Giraffe weevil
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Giraffe weevil |
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Giraffe weevil
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Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
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Trachelophorus giraffa Jekel, 1860 |
The giraffe weevil, Trachelophorus giraffa, endemic to Madagascar, derives its name from an extended neck much like that of the common giraffe. This adaptation assists in nest building, with the neck of the male typically being 2 to 3 times that of the female, for a total body length of just under an inch (2.5 cm), among the longest for any Attelabid species. When it comes time to breed, the father-to-be will roll and secure a leaf of the host plant, Dichaetanthera cordifolia, (a small tree in the family Melastomataceae), at which point the female will lay a single egg within the tube.
Another beetle with a similar name is the New Zealand giraffe weevil, Lasiorynchus barbicornis. This is the longest weevil in the world, and is from the family Brentidae.