Weevils - Entomological Society of Canada

2 rows of fine punctures bearing scales similar to those on dorsal surface
of pronotum.
Distribution. Ontario, south throughout the eastern United
States to Florida, west to Oregon and California, and south to Durango,
Mexico. Ontario: Arnprior, Biscotasing, Chiefs Point, and Fenella.
Comments. Adults of this species are easily recognized by the
characters given in the key to genera and in the generic and species
descriptions. The species is not closely related or similar to any North
American species. The Oregon-California population of this species was
given the name P alexq.nderi by Sleeper (1955). Sleeper stated that the
adults were easily distinguished from those of Pgallicola by the shorter
pubescence, by the near absence ofa pronotal constriction, and by the
coarse punctures of the abdominal sternites. An analysis of these and
other characters by Kissinger (1968) showed that these characters were
simply variations within the species and that two species could not be
recognized. However, Kissinger's specimens were limited at the time of
his study, and his conclusions may not reflect the actual situation. For
the present, it seems best to follow Kissinger, keeping in mind that the
status of the western populations may change after further study. Adults
have been found from April through August; larvae develop in ovoid
galls on 2-year-old pine twigs. Recorded hosts are red pine (P resinosa),
pitch pine (P rigida), Virginia pine (P uirgiruiana), and cooper pine (P
cooperi). Nothing else is known of the biology or life cycle. The larva was
illustrated by Boving and Craighead (1930) and briefly described in a
key by van Emden (1938).
Family Rhynchitidae
This is a moderate-sized family containing seyeral hundred species
around the world. Approximately 52 species in eight genera occur in
North America. Eleven species in seven genera occur or may occur in
Canada. The species in the family are often included in Curculionidae as
the subfamilies Rhynchitinae and Pterocolinae (Blatchley and Leng
1916;Arnett 1960; Hatch 1971); however, Hamilton (1969) and O'Brien
andWibmer (1982) followed LeConte (1876) and retain family status for
the group.
Members of this family are most easily distinguished by the
mandibles, which have teeth on both inner and outer sides and can be
spread wide apart (Fig. 22).Inaddition, adults do not have a labrum and
have distinct elytral epipleura.
Some members of this family (Pterocolus) enter the leaf rolls of
Attelabus species, destroy the A ttelabus egg, and oviposit; others deposit
their eggs in young fruit; some place their eggs in young buds of trees,
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