Agave Snout Weevil vs Cromwell Chafer Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Agave Snout Weevil Cromwell Chafer Beetle
Scientific Name Scyphophorus acupunctatus Prodontria lewisii
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae Scarabaeidae
Size 10-15 mm 1-1.5 cm
Habitat Farmland Deserts & Drylands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Mexico, Southwestern United States, Mediterranean (invasive) New Zealand
Conservation Least Concern Critically Endangered

Agave Snout Weevil

A large, black weevil that attacks agave and yucca plants by boring into the base. It can destroy entire agave plantations used for tequila production.

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Did You Know?

Infestations of this weevil have threatened Mexico's tequila industry by killing the blue agave plants used to make the spirit.

Cromwell Chafer Beetle

A small chafer beetle endemic to a tiny area near Cromwell in Central Otago, New Zealand. Adults are nocturnal and feed on native grasses.

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Did You Know?

Its entire habitat is protected within an 81-hectare reserve, one of the smallest nature reserves created for an insect.