Tasmanian alpine beetle

Primitive alpine beetle found on Diselma archeri (Cheshunt Pine) in Tasmania

Gondwanan alpine plants sometimes maintain equally ancient associations with insects, depending on them for food. The discovery by Peter McQuillan and Belinda Yaxley of a rare apionid weevil on Cheshunt Pine (Diselma archeri Hooker) endemic to alpine Tasmania, may represent a distinctive new apionine lineage, perhaps related to the Australian genus Rhinorhynchidius and New Zealand Strobilobius, both dependent on the gymnosperm family Cupressaceae.

In recognition of its host, a new genus Diselmobius has been erected for it. Only known from 4 females, the discovery of a male and the elucidation of its biology is a priority for this summer.

Read the paper here: Wanat, M. 2023. Diselmobius, a new basal genus of Apionine weevil (Coleoptera: Brentidae: Apioninae) from Tasmania. Annales Zoologici 73(3), 389-396. https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2023.73.3.003