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Nemonychidae

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Through Inflorescence

Nemonychidae are historically divided into three subfamilies: Nemonychinae of the palearctic region with the single genus Nemonyx and an unusual host, the angiosperm Delphinium. Most species of the other two subfamilies are associated with Pinales feeding on the pollen of the male inflorescences. Cimberidinae are found in the Northern hemisphere, while Rhinorhynchinae occur largely in the Southern hemisphere, especially found on Podocarpaceae and Araucariaceae. Recent phylogenetic research indicates that the Cimberidinae are sister to all of the remaining Curculionoidea, and it has been proposed to elevate the group to family rank.

Both Nemonychidae adults and larvae feed primarily on pollen. When mature, the larvae will drop to the ground from the male cones or flowers they resided in to pupate in the soil less than five centimeters from the surface.

There exists a fairly extensive fossil record of Nemonychidae reaching from the upper Jurassic to tertiary amber.

Extant taxa

Cimberidinae:

  • Acromacer
  • Cimberis
  • Doydirhynchus
  • Lecontellus
  • Pityomacer

Nemonychinae:

  • Nemonyx

Rhinorhynchinae:

  • Aragomacer
  • Araucomacer
  • Atopomacer
  • Basiliogeus
  • Basiliorhinus
  • Brarus
  • Bunyaeus
  • Eutactobius
  • Idiomacer
  • Mecomacer
  • Nannomacer
  • Notomacer
  • Pagomacer
  • Rhinorhynchus
  • Rhynchitomacer
  • Rhynchitomacerinus
  • Rhynchitoplesius
  • Stenomacer
  • Zimmiellus

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