''Larinus sturnus'' is a species of cylindrical

weevils Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several families, ...

belonging to the family

Curculionidae The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families, with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae. T ...

, subfamily Lixinae.

Description

''Larinus sturnus'' can reach a body length of about . These rather small weevils have a black, oval shaped, punctuated body, densely covered with yellow dust, with several yellowish patches of gray setae, that appear yellowish by a yellowish secretion and adhering pollen. The pronotum is one and a half times wider than long. Its oval shaped elytra are wider than the pronotum. In front of the scutellum, there is a slight but noticeable indentation. They show the characteristic rostrum of the weevil family. It is thick, long and curved, shorter in males, relatively longer in females. Its antennae are short with conspicuous clubs. This species is rather similar and often confused with other representatives of its genus, such as ''

Larinus planus ''Larinus planus'' is an insect of the Curculionidae ("true" weevil) family. They are oval shaped, dark brown or black, and about long. While native to Europe, it is also common in North America. It feeds on floral buds, primarily of thistles, w ...

'', ''

Larinus jaceae ''Larinus'' is a genus of Curculionidae, true weevils, comprising about 180 species, mostly in the Palaearctic region.Hoffman, A. 1954. Faune de France. 59, Coléoptères Curculionidés. Part 2. P. Lechavalier, Paris. Turkey appears to have a s ...

'' and '' Larinus turbinatus''. However, these beetles are usually larger than the similar species.

Distribution

This species is widespread in central and southern Europe (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland). It is only missing in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

and in northern

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. It is also represented in the Mediterranean region including

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

(Algeria and Morocco), the Near and Middle East (Iran) and Central Asia (

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...

). The species also extends to southern

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

Habitat

These weevils occur in meadows, pastures, roadsides, edges of forests and shrubs, clearings and dry slopes.

Biology

The females of ''Larinus sturnus'' lay one egg into one flower bud. The larvae develop in the flower heads of various composites (

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

), especially in thistles ( Cirsium). They feed on the seeds and the tissues of the flower. Adults can be found from May to September. They mostly occur on '' Arctium lappa'', ''

Arctium tomentosum ''Arctium tomentosum'', commonly known as the woolly burdock or downy burdock, is a species of burdock belonging to the family Asteraceae. The species was described by Philip Miller in 1768. Distribution This species is native to Eurasia from Sp ...

'', ''

Carduus nutans ''Carduus nutans'', with the common names musk thistle, nodding thistle, and nodding plumeless thistle, is a biennial plant in the daisy and sunflower family Asteraceae. It is native to regions of Eurasia. Description ''Carduus nutans'' is usual ...

'', ''

Cirsium lanceolatum ''Cirsium'' is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera ('' Carduus'', ''Silyb ...

'', ''

Cirsium heterophyllum ''Cirsium heterophyllum'', the melancholy thistle, is an erect spineless herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia, where it grows in upland meadows, grasslands, road verges and open ...

'', ''

Cirsium oleraceum ''Cirsium oleraceum'', the cabbage thistle or Siberian thistle, is a species of thistle in the genus ''Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistl ...

'', ''

Cirsium palustre ''Cirsium palustre'', the marsh thistle or European swamp thistle, is a herbaceous biennial (or often perennial) flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. ''Cirsium palustre'' is a tall thistle which reaches up to in height. The strong stems ha ...

'', ''

Centaurea jacea ''Centaurea jacea'', brown knapweed or brownray knapweed, is a species of herbaceous perennial plants in the genus ''Centaurea'' native to dry meadows and open woodland throughout Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally conside ...

'', ''

Centaurea scabiosa ''Centaurea scabiosa'', or greater knapweed, is a perennial plant of the genus ''Centaurea''. It is native to Europe and bears purple flower heads. Greater knapweed is found growing in dry grasslands, hedgerows and cliffs on lime-rich soil. Upri ...

'', '' Silybum marianum'' and ''

Carlina acaulis ''Carlina acaulis'', the stemless carline thistle, dwarf carline thistle, or silver thistle, is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. The specific name ''aca ...

'', They feed on plant sap.

References

Lixinae Beetles described in 1783 {{Curculionidae-stub