Diet

• Adults: Primarily herbivorous, feeding on leaves, buds and tender shoots of a variety of plants.

• Larvae: Develop in the soil, where they feed on plant roots and other underground tissues.

• The specific host plants of P. picipes are not particularly well documented, so a broad range of herbaceous and woody plants is likely involved.

Range

• Pantomorus picipes is a Neotropical broad-nosed weevil in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Entiminae and tribe Naupactini.

• It occurs in Mexico and Central America, particularly in warm tropical and subtropical environments.

• The species occurs in Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo area, where tropical dry forest and disturbed vegetation provide suitable habitat.

• Around Zihuatanejo, it is occasional, although it may be locally more numerous during periods of active vegetation growth.

Habitat

• Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, scrub, woodland edges, gardens, agricultural areas and secondary vegetation.

• Adults can be found on low vegetation, shrubs and foliage, particularly during humid conditions or at night.

• During the day they may shelter in leaf litter or beneath vegetation.

• Larvae remain underground around plant roots.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in).

• Body broadly oval and robust, with a relatively short, broad rostrum.

• Usually dark brown to reddish-brown, with fine scales producing a mottled appearance.

• The species name picipes means approximately “pitch-black footed,” referring to the darker coloration of the legs.