Garden weevil

Description:

Phlyctinus callosus is indigenous to the Western Cape Province of South Africa. In New Zealand it is an introduced garden weevil which is an invasive species pest. In the Southern Hemisphere, P. callosus has spread from South Africa to New Zealand, then to Tasmania, before reaching mainland Australia where it has spread into a number of southern Australian states. It has not become successfully established in the Northern Hemisphere. It was first discovered in New Zealand in 1893 and it is now present in the warmer parts of North Island and Nelson in the South Island. P. callosus is a polyphagous (feeding on different food) pest. It has been reported feeding on a wide range of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species, including grasses, herbs and woody plants. It has not been recorded feeding or damaging gymnosperms. The adult P. callosus attacks leaves, green stems and fruit while the larvae have an impact on a wider range of species where damage results from them feeding on roots or tubers below ground. Spotted in my back yard, Kilbirnie Wellington NZ.