User:Run2zion/Raspberry Weevil

Otiorhynchus Singularis is commonly called the Raspberry Weevil.

Identification & Threat to Plant Life
There are over 40,000 species of Weevil throughout the world. The Raspberry Weevil is sometimes mistaken as a dangerous species of tick. Quite to the contrary, this Weevil is quite harmless to humans and animals.

It is noteworthy that the O. Singularis is considered a dangerous insect vector of plant pathogens. It poses a great threat to crops of raspberry, small fruit, ornamental, and young conifer trees.

One Unique feature visible on the body of O. Singularis are the "Elytra" with numerous puncture marks. Donald S. Chandler, curator of the University of New Hampshire Insect Collection, states "The very distinct rows of punctures are a key" [to identification of the O. Singularis.]

Range
The Raspberry Weevil is native to Europe. It is believed that they were introduced into North America circa 1892. Presently this species of weevil is well established on both the east and west coasts of North America. Numerous submissions of reports on the weevil come from Washington State: (Not an Exhaustive List)
 * Maine
 * Massachusets
 * Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Canada)
 * Vermont
 * Washington (Numerous Reports)

Classification (Taxonomy)v1
Taxonomy for the Raspberry Weevil is as follows:


 * Kingdom: 	Animalia - Animals
 * Phylum: 	Arthropoda - Arthropods
 * Class: 	Insecta - Insects
 * Order: 	Coleoptera - Beetles
 * Suborder: 	Polyphaga - Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles
 * Infraorder: 	Cucujiformia - Polyphagan beetles (i.e. majority of plant-eating beetles)
 * Superfamily: 	Curculionoidea - Snout and Bark Beetles
 * Family: 	Curculionidae - Snout and Bark Beetles
 * Subfamily: 	Entiminae - Broad-nosed Weevils
 * Tribe:       Otiorhynchini
 * Genus:       Otiorhynchus - Weevils
 * Species:     Otiorhynchus singularis - Raspberry Weevil -