Invertebrates
Elephant Weevil
Orthorhinus cylindrirostris · also called elephant weevils
Drilling carefully into a strip of bark with an elongated, downward-curving snout, a female elephant weevil prepares a hidden chamber for her eggs, a trunk-like feature that gives this small Australian beetle its name.
Overview
The elephant weevil, Orthorhinus cylindrirostris, is native to forest habitat across parts of Australia. Its unusually long, trunk-like snout used for boring into wood, hidden larval development, and occasional status as a fruit-tree pest make it one of the more distinctively equipped small beetles found on the continent.
A tool built for precision drilling
The elephant weevil’s elongated snout isn’t just a visual novelty, it functions as a precise drilling tool, letting females bore exactly the right kind of cavity into wood for safely housing the eggs that will hatch into wood-tunnelling larvae.
Status
Not Evaluated for conservation status, widespread across suitable forest habitat throughout Australia.
Elephant Weevil: common questions
Why is it called the elephant weevil?
It has an unusually long, downward-curving snout resembling a small elephant's trunk, a feature that gives the species its common name.
What does the elephant weevil use its long snout for?
Females use the elongated snout to drill precise holes into bark and wood, where eggs are then laid, allowing larvae to develop hidden within the wood after hatching.
Is the elephant weevil considered a pest?
Yes, in some regions it is considered a pest due to the damage its boring and feeding behaviour can cause to certain fruit and ornamental trees.
Where is the elephant weevil found?
It is native to forest habitat across parts of Australia.