Scolopterus tetracanthus, more commonly known as the four-spined weevil, is a beetle of the genus Scolopterus. First described by A. White in 1846, it is endemic to New Zealand.
| Scolopterus tetracanthus | |
|---|---|
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| Scolopterus tetracanthus seen in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Curculionidae |
| Genus: | Scolopterus |
| Species: | S. tetracanthus
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| Binomial name | |
| Scolopterus tetracanthus White, 1846
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| S.tetracanthus observations, range map from Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (1920–2024) | |
Taxonomy
editThe species was described by Scottish zoologist Adam White in 1846, who based his description on specimens collected during the Ross expedition.[1] Thomas Broun designated S. tetracanthus as the type species of the genus Scolopterus in 1880.[2]
Physical characteristics
edit
White's original text (the type description) reads as follows:
Head and thorax deep black; elytra greenish bronze, the spines purplish black, the femora purplish black, the remainder of the legs purplish ferruginous; head and thorax quite smooth; elytra very deeply punctured in lines, the shoulders produced into a thick angular spine directed outwards and very slightly upwards; each elytron about the middle with a strong spine near the suture directed somewhat backwards and tufted with hair at the end; the intermediate femora with a compressed spine below near the end.[1]
The four-spined weevil is highly distinct in appearance, with knobs and spines common on its physical form.[3][4] The shoulder of each elytron forms into an acute cone,[5] with a sharp spine at the summit of the hind slope,[6] distinguishing them from their less pointed and spiny cousin, Scolopterus penicillatus.
It is about 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long, usually shiny black with bronze or red reflections.[6] Metallic and bright colours are not common in this family.[3]
It has a smooth head and thorax, with elytra very deeply punctured in lines.[2] One major feature of an elytra in Coleoptera is the striae,[7] and in the case of Scoplopterus tetracanthus, they have very deeply prominent punctures.[2]
Individuals within the genus of Scolopterus tend to have large, longitudinally oval eyes that are not convexed, and sit on the upper surface either side of their narrow head.[8]
Behaviour
editThe four-spined weevil is a pollinator of an endemic tree to New Zealand, Schefflera digitata, of the family Araliacaea, known also as patē, seven-finger, or umbrella tree.[9]
Distribution and habitat
editDistribution
They are naturally uncommon,[10] but distributed in forest throughout North Island of New Zealand, with very few observations recorded in South Island[6]
Habitat
Four-spined weevils are known to breed in dead and rotting timber.[11] The larvae of Scoplopterus require dead wood to eat and grow.[12] Adults can be found in spring, summer and autumn.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b White, A. (1846). "Insects of New Zealand". The zoology of the voyage of the H.M.S. Erebus & Terror. Wikidata Q130238153.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c Broun, Thomas (1880), Manual of the New Zealand Coleoptera, Wellington, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.9559, LCCN agr04003496, OCLC 4526177, Wikidata Q51501870
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Walker, J.J. (1920). The president's address. - The fringes of butterfly life. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. pp. 1919: XCI-CXIII.
- ^ Walker, J.J. (1904). Antipodean field notes. 2 - A year's insect hunting in New Zealand (40:68-77 ed.). Entomologist's monthly magazine.
- ^ Cawthra, E.M. (1966). "A redefinition of the subfamily Eugnominae to include the Meriphinae". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Zoology. 7 (12): 171–178.
- ^ a b c Hudson, G.V (1934). New Zealand beetles and their larvae: an elementary introduction to the study of our native Coleoptera. FERGUSON & OSBORN LTD, WELLINGTON: 236 PP.
- ^ Hulcr, Jiri; Atkinson, Thomas H.; Cognato, Anthony I.; Jordal, Bjarte H.; McKenna, Duane D. (2015-01-01), Vega, Fernando E.; Hofstetter, Richard W. (eds.), "Chapter 2 - Morphology, Taxonomy, and Phylogenetics of Bark Beetles", Bark Beetles, San Diego: Academic Press, pp. 41–84, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-417156-5.00002-2, ISBN 978-0-12-417156-5, retrieved 2024-08-30
- ^ Broun, T. (1893). "Manual of the New Zealand Coleoptera". Government Printer, Wellington. 5, 6 & 7 (V–XVII): 975–1504.
- ^ Heine, E.M. (1937). "Observations on the pollination of New Zealand flowering plants". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 67: 133–148.
- ^ Moeed, Abdul; Meads, M. J. (1983). "Invertebrate Fauna of Four Tree Species in Orongorongo Valley, New Zealand, as Revealed by Trunk Traps". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 6: 39–53. ISSN 0110-6465.
- ^ Anon (1957). Forest insect survey and life, Forest insect survey newsletter. Forest research institute, N.Z. pp. Forest Service: 6:1-32.
- ^ May, Brenda M. (1993). Larvae of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera): a systematic overview. Fauna of New Zealand, Ko te Aitanga Pepeke o Aotearoa, Number / Nama 28 (PDF). Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand: Manaaki Whenua Press.
- ^ Moeed, Abdul; Meads, M. J. (1987). "Seasonality of arthropods caught in a Malaise trap in mixed lowland forest of the Orongorongo Valley, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 14 (2): 197–208. doi:10.1080/03014223.1987.10422990. ISSN 0301-4223.
