''Larinus turbinatus'' is a species of

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 family of beetles known as

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 ...

.Bug Life
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Etymology

The genus name ''Larínus'' (from ancient Greek λαρίνος, fat ) refers to the rounded body shape. The Latin species name ''turbinātus'', means "cone-shaped" and refers to the shape of the snout.

Distribution

This species is native to western Palaearctic and it is present in southern and central Europe (

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and

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, western

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and

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. It has been introduced in

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. Hoebeke E.R., Spichiger S.
Larinus turbinatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), a Eurasian weevil new to North America with a summary of other adventive Larinus in North America and a key to species
Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash. 118: 261-272, 2016

Habitat

These warmth-loving weevils manly occur on open, warm slopes, in grassland, wet meadows and pastures, where thistles are also present.

Description

''Larinus turbinatus'' can reach a body length of about . These weevils have a robust, oval, black body with a with many patches of gray setae, that appear yellowish by a yellowish secretion and adhering pollen. Its antennae are short with conspicuous clubs. The female's head and rostrum are blacker than those of the male. The pronotum is transverse, rounded and strongly punctured, with tapering lateral margins. The elytra are irregularly covered with hair and finely striate. They are wider than the pronotum and have a rounded apex. The rostrum is robust, short and straight, conically tapering to apex. It shows a latero ventral ridge with a longitudinal groove. This species is similar in size and can be confused with '' Larinus carlinae''.

Biology

The females of ''Larinus turbinatus'' lay five to six eggs per day, each on one flower bud. If occurs that several females lay the eggs on the same flower head. The stronger larvae kill the weaker larvae, so that in the last larval stage, there is usually only one larva per flower. Étienne Rabaud: VI, L'"Instinct de l'isolement" chez les Insectes rchive L'Année psychologique, vol. 19, numéro 19, pp. 194–217 (1912 ) Pupation also takes place in the thistle blossom. These diurnal weevils are oligophagous on various thistle species of the genera

Carduus ''Carduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, and the tribe Cardueae, one of two genera considered to be true thistles, the other being ''Cirsium''. Plants of the genus are known commonly as plumeless thistles.

and Cirsium (family

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 ...

, tribe

Cardueae The Cardueae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and the subfamily Carduoideae. Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the best known genera are '' Carduus'', '' Cynara'' (containing the widely eaten ar ...

), especially on Marsh Thistle (''

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 ...

''), Creeping Thistle ('' Cirsium arvense''), Musk Thistle (''

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 ...

'') and Cabbage Thistle (''

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 ...

''). They are occasionally observed on Silybum,

Onopordum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

and Centaurea species.

Gallery

File:Larinus turbinatus side.jpg, Side view File:Larinus turbinatus oben.jpg, Dorsal view File:Larinus turbinatus unten.jpg, Ventral view File:Larinus turbinatus pronotum.jpg, Close-up of pronotum