Baridinae is a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of true weevils (Curculionidae). It was established by Carl Johan Schönherr in 1836. Some 4,300

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in 550 genera are placed here, most of which occur in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

. A few are economically significant

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

s, while others are in turn used for biocontrol of invasive plant pests. This subfamily also contains a few

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

Description and ecology

Baridinae are typically small to mid-sized short-legged

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They b ...

s, with a characteristic round or ball-like shape. Usually colored black all over at least on the upperside, they are neither highly glossy or metallic, nor dull, but moderately shiny, like polished leather. Some have small dots or bands of lighter scales that can be rubbed off, in particular on the elytrae; yet again others are dusted with an irregular sprinkling of such scales. The elytrae are often decorated with neat lengthwise rows of small pits. The pronotum is not highly arched and may be outright flattened; it has rounded corners and it is about as wide as the elytrae. The rostrum ("snout") is long, markedly curved, and directed more or less straight downwards. The

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

attach near the tip of the rostrum; they are bent in the center and have a knop at the tip, as in other

true weevil True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * Tr ...

s. The

proximal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

antenna segment is stick-shaped. There are 12 antennal segments. These weevils feed on

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s as

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e and imagines, mainly on the green parts. The larvae are often

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

borers. Their foodplants can be found almost all over the

Mesangiospermae Mesangiospermae (core angiosperms) is a clade of flowering plants (angiosperms), informally called "mesangiosperms". They are one of two main groups of angiosperms. It is a name created under the rules of the '' PhyloCode'' system of phylogenet ...

; they are often of the

cabbage family Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...

(Brassicaceae), e.g.

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

s (''

Brassica napus Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

'' cultivars) and Rapeseed (''B. oleracea''). Another type of foodplant are mignonettes (''Reseda''), Resedaceae and thus close relatives of the Brassicaceae. ''Acuthopeus cocciniae'' is used for biocontrol of

Ivory Gourd ''Coccinia grandis'', the ivy gourd, also known as scarlet gourd, tindora and kowai fruit, is a tropical vine. It grows primarily in tropical climates and is commonly found in the Indian states, where it forms a part of the local cuisine. ''Coc ...

(''Coccinia grandis''), a Cucurbitaceae which belongs to a lineage of rosids well distant from the Brassicaceae. Some Baridinae are found on ''

Helianthus ''Helianthus'' () is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. Except for three South American species, the species of ''Helianthus'' are native to ...

'' (typical sunflowers) of the Asteraceae, which are asterid

eudicot The eudicots, Eudicotidae, or eudicotyledons are a clade of flowering plants mainly characterized by having two seed leaves upon germination. The term derives from Dicotyledons. Traditionally they were called tricolpates or non-magnoliid dicot ...

s quite unrelated to the cabbage family. And ''Orchidophilus'' is particular to Epidendroideae orchids – especially '' Dendrobium'' and '' Phalaenopsis'' –, which are

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

s and thus even more distant relatives of the usual Baridinae foodplants.

Systematics

This subfamily includes the following tribes (some notable genera are also listed): * Ambatini * Anopsilini *

Apostasimerini Apostasimerini is a tribe of flower weevils in the family of beetles known as Curculionidae. There are over 240 genera and nearly 1700 described species in Apostasimerini. Genera found in North America * '' Acentrinops'' Casey, 1920 * '' Amerc ...

(includes former Madopterini) * Baridini Schönherr, 1839 ** '' Baris'' Germar, 1817 *

Madarini Madarini is a true weevil tribe in the subfamily Baridinae.Faust, J. 1899: Viaggio di Lamberto Loria nella Papuasia orientale. XXIII. Curculionidae. ont.''Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova'', 40: 65-80. Genera * '' Acant ...

** '' Acythopeus'' ** '' Eumycterus'' Schönherr, 1838 ** '' Orchidophilus'' Buchanan, 1935 * Neosharpiini * Nertinini * Optatini * Pantotelini * Peridinetini Similar to the Molytinae, the Baridinae are sometimes circumscribed in a narrow sense like here, and sometimes more widely, with several otherwise independent weevil subfamilies being included as "tribus groups" in the Baridinae. These taxa included in the Baridinae '' sensu lato'' are the Ceutorhynchinae, Conoderinae, Orobitidinae and Xiphaspidinae.

References

:''This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the Bokmål Wikipedia, accessed in the version of 18 September 2008.'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q1789026 Polyphaga subfamilies Articles containing video clips