Mogulones larvatus

2 Paterson's curse crown weevil at Lawson, ACT

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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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  • 5mm to 12mm Animal size

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