A STRAIGHT-SNOUTED WEEVIL
My friend Jarvis in North Carolina, sent the picture, pegged it as a member of the Straight-snouted Weevil Family, the Brentidae, probably the genus BRENTUS, looking a bit like Brentus anchorago, which can be found under tree bark. Members of the family eat wood. The extraordinary feature of that beetle is its very long snout, and the way antennae arise from it. You expect antennae to arise around the eyes, not near the tip of an outrageously long snout. Also, the antennae themselves are a bit unusual for beetles, because they aren't "elbowed," or with sharp bends in them. |
Sunday morning as I packed up my tent
outside Margarita's cabin I found one of the most singular- looking beetles I've ever seen
quietly resting beneath the tent's fly apparently sheltering from the night's rain. You
can see the insect at the right.