Common name : New Zealand giraffe weevil
Scientific name : Lasiorhynchus barbicornis
Family : Brentidae
Native to : New Zealand
Interesting fact : This particular insect has an extremely elongated snout, which resembles the neck of a giraffe, hence the name ‘giraffe beetle’.
Almost 85 mm in length, the male stands taller than the female in this species. The female has a smaller protrusion and smaller antennas. She drills through the bark of trees like pigeonwood, houhere and karaka to lay her eggs inside. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae drill further into the wood where they feed. This species spends most of its life as larvae. The adults live only for 1-2 weeks.
