Meet the flightless broad-nosed snout weevil spotted in Okinawa, Japan

Metapocyrtus adspersus is a striking broad-nosed snout weevil (family: Curculionidae) native to the Philippines that has become an accidental invasive pest in parts of Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan. It belongs to the Pachyrhynchini tribe, which is famous for its vibrant, iridescent, jewel-like scale patterns. Both adults and larvae feed on the foliage of various plants and crops (sometimes targeting fruit orchards) by chewing leaves, scarring stems, and boring into fruits. They cannot fly, as its wing covers (elytra) are fused together. Instead of flying, they rely on walking, which generally gives them a highly localized geographic range. I encountered this small weevil in Okinawa.

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