Strawberry flower weevil - Strawberry flower weevil

This insect belongs to the order Coleoptera and family Curculionidae of the class Insecta. It is found throughout Japan, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin. Its body length is around 3 millimeters, its body tapers toward the front, and its proboscis protrudes forward. It is black and covered with short grayish-white hairs, its epiphytes are reddish-brown, but the triangular markings at the front and on both sides of the back are black. It is considered a pest because it feeds on the flowers and buds of strawberries and roses, but it is also often seen on rose plants outdoors. Adults appear from around April, drill holes in buds with their proboscis and lay eggs, and the larvae develop inside the buds. The mature larvae burrow into the soil to become pupae.

[Takehiko Nakane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱甲虫目ゾウムシ科に属する昆虫。日本全土および、千島列島、樺太(からふと)（サハリン）に分布する。体長3ミリメートル内外で、体は前方へ細くなり、吻(ふん)が前へ突き出る。黒色で灰白色の短毛に覆われ、上ばねは赤褐色であるが、前部の三角紋と後方両側の三角紋は黒い。イチゴやバラの花やつぼみを食べるので害虫とされているが、野外のバラ科植物にも多くみられる。成虫は4月ごろから現れて吻でつぼみに穴をあけて産卵し、幼虫はつぼみの中で成長する。成熟した幼虫は土中に潜って蛹(さなぎ)になる。

［中根猛彦］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例