SEED BEETLE

any member of the more than 900 species of the insect family Bruchidae (order Coleoptera). Seed beetles are oval or egg shaped, 1 to 10 millimetres (up to 2/5 inch) in length, and black or brown in colour. The abdomen extends beyond the short forewings (elytra). The best known species are the pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum) and the bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus). They occur throughout the world; their larvae live in and feed on dried seeds. The pea weevil is dark brown, about 5 mm (1/5 in.) long, and has white markings on its elytra. The female deposits her eggs on young pea pods; the larvae bore through the pod and into the peas. Pea seeds that float when placed in a bowl of water are infested. The bean weevil, unlike the pea weevil, deposits eggs on dry seeds and will breed many times. It resembles the pea weevil but lacks the white markings on the elytra.