White-fringed weevil

Well that's a relief.
That comparison link is excellent and I don't feel so bad about missing that ID.
Thanks so much to kwalker.

Hi Argybee

Thanks for posting this spotting and thanks for contacting me through PaDIL. I just love the way the socialisation of science is finally beginning to work. The best result is to have hundreds of "quarantine eyes" out there looking for something "different". so thanks

And, thank goodness it is not the clover root weevil! I believe this is the exotic but now established in Australian white-fringed weevil: Naupactus leucoloma Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) - Note: Still in the same subfamily Entiminae as is Sitona.

Here is a link to the PaDIL species page for the white-fringed weevil:

http://www.padil.gov.au/pests-and-diseas...

One of the nice features of PaDIL is the ability to create user defined comparative image tables. Put simply, I have made a comparative image table that compares many images showing many different diagnostics views of these two species. Here is the link to that table and note the differences in the colour patters between the two species - especially the white stripe along the lateral margins of the elytra (ie. hard wing covers):

http://www.padil.gov.au/pests-and-diseas...

Thanks again for posting the image, raising your concern and contacting PaDIL. Cheers Ken

Argybee, it very well could be wrong. There are so many undescribed and cryptic species of weevils in the world that the chances of our being able to ID every photo on Project Noah to species are pretty slim. There were some species of weevil in my genus of study that weren't distinguishable without dissection and examination of genitalia characters. With weevils, many of the characters we need to ID species are microscopic and require careful examination to produce an accurate ID. On the other hand, the clover root weevil may have been introduced into Australia and you're the first to discover it! Do you have the specimen, or just the photos? Try sending it to the folks at CSIRO, they have good beetle taxonomists there. If it IS a clover root weevil, they'd probably want to know it's in Australia now.

I really hope this ID is wrong.

You're welcome! I studied the broad-nosed weevils in grad school. I love the little guys! Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with Australian weevils to ID yours to species, but I may be able to narrow down the ID to genus. I'll let you know. =)

Hey thanks oxyjack - you've saved me hours down the wrong track. Excellent info !

If you're ever unsure about the broad-noses, look at the antennae. The weevils are the only beetles with elbowed antennae.

Argybee, that's definitely a weevil (broad-nosed weevils: subfamily Entiminae). What a great spotting!