Hadramphus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hadramphus |
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| Hadramphus pittospori illustrated by Des Helmore | |
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Molytinae
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Molytini
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Hadramphus
Broun, 1911
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Karocolens Kuschel, 1987 |
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Hadramphus, also known as knobbled weevils, are a group of special beetles. They are a type of weevil and are completely flightless, meaning they cannot fly. These weevils are found only in New Zealand, which means they are endemic to that country. There are four known species of Hadramphus weevils.
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Meet the Knobbled Weevils
Knobbled weevils belong to a family of insects called Curculionidae, which are commonly known as weevils. They are part of a smaller group called Molytinae. What makes them unique is their inability to fly. This is quite unusual for beetles, as most can fly.
Different Types of Knobbled Weevils
There are four different species within the Hadramphus group. Each one was discovered and named by different scientists over the years:
- Hadramphus spinipennis: This was the first species identified in 1911 by Thomas Broun. It is considered the main type of the group.
- Hadramphus pittospori: This species was first described in 1987 by Guillermo Kuschel. It was later moved into the Hadramphus group by Robin Craw in 1999.
- Hadramphus tuberculatus: This weevil was first described in 1877 by Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe. It was later moved into the Hadramphus group by Kuschel in 1971.
- Hadramphus stilbocarpae: Kuschel also described this fourth species in 1971.
What Do They Look Like?
All four species of knobbled weevils are quite large for insects. They can be anywhere from about 11.7 to 23 millimeters long. That's roughly the size of a small coin! They are mostly dark brown in color. A cool feature that gives them their "knobbled" name is the bumpy, triangular, or rounded lumps found on their sides and upper bodies.
Where Do They Live?
Each species of knobbled weevil lives in specific places, mostly on islands around New Zealand.
- H. pittospori lives only on the Poor Knights Islands.
- H. spinipennis is found only on the Chatham Islands.
- H. stilbocarpae lives on several islands, including Breaksea Island in Fiordland, Resolution Island, and islands near Stewart Island/Rakiura like Bird Island and Big South Cape Island. It also lives on the sub-Antarctic Snares Islands.
The rarest of all these weevils is Hadramphus tuberculatus. It lives only in the Burkes Pass Scenic Reserve in the Canterbury Plains. This species was once thought to be gone forever, as it wasn't seen between 1922 and 2004. Luckily, it was rediscovered!
