Procas granulicollis
Encyclopedia
Procas granulicollis is a beetle
in the family Curculionidae
, the true weevil
s. It was first described in 1848 from a specimen collected in Cumbria
and has since been found at a number of other sites in Britain
, mainly in the west. It was thought to be endemic
to the island but is now also known to occur in Spain
.
It is about 4-7mm long and black with white bristles giving it a mottled appearance. For many years it was considered to be a variant of the related species Procas armillatus which is very similar.
It is usually found in woodland clearings at sites where its only known foodplant climbing corydalis
(Ceratocapnos claviculata) can be found. The larva
e have not yet been discovered but may feed inside bracken
stems.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
in the family Curculionidae
Curculionidae
Curculionidae is the family of the "true" weevils . It was formerly recognized in 1998 as the largest of any animal family, with over 40,000 species described worldwide at that time...
, the true weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
s. It was first described in 1848 from a specimen collected in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and has since been found at a number of other sites in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, mainly in the west. It was thought to be endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the island but is now also known to occur in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
It is about 4-7mm long and black with white bristles giving it a mottled appearance. For many years it was considered to be a variant of the related species Procas armillatus which is very similar.
It is usually found in woodland clearings at sites where its only known foodplant climbing corydalis
Ceratocapnos claviculata
Ceratocapnos claviculata or climbing corydalis is a weak scrambling plant in the Fumariaceae family. It is endemic to Europe, growing mostly near the Atlantic fringe.-Distribution:...
(Ceratocapnos claviculata) can be found. The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e have not yet been discovered but may feed inside bracken
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
stems.