Flat Bark Beetle of Madeira vs Rice Water Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Flat Bark Beetle of Madeira Rice Water Weevil
Scientific Name Tarphius rufonodulosus Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Zopheridae Curculionidae
Size 0.3-0.5 cm 2.5-3.5 mm
Habitat Forests Wetlands
Diet Fungus Feeders Herbivores
Regions Portugal South Asia (India, Sri Lanka; invasive pest spreading across Asian rice-growing regions)
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Flat Bark Beetle of Madeira

A small flattened beetle endemic to the laurel forests of Madeira. It lives under the bark of dead Laurus and Ocotea trees.

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Did You Know?

Madeira's laurel forests are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and harbor dozens of unique beetle species.

Rice Water Weevil

A small, grey-brown weevil that feeds on rice roots as a larva and on rice leaves as an adult. Adults create distinctive narrow feeding scars along the surface of rice leaves parallel to the leaf veins.

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Did You Know?

Larvae feed underwater on rice roots, surviving by obtaining oxygen from the rice plant's aerenchyma tissue through specialized spiracles.