Lasiorynchus barbicornis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lasiorynchus barbicornis | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lasiorynchus barbicornis |
Lasiorynchus barbicornis, or the New Zealand giraffe beetle, is a straight-snouted weevil of the family Brentidae, endemic to New Zealand. It is New Zealand's longest beetle. Its Māori name, tuwhaipapa, derives from the Māori god of newly made canoes.
The snout is longer than the entire body, and there is a long antenna at the very tip. Females bore into rotting logs to lay eggs during October to March and the grubs remain there for up to two years, feeding on fungi and yeasts on the decaying wood. The hole the adult leaves as it emerges is not round, but perfectly square. The males, which can grow to nearly 10 cm, fight with their snouts when competing for territory. Adults can fly, but only live for two weeks.
[edit] References
- Steve Reekie (2005-01-28). Giraffe weevil photo.

