Giraffe weevil
Trachelophorus giraffa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Attelabidae
Genus: Trachelophorus
Species:
T. giraffa
Binomial name
Trachelophorus giraffa
Jekel, 1860

The giraffe weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) is a weevil endemic to Madagascar, however there are other unrelated weevil species vernacularly named 'giraffe weevil' in Asia, such as Cycnotrachelus flavotuberosus in Vietnam.

Description and ecology

It derives its name from an extended neck, much like that of a giraffe. The giraffe weevil is sexually dimorphic, with the neck of the male typically being 2 to 3 times the length of that of the female. Most of the body is black with distinctive red elytra covering the flying wings. The total body length of the males is just under an inch (2.5 cm), among the longest for any attelabid species. The extended neck is an adaptation that assists in nest building and fighting.[1] To breed, females roll and secure a leaf of the host plant, Dichaetanthera cordifolia or Dichaetanthera arborea (a small tree in the family Melastomataceae), then lay one egg within the tube, before snipping it from the plant.[2]

References

  1. ↑ BBC (2011-02-04). "Bizarre Giraffe-Necked Weevils Fight for a Mate - Madagascar, Preview - BBC Two". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2016-09-17.
  2. ↑ Wills, Christopher (2010). The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes. OUP Oxford. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-19-958438-3. Trachelophorus .


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