2 Paterson's curse crown weevil at Lawson, ACT
Identification history
| Mogulones larvatus | 26 Apr 2026 | AlisonMilton | ||
| Mogulones larvatus | 26 Apr 2026 | TimL |
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User's notes
The weevil was caught in a spider’s web and when freed it feigned being dead as seen in these images. This a defence behaviour (thanatosis) of some weevil species. This particular weevil has drawn itself up into a tight ball with its elongated snout held tightly against the body as its head is partly drawn into the protonum. Its legs are all tucked up tightly against the body. The weevil remained motionless in this position for several minutes before righting itself and returning to feigning being dead. It eventually became active and scuttled away. This behaviour of feigning death apparently helps weevils to avoid detection by predators and if detected, they are likely to be ignored as predators often prefer live prey.
In the first image the weevil had righted itself and its head and snout are to the left of the image. In the second image the weevil is on its back in its death feigning posture. The third image is a top view whilst the fourth image provides some indication of the weevil’s size. The final image shows the weevil scurrying away. The images were taken at up to 5X to provide this detail.
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Location information
- Coordinates 149.094552-35.227919
- Maps Lawson North Grasslands
- Places Lawson, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 24 Apr 2026 02:42 PM Recorded on
- TimL Recorded by
-
Collections
TimL NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Latest Weevils (Curculionoidea) Beetles (Coleoptera) Insects Mogulones larvatus
Additional information
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
Species information
- Mogulones larvatus Scientific name
- Paterson's curse crown weevil Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Exotic
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 785.92m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes