Phil Bendle Collection:Weevil (Black spined) Scolopterus penicillatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Superfamily: Curculionoidea
Family: Curculionidae
Subfamily: Curculioninae
Tribe: Eugnomini
Subtribe: Eugnomina
Genus: Scolopterus
Species: Scolopterus penicillatus
Common name: Black spined weevil

Scolopterus penicillatus is a New Zealand small (6mm) native beetle which feeds on pollen. It can fly.
First described in "The zoology of the voyage of the H. M. S. Erebus & Terror", under the command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, during the years 1839 to 1843. By authority of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Edited by John Richardson and John Edward Gray. The whole report can be accessed from The Biodiversity Library at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6963012#page/7/mode/1up

See photo below of the report on page 15.  The old measurement is in lines. one line equals 2.5mm.

The photos below are of Scolopterus penicillatus on the flower buds of Entelea arborescens, (Whau, Corkwood)

A 6mm  Black spined weevil on buds of a Whau tree (October) See top left buds.
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Head Black spined weevil
 

Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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