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Small Palm Weevil

Rhodobaenus pustulosus

Photo by LaurenZarate
Published on Project Noah
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16.7132, -92.6133

Field Notes

Description:

Dark brown to dark grey weevil, 1 cm long, of the Subfamily Dryophthorinae, Tribe Rhynchophorini. They are covered in tiny white spots which are not easily seen without magnification. They like to stand defiantly on the top of leaves with their antennae pointed toward the sky. When frightened or startled, they tuck in their tarsi and fall or roll off the leaf. Family Curculionidae.

Habitat:

Overgrown field, semi-urban area, outskirts of San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, 2,200 meters.

Reference Links:

Species Rhodobaenus pustulosus - BugGuide.Net

Species ID Suggestions

Palm weevil

cf. Rhodobaenus sp.
thaptor
1

Comments (5)
thaptor
Yes, often other sp. show up - if the species you search for is mentioned somewhere in text, but not shown in image. You can only be sure if you open the site - and then it can still be a misidentification :-)
LaurenZarate
I saw a mistake on the internet when I put up on google to look for R. adspersus and it showed a picture of R. tredecimpunctatus. Sorry. Google is so full of mistakes.
thaptor
Again had a look into the revision including the key used: R. adspersus described as black, with whitish dots. R. pustulosus may be gray with dots, but has the pronotum not depressed in center. Where did you read, or see, that adspersus is a red + black species? BTW: I confirm your pustulosus now - your Rhodobaenus finished then!
LaurenZarate
Thank you thaptor, I am confused though, is this one R. adspersus (which seems to be red with black spots or is this R. pustulosus (which has white spots https://bugguide.net/node/view/191969) or neither one of these?
thaptor
Sucessfully also keyed this one: = Rhodobaenus adspersus (Gyllenhal, 1838)

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Photographed
PublishedJuly 14, 2013

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