Congratulations, we've made it to the largest (though not last) family of organisms in the world - the Weevils. The family Curculionidae is comprised of some 60,000+ species, making it the most speciose group of organisms on the planet, plant or animal. The two families that come close are the Rove Beetles in the family Staphylinidae, and a group of wasps called the Ichneumonidae (though this group has the potential to surpass the other two).
They are members of the superfamily Curculionoidea, which is composed of several weevil-like families. The most noticeable characteristic of this large group is the rostrate head, aka the snout. The other characteristic is that the antennae are 'elbowed' the technical term is geniculate.
Weevils can be found virtually anywhere a fact that makes them among the worst pests in agriculture all over the world. Included amongst these pests are the well known boll-weevil of the cotton industry and the insect featured above, Otiorhynchus sulcatus.
The taxonomy of weevils is usually in a state of flux but I'll give the placement of this species as it stands now.
Superfamily Curculionoidea<Family Curculionidae<Subfamily Entiminae<Otiorhynchus sulcatus
nice weevil dude!
Posted by: Kudzu Fire | July 11, 2008 at 05:26 PM