Rolled Leaves of a Leaf Rolling Weevil

Description:

These very cool little leaf tacos were all over this bush. The leaf is long and is extensively and tightly rolled, probably by cutting slits along the center vein prior to rolling, as the Giraffe Weevil of Madagascar does. These were all still freshly rolled. A cut from the edge of the leaf to the center vein was made above the taco, probably so that it will fall into the leaf litter when the leaf dries. In the second picture you can see the bite marks on this slice along the leaf. These little tacos probably have an egg at the center.

Habitat:

Dense forest in a ravine, Chorreadero Park above Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.

Notes:

I unrolled one and was amazed how tightly and precisely it had been constructed. I didn't find an egg, but it was hot and dark and I might have missed it. I brought 2 of the rolled leaves home to see what they do. P.S. I kept these at about 22 degrees C for a year. They dried up and turned brown, but nothing ever emerged. Maybe they needed to be rained on? The probable adult weevil of these Leaf Rolls has been spotted in the same area. See spotting http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/164...