What is this bug?
February 25, 2010
My dad was bitten by this bug while on holiday in Paphos, any idea what kind of beetle it is?
Any
Paphos
Dear Any,
This is a Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. According to M. Ferry and S. Gómez who wrote the paper “The Red Palm Weevil in the Mediterranean Area” which is posted online on the Palm’s Journal, “The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, has become the most important pest of the date palm in the world.” We were not aware that Red Palm Weevils would bite humans, and we believe this was an anomoly. We suspect David Gracer might be writing that the grubs are edible.
Absolutely, this is the poster bug for entomophagy! Not only that, but intrepid folks wanting to sample the grubs (the adult form is also edible, according to what I’ve read) are no longer obliged to visit Papua New Guinea. This species has increased its range all the way from West from there to Spain!! Impressive.
I tried a Rhynchophorus grub in Florida once, and it was sublime.
Dave
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