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🪲 Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)

🔹 Taxonomy

• Order: Coleoptera
• Family: Curculionidae (True Weevils)
• Subfamily: Entiminae
• Genus: Phyllobius
• Species: P. pomaceus

🌍 Distribution

• Widespread in Europe
• Especially common in northern and temperate regions
• Also found in introduced populations in parts of North America

🏞️ Habitat

• Prefers moist, grassy environments:
  • Wet meadows
  • Woodland edges
  • Riversides and marshy areas
  • Hedgerows
• Often located where nettles grow abundantly

🌱 Host Plants & Ecology

Primarily associated with:

• Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
• Less frequently on Urtica urens and occasionally raspberry species (Rubus spp.)

Feeding roles:

• Adults: chew the edges and outer tissue of leaves
• Larvae: feed unseen underground, feeding on roots
  → Can cause noticeable leaf damage in nettle patches but rarely of ecological concern

✨ Identification (for field study)

• Size: 6–9 mm
• Body typically greenish due to metallic scales (but can wear off → appears brown/blackish)
• Rostrum short (typical weevil snout)
• Legs often pale or reddish with darker joints
• Antennae elbowed with distinct, narrow club

Key distinction from similar Phyllobius spp.:
→ Very tightly linked to nettles, especially in damp areas

🔄 Life Cycle

• Adults emerge in spring (April–June main period)
• Mating occurs on host plants
• Eggs laid in soil beneath nettles
• Larvae feed on roots, protected from predators
• Pupation in soil
• Typically one generation per year
• Adults may overwinter depending on region

🧠 Behavior & Adaptations

• Very jumpy: uses rapid leg extension to catapult away when disturbed
• Can feign death (thanatosis), dropping into vegetation
• Strong ecological specialization helps avoid competitors

🔬 Ecological Role

• Supports predator populations:
  • Ground beetles
  • Birds
  • Parasitic wasps
• Acts as a herbivore regulator of dominant nettle stands
• Contributes to soil nutrient cycling via larval root grazing

⚖️ Conservation

• Common and stable
• Thrives in human-modified environments where nettles increase
• No conservation concern

✅ Quick Summary

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