The Sunflower Head-clipping Weevil is a small, metallic bronzy weevil whose female exhibits the bizarre behavior of cutting the stem below a sunflower head almost entirely through, causing it to droop, then laying an egg in the head so the larva can develop in the moist, fallen tissue. This unique behavior ensures optimal conditions for larval development. Males are smaller and do not clip.
Habitat
Prairie grasslands and fields with wild sunflowers
Diet
Larvae: developing sunflower seeds. Adults: sunflower tissue
How common
Uncommon
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