternoon. He *thinks* he has collected this species before, but either way, it’s so newly established here that they need to document its existence here, so they’ll send our guy off the Gainesville for positive identification and then HOPEFULLY, Max will get him back. Cross your fingers and I’ll let you know what they think he is! Thank you for all of your help!
Joanna
P.S. Just so you know….the guy still couldn’t identify it, but he recalls having caught one of these himself a number of years ago. He’s sending it to Gainesville, Florida for cataloguing, but promises that we’ll get it back. (Let’s hope!)
Please keep us posted as to the latest developments in this continuing melodrama Joanna. Sadly, What’s That Bug? is currently down due to heavy traffic, but we will return to the web in May and we want to continue to follow your saga.
(04/14/2005)
Thank you so much for all of your help! Another entomologist I have contacted thinks it may be Eurhinus magnificus, but it has been sent to Gainesville to make sure and to catalogue him. I am assured that he will be returned to me in about a week to become the crown jewel in my son’s bug collection. We will however, be on the outlook for more and any subsequent ones I’d be happy to send to you! Thanks to Eric Eaton as well for putting us in touch with the proper authorities (i.e. USDA)–please pass along my appreciation (and the identification).
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
This surely is interesting. I checked on Eurhinus magnificus and it is from Costa Rica, but no images. It sounds like you might be on your way to becoming an entomologist as well as Max.
Update: 17 June 2009, 7:27 AM
In trying to identify an unusual Weevil from Costa Rica today, we stumbled upon this great link with the life cycle of Eurhinus magnificus.