Small Nettle Weevil

Nedyus quadrimaculatus

The Small Nettle Weevil is a tiny bug that loves to munch on nettles. With its long snout and small size, it’s a fun little creature to discover in nature!

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Small Nettle Weevil is a tiny, oval-shaped beetle with a dark grey to black body, often appearing reddish-brown. It has a distinctive, slender curved snout and is covered in fine, textured scales. Its small size and muted colours allow it to blend well among nettle foliage.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungColeopteraFamilieCurculionidaeGattungNedyus

Small Nettle Weevil

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Despite being small, they are super important for keeping nettle plants in check!

Its larvae live *inside* nettle stems, munching safely hidden away from danger!

They often play dead by dropping from plants if disturbed, a clever trick!

This tiny beetle has a built-in "straw" (its snout) for sipping plant juices!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Small Nettle Weevil has a long, pointed snout that helps them pierce tough plant stems to feed on sap and juices.

Small Nettle Weevil can blend perfectly with nettle plants because of its textured, dark body, helping them hide from predators.

Small Nettle Weevil lays eggs inside nettle stems, providing a safe, food-filled home for their developing young.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 5-7 mm
Größe: 2-2.8 mm
Lebenserwartung: 60-120 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 1 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

This weevil is a vegetarian, munching on leaves and stems of nettle plants with its special snout.

Altersunterschiede: Larvae feed inside plant stems and roots; adults eat leaves and stems.

Hauptnahrung

Urtica dioica leaves
Urtica dioica stems
Urtica dioica roots

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

Weevils feed on the leaves and stems of nettle plants.

eaten by

European Robin

Erithacus rubecula

Small birds hunt weevils for a protein-rich meal.

eaten by

European Garden Spider

Araneus diadematus

Spiders capture weevils in their webs for food.

Merkmale

Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger leben den größten Teil ihres Lebens allein und interagieren mit Artgenossen nur zur Paarung oder zur Aufzucht der Jungen.

Getarnt

Getarnt beschreibt Organismen, die über eine Färbung oder Musterung verfügen, durch die sie mit ihrer Umgebung verschmelzen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.