Redescription and Biological Observations on Maximus strabus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)
Abstract
Biological observations of Maximus strabus (Gyllenhal, 1834) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were conducted on two populations associated with two halophytic plants, Bassia hirsuta (L.) Asch. and Suaeda altissima (L.) Pall. in the Aras River valley. The species is redescribed and the diagnostic morphological characters, including variations, are compared with digital images. The species hibernates as an adult under stones and becomes active in early spring when it starts feeding on the rosettes of its host plants. The legless larvae are soil dwellers and feed on the roots of their host plants, including the lateral branches of the roots; the mature larvae form individual soil capsules and pupate inside. A new generation of adults emerges in late summer. The species is univoltine in the Aras River valley.
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