''Callosobruchus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s in the family

Chrysomelidae The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle ...

, the leaf beetles. It is in the subfamily

Bruchinae The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily (Bruchinae) of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds or ...

, the bean weevils.Tuda, M., et al. (2006)
Evolutionary diversification of the bean beetle genus ''Callosobruchus'' (Coleoptera: Bruchidae): traits associated with stored‐product pest status.
''Molecular Ecology'' 15(12), 3541-51. Many beetles in the genus are well known as economically important

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

that infest stored foodstuffs.

Biology

These beetles specialize on

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

s of the tribe

Phaseoleae The plant tribe Phaseoleae is one of the subdivisions of the legume subfamily Faboideae, in the unranked NPAAA clade. This group includes many of the beans cultivated for human and animal food, most importantly from the genera ''Glycine'', '' Ph ...

, which includes many types of

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

s used for food. Host plants include

mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...

(''Vigna radiata''),

adzuki bean ''Vigna angularis'', also known as the adzuki bean , azuki bean, aduki bean, red bean, or red mung bean, is an Annual plant, annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately long) bean. The cultivars most familiar ...

(''V. angularis''), rice bean (''V. umbellata''),

cowpea The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus ''Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few input ...

(''Vigna unguiculata''),

Bambara groundnut ''Vigna subterranea'' (common names: Bambara groundnut, Bambara nut, Bambara bean, Congo goober, earth pea, ground-bean, or hog-peanut) is a member of the family Fabaceae. Its name is derived from the Bambara tribe, who currently lives in Mali. ...

(''V. subterranea''),

pigeon pea The pigeon pea (''Cajanus cajan'') is a perennial legume from the family Fabaceae native to the Old World. The pigeon pea is widely cultivated in tropical and semitropical regions around the world, being commonly consumed in South Asia, Southeas ...

(''Cajanus cajan''),

lablab ''Lablab purpureus'' is a species of bean in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa and it is cultivated throughout the tropics for food.common bean ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green bean, green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a Leaf vegetable, vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its Pla ...

(''Phaseolus vulgaris''). They can also be found in

pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

lentil The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...

chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...

s, and

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

s.Tuda, M., et al. (2005)
Ecological factors associated with pest status in ''Callosobruchus'' (Coleoptera: Bruchidae): high host specificity of non-pests to Cajaninae (Fabaceae).
''Journal of Stored Products Research'' 41, 31-45. Most species in the genus are native to Asia. They can be found in warm regions in the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

. They occur in places outside of their native range as

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

. At least 11 species of legumes are natural hosts for these beetles, including wild and domesticated plants. Some are considered pests because they invade stores of legume foods, such as beans and lentils. They lay eggs on the seeds and the

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 consume them as they develop. They emerge from the seeds as adults. ''C. maculatus'' in particular is well adapted to living in dry beans and seeds because it does not require food or water to reproduce. It can invade a store of chickpeas and infest 100% of the seeds. ''C. maculatus'' has also been studied in the field of reproductive biology because of the

sexual conflict Sexual conflict or sexual antagonism occurs when the two sexes have conflicting optimal fitness strategies concerning reproduction, particularly over the mode and frequency of mating, potentially leading to an evolutionary arms race between male ...

that occurs between mating male and female. The genitalia of the male is covered in hard spines that injure the female during copulation, and the female has a habit of kicking the male during the process.Crudgington, H. S. and Siva-Jothy, M. T
Genital damage, kicking and early death.
''Nature'' 407; 19 October 2000.

Species

There are at least 20 species in genus ''Callosobruchus''. Species include: *'' Callosobruchus analis'' *''

Callosobruchus chinensis ''Callosobruchus chinensis'' is a common species of beetle found in the bean weevil subfamily, and is known to be a pest to many stored legumes. Although it is commonly known as the adzuki bean weevil it is in fact not a true weevil, belonging ins ...

'' *'' Callosobruchus dolichosi'' *'' Callosobruchus imitator'' *'' Callosobruchus latealbus'' *''

Callosobruchus maculatus ''Callosobruchus maculatus'' is a species of beetles known commonly as the cowpea weevil or cowpea seed beetle.Tran, B. M. D. and P. F. Credland. (1995)Consequences of inbreeding for the cowpea seed beetle, ''Callosobruchus maculatus'' (F.) (Cole ...

'' *'' Callosobruchus nigripennis'' *'' Callosobruchus phaseoli'' *'' Callosobruchus pulcher'' *'' Callosobruchus rhodesianus'' *'' Callosobruchus semigriseus'' *'' Callosobruchus subinnotatus'' *'' Callosobruchus theobromae'' *'' Callosobruchus utidai''

Gallery

Callosobruchus analis.jpg, '' Callosobruchus analis'' Callosobruchus maculatus dorsal.jpg, ''

'' Callosobruchus phaseoli.jpg, '' Callosobruchus phaseoli'' Eggs of Callosobruchus maculatus on cowpea and azuki.jpg, ''Callosobruchus'' eggs on beans

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14933994 Chrysomelidae genera Taxa named by Maurice Pic Bruchinae