''Rhynchites auratus'', sometimes called the apricot weevil, cherry-fruit weevil, or golden green snout weevil, is a species of

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 ...

of the family

Rhynchitidae The tooth-nosed snout weevils, Rhynchitidae, are small beetles (1.5 to 6.5 mm) that are usually found in vegetation. They usually use buds, fruits, or seeds for oviposition. The tooth-nosed snout weevils receive this name due to the teeth on ...

Description

Adults measure in body length. Their bodies are golden-red in color, with their rostrums and legs brown.

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 are and are white with brown heads. Adults feed on the flowers of

cherry trees A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

and other trees in the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

. Adult females later bore holes into the fruits of these trees in which they will lay their eggs. In high densities, they are considered a serious

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

pest, causing damaged fruits to drop off of trees.

References

Weevils Beetles described in 1763 Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli {{weevil-stub