Diet

• Adults: Adults generally feed little and may consume pollen, nectar or plant material, although some species take little or no food after emergence.

• Larvae: Develop inside seeds of legumes (Fabaceae), where they consume the nutritious seed contents.

• Many species are closely associated with large legume seeds, including those produced by trees, shrubs and climbing plants.

Range

• Pachymerini is a predominantly tropical and subtropical tribe of seed beetles, occurring throughout the Americas, Africa and other warm regions.

• Around Zihuatanejo, Pachymerini are occasional, but individual species can become locally common when their host plants are producing mature seeds.

• Look especially around legume-bearing trees, shrubs and vines, where adults may be found on foliage or where infested seeds accumulate.

Habitat

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

• Adults may be encountered on leguminous plants or nearby vegetation.

• The most productive place to find evidence of Pachymerini is often inside mature or fallen legume seeds, where larvae and pupae develop.

• Seeds may show a characteristic circular emergence hole after the adult beetle has completed development and chewed its way out.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 4–20 mm (0.16–0.8 in), depending on species.

• Body generally compact, robust and oval, with short wing covers and relatively stout hind legs.

• Colouration is commonly brown, reddish-brown, black or mottled, providing camouflage among seeds and dried vegetation.