Hypera nigrirostris

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Hypera nigrirostris
Hypera nigrirostris, Dyffryn, North Wales, June 2010 (18127417110).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Hypera
Species:
H. nigrirostris
Binomial name
Hypera nigrirostris
(Fabricius, 1775)

Hypera nigrirostris, commonly known as the lesser clover leaf weevil, is a species of weevil that is native to Europe and northern Africa and has been introduced to North America and Japan. [1] Both adults and larvae feed on red clover and other plants in the family Fabaceae.

Contents

Description

The lesser clover leaf weevil grows to a length of about 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in). The rostrum or beak is three times as long as it is broad, and is notched at its base. The eyes are large, transverse and non-protuberant. The frons is narrower than the rostrum while the pronotum is broad. The proximal ends of the elytra have parallel sides and bear prominent humeral humps. The general colour of the insect is black, with a reddish tinge to the legs and antennae. The pronotum has a greenish-gold sheen and the elytra have a greenish metallic appearance, both being the result of the presence of dissected scales. [1]

Hosts

The lesser clover leaf weevil is an oligophage, limited to certain plants in the legume family. Its main hosts are red clover (Trifolium pratense), white clover (T. repens) and alsike clover (T. hybridum), but it can also feed on pea, alfalfa and vetch. Adults chew holes in leaves and create hollows in stems, while the larvae target the buds and flowers, each larva damaging some three or four inflorescences. [1]

Life cycle

In northeastern Saskatchewan, adults overwinter in fields of red clover. The insects become active in late April and eggs are laid between early May and mid-July inside the clover shoots, leaves and stipules. The developing larvae pass through four instars and feed on the stipules, buds and inflorescences of the clover. Pupation occurs between late June and August, on the plants or on the ground beneath. When the new generation of adults begin to emerge in late July, the density of the weevil population increases sharply. [2] In Canada, this species is often parasitised by other insects and by an entomopathogenic fungus, which help to keep numbers under control. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clover</span> Genus of legumes

Clover, also called trefoil, are plants of the genus Trifolium, consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with highest diversity in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics. They are small annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herbaceous plants, typically growing up to 30 centimetres (12 in) tall. The leaves are trifoliate, with stipules adnate to the leaf-stalk, and heads or dense spikes of small red, purple, white, or yellow flowers; the small, few-seeded pods are enclosed in the calyx. Other closely related genera often called clovers include Melilotus and Medicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf beetle</span> Family of beetles

The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous subfamilies are recognized, but the precise taxonomy and systematics are likely to change with ongoing research.

<i>Trifolium pratense</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family

Trifolium pratense, red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attelabidae</span> Family of beetles

The Attelabidae is a widespread family of weevils. They are among the primitive weevils, because of their straight antennae, which are inserted near the base of the rostrum. The prothorax is much narrower than the base of the elytra on the abdomen. Attelabidae and the related family Rhynchitidae are known commonly as the leaf-rolling weevils. Rhynchitidae may be treated as subfamily Rhynchitinae of the Attelabidae.

<i>Larinus</i> Genus of beetles

Larinus is a genus of true weevils, comprising about 180 species, mostly in the Palaearctic region with some species introduced to North America. Turkey appears to have a significant diversity of the group, with more than 50 species recorded in the eastern part of the country.

Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus is an insect belonging to the order Coleoptera. It is native to North America, mostly in the southeastern part of the country, but has been established in California for over 50 years. A separate species of rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus brevirostris is present in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Suriname and Venezuela. Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus began spreading through the rice growing regions of Asia in 1976 ; in Europe it has been present in Italy since 2004, in the regions of the Piedmont and Lombardy where it affects upland rice production

<i>Sitona</i> Genus of beetles

Sitona is a large genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae native to the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Over 100 species have been described. Sitona is easily distinguished from related genera by flat, recumbent scales on the mandibles, by the absence of an oval scar on the mandibles, by short and broad rostrum with a deep, longitudinal, median groove, and by dense scales on the body.

<i>Chrysomela populi</i> Species of beetle

Chrysomela populi is a species of broad-shouldered leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Chrysomelinae.

<i>Gonioctena fornicata</i> Species of beetle

Gonioctena fornicata is a species of broad-shouldered leaf beetles belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Chrysomelinae.

