''Larinus onopordi'', also known as the globe thistle capitulum weevil, is a

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 ...

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 ...

in the

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 ...

'' Larinus''.

Range

This species is found in regions surrounding the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Ecology

''Larinus onopordi'' is univoltine, undergoing one generation per year. Females lay eggs in the

capitulum capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to: *the Latin word for chapter ** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript ** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours *** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...

(flowerhead) of globe thistles, mainly ''

Echinops sphaerocephalus ''Echinops sphaerocephalus'', known by the common names glandular globe-thistle, great globe-thistle or pale globe-thistle, is a Eurasian species of globe-thistle belonging to the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Description ''Ech ...

'', ''

Echinops orientalis ''Echinops'' is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are native to Europe, east to central As ...

'' and '' Echinops pungens''.

Larvae 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 ...

develop in the capitulum, eating and destroying the seeds. Pupation occurs in late summer, and a new generation of adults emerge after a few days. The braconid wasp '' Bracon facialis'' has been reared from the pupal stage.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q50389231 Lixinae Insect vectors of plant pathogens