Taxonomy
- Polyphaga
- Chrysomeloidea
- Chrysomelidae
- Bruchidius
- Bruchidius villosus
Images
Source: Lech Borowiec
Source: Lech Borowiec
Description
Size: 2.4-3.2mm
Basic colour: Brownish to blackish; dorsal pubescence short, fine, silvery-white.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Basic colour: Brownish to blackish; dorsal pubescence short, fine, silvery-white.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Biology
Status: Widespread in England, Wales & N. Ireland. Rare in Republic of Ireland.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Usually on broom Cytisus scoparius.
Overwintering: Adults in tussocks of cock's-foot dactylis glomerata.
Food: Adults feed on pollen, larvae on seeds.
Other notes: Eggs predated by the mite Anystis agilis. For a detailed account of parasitoids, see: Parnell, J.R. (1964). The parasite complex of the two seed beetles Bruchidius ater (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and Apion fuscirostre Fabricius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 116: 73-88. Parnell, J.R. (1966). Observations on the population fluctuations and life histories of the beetles Bruchidius ater (Bruchidae) and Apion fuscirostre (Curculionidae) on broom (Sarothamnus scoparius). Journal of Animal Ecology 35: 157-188.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Usually on broom Cytisus scoparius.
Overwintering: Adults in tussocks of cock's-foot dactylis glomerata.
Food: Adults feed on pollen, larvae on seeds.
Other notes: Eggs predated by the mite Anystis agilis. For a detailed account of parasitoids, see: Parnell, J.R. (1964). The parasite complex of the two seed beetles Bruchidius ater (Marsham) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and Apion fuscirostre Fabricius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 116: 73-88. Parnell, J.R. (1966). Observations on the population fluctuations and life histories of the beetles Bruchidius ater (Bruchidae) and Apion fuscirostre (Curculionidae) on broom (Sarothamnus scoparius). Journal of Animal Ecology 35: 157-188.