Ancient, newly identified 'mammoth weevil' used huge 'trunk' to fight
for mates

Date:
July 29, 2021
Source:
Oregon State University
Summary:
New research has identified a 100-million-year-old weevil unlike
any other known fossilized or living weevil.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Oregon State University research has identified a 100-million-year-old
weevil unlike any other known fossilized or living weevil.


========================================================================== George Poinar Jr., an international expert in using plant and animal life
forms preserved in amber to learn about the biology and ecology of the
distant past, calls the male specimen a "mammoth weevil" because of its "monstrous trunk" - - also known as the weevil's rostrum or beak.

Poinar said Rhamphophorus legalovii, as the long-bodied weevil fossil
is known scientifically, probably wielded its trunk as a weapon while
in combat with other males over females.

Encased in Burmese amber, the specimen represents a new tribe, genus
and species. Rhamphophorus derives from a pair of Greek words meaning
"curving beak" and "to bear," and legalovii honors Russian weevil
specialist Andrei A.

Legalov.

"Entomologists will be discussing the systematic placement of this
fossil for years since it is so bizarre," said Poinar, who has a courtesy appointment in the OSU College of Science.

Findings were published in Cretaceous Research.

There are nearly 100,000 known species of weevils -- small, plant-eating beetles known for their elongated snouts. Well-known North American
species are the boll weevil that attacks cotton, the alfalfa weevil and
the strawberry root weevil.



========================================================================== Weevils with straight antennae are categorized as primitive weevils,
and those whose antennae feature an elbow-like bend are known as true
weevils; Rhamphophorus is a primitive weevil with an 11-segment antenna
and Poinar placed it in the Nemonychidae family, whose members are known
as "pine flower weevils." "The story of the family's ancient history
is told by species in Mesozoic amber deposits, although no extinct or
extant species with such elongated rostrums are known," he said. "The
larvae and adults of many nemonychids eat pollen from developing male
cones of pines and other conifers." The newly identified weevil genus and species belongs to the sub-family Cimberidinae, consisting of particularly long-nosed weevils whose physical characteristics are developed like
highly specialized tools. Of the 70 known species of Cimberidinae,
many are sexually dimorphic -- males and females look quite different
from one another. Thus the female of Rhamphophorusprobably had a much
shorter rostrum.

The new weevil, which likely lived on the ground rather than in trees,
is 5.5 millimeters long, almost half of which is head and rostrum. The
amber in which it is preserved came from the Noije Bum 2001 Summit Site
mine first excavated in Myanmar's Hukawng Valley in 2001.

"Rhamphophorushad extended middle foot segments that might have increased
its ability to grasp plant surfaces or better reach its foes during fights
for females," Poinar said. "It would be interesting to know if females
also had this feature." Injuries suffered by Rhamphophorus suggest it
may have been doing battle with another male over a female just before
it fell into the resin and was preserved.

"Rhamphophorus shows many features unknown on living or extinct
fossil weevils," Poinar said. "It shows how an adult beetle
can become so specialized that even its family position can be
questioned. Certainly lifestyle in conjunction with microhabitat
influenced the evolutionary development of this weevil, which gives us an exciting glimpse of morphological diversity in mid- Cretaceous weevils." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Oregon_State_University. Original
written by Steve Lundeberg. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. George Poinar, Alex E. Brown. A new tribe, genus and species
of weevil,
Rhamphophorus legalovii gen. et sp. nov., (Coleoptera,
Nemonychidae, Rhamphophorini tribe nov.) in mid-Cretaceous
Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research, 2021; 127: 104948 DOI:
10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104948 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210729122218.htm

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