<i>Polydrusus formosus</i> Species of beetle

Polydrusus formosus is a species of broad-nosed weevil belonging to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Entiminae.

<i>Apoderus coryli</i> Species of beetle

Apoderus coryli, the hazel-leaf roller weevil, is a species of leaf-rolling beetles belonging to the family Attelabidae subfamily Attelabinae. Because of the trunk-like elongated head, it is often mistakenly attributed to the weevil family Curculionidae.

<i>Hypera postica</i> Species of beetle

Hypera postica, commonly known as the alfalfa weevil, is a species of beetle in the superfamily Curculionoidea; it can be found in alfalfa fields throughout Europe. Considered a destructive threat to alfalfa production in North America, several accidental introductions have been successfully countered though the use of a variety of biological control species.

<i>Sitona lineatus</i> Species of beetle

Sitona lineatus, commonly known as the pea leaf weevil is a species of weevil with a Palearctic distribution. It is a common pest of beans, peas, and other plants in the family Fabaceae. Adult beetles of S. lineatus measure 3.4-5.3 mm in length. They are characterized by a series of colored scales arranged in alternating lines (striae) on the elytra; it is from this characteristic where the species gets its name lineatus meaning 'lined' or 'striped'. The head and pronotum also have fine pointed setae amongst the scales. The antennae are clubbed, pointed and preceded by 7 segments. The femora is dark, but tibiae and tarsi are red. As a member of Order Coleoptera (beetles) their forewings are modified to form hardened covers over the thorax and abdomen, with the hindwings for flight underneath.

<i>Protapion apricans</i> Species of beetle

Apion apricans is a species of seed weevils native to Europe. It is widespread everywhere. Damages clover and wild. The beetle is 3–3.5 mm in size, black, with a metallic hue, the body is pear-shaped, the legs are partially yellow; rostrum long, almost straight; apex of antennae black, base - red. Egg - 0.3-0.5 mm, yellowish, long, smooth. Larva 2–2.5 mm, white with a creamy hue, curved, dark brown head, on the upper jaws on each side of three growths, the middle of them increased; instead of legs six pairs of small knolls. Pupa 3–3.5 mm, yellowish white.

Trichobaris trinotata, commonly known as the "Potato stalk borer", is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is found in North America where it is a pest of potato plants, the larvae tunnelling inside their stems.

<i>Hypomeces pulviger</i> Species of weevil

Hypomeces pulviger, also known as the gold-dust weevil or green weevil, is a species of beetle in the true weevil family. The adult weevil can reach a length of about 14 mm (0.6 in) and is covered with iridescent green or yellowish-green dust-like scales all over the body. This species can be found in India, tropical Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. Both the larvae and adults are crop pests. The larvae live in and pupate in the soil, feeding on living plant roots. The adult weevils are long-lived, doing damage to foliage, and sometimes defoliating young bushes and nursery trees.

<i>Lyperobius hudsoni</i> Species of beetle

Lyperobius hudsoni is a flightless weevil found in alpine areas of Central Otago and Otago Lakes in the South Island of New Zealand.

Deporaus marginatus, commonly known as the mango leaf-cutting weevil, is a species of leaf weevil in the beetle family Attelabidae. It is a light tan colour with black elytra, and is found in tropical Asia where it is a pest of mango.

Myllocerus discolor, commonly known as mango ash weevil, is a species of weevil found in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The Sri Lankan population is identified as the subspecies, Myllocerus discolor canescens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptoplini</span> Tribe of weevils

Cryptoplini is a tribe of weevils in the subfamily Curculioninae. It occurs mostly in Australia with one species in New Guinea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hypera nigrirostris F. – Lesser Clover Leaf Weevil". Economic Plants and their Diseases, Pests and Weeds. AgroAtlas. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  2. Weiss, Ross Michael; Gillott, C. (1993). "The biology of the lesser clover leaf weevil, Hypera nigrirostris (Fabr.)(Coleoptera: Curculionidae), on red clover, Trifolium pratense L., in Saskatchewan". The Canadian Entomologist. 125 (5): 831–837. doi:10.4039/Ent125831-5.
  3. Hill, Dennis S. (2008). Pests of Crops in Warmer Climates and Their Control. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 333. ISBN   978-1-4020-6738-9.