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.

Phyllobius glaucus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Phyllobius
Species:
P. glaucus
Binomial name
Phyllobius glaucus

Description

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Adults grow to 8–12 millimetres (0.3–0.5 in) 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

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Phyllobius glaucus is common and widespread in Europe.[2][3] A single specimen of P. glaucus (under the name P. calcaratus) has been recorded from Canada, but this is thought to be an error.[4]

Ecology and life cycle

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A mating pair of P. glaucus

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.[5]

Taxonomic history

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Phyllobius glaucus was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 work Entomologia Carniolica, 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:[3][6]

  • Curculio glaucus Scopoli, 1763
  • Curculio coelestinus Scopoli, 1763
  • Curculio carniolicus Gmelin, 1790
  • Curculio calcaratus Fabricius, 1792
  • Phyllobius calcaratus (Fabricius, 1792)
  • Curculio caesius Marsham, 1802
  • Curculio cnides Marsham, 1802
  • Phyllobius atrovirens Gyllenhal, 1834
  • Phyllobius alneti C. G. Thomson, 1859
  • Phyllobius maculatus Tournier, 1877
  • Phyllobius nudus Westhoff, 1882
  • Phyllobius densatus Schilsky, 1886
  • Phyllobius schilskyi Faust, 1890
  • Phyllobius nigripes Gerhardt, 1900
  • Phyllobius nigrofemoratus Gabriel, 1900
  • Phyllobius fuscofumosus Reitter, 1906
  • Phyllobius tibialis Schilsky, 1908
  • Phyllobius pseudodensatus Reitter, 1916

Further reading

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  • Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (1763). Entomologia Carniolica. Vienna: Thomas von Trattner.

References

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  1. ^ a b c D. V. Alford (2007). "Phyllobius glaucus (Scopoli)". Pests of fruit crops: a color handbook. Plant protection handbook series. Elsevier. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-12-373676-5.
  2. ^ a b 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)" (PDF). Graellsia. 64 (1): 17–44. doi:10.3989/graellsia.2008.v64.i1.52. hdl:10261/23431.
  3. ^ a b "Curculio glaucus (Scopoli, 1763)". Fauna Europaea. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  4. ^ Donald E. Bright & Patrice Bouchard (2008). "Genus Phyllobius Germar, 1824". Weevils of Canada and Alaska: Coleoptera, curculionidae, entiminae. Part 25 of Insects and arachnids of Canada. NRC Research Press. pp. 151–155. ISBN 978-0-660-19400-4.
  5. ^ Scott A. Elias, Lucy Webster & Marc Amer (2009). "A beetle's eye view of London from the Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age". Geological Journal. 44: 537–567. doi:10.1002/gj.1158.
  6. ^ Marek Wanat (2005). "Phyllobius fessus Boheman, 1843, a new weevil species in Poland and Lithuania (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)" (PDF). Genus. 16 (4): 611–617.