Natural History of the Crambe feeder, Lixus circumcinctus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Field investigations showed that Lixus circumcinctus Boheman 1835 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major herbivore species living on Crambe orientalis in northeastern Anatolia and on Crambe tataria in central Anatolia. Adults hibernate in the root crown of host plants. They associate with their hosts in the spring, feed on leaves, young stems and buds, and lay solitary eggs in the stem and lower leaves of petiole. Larvae open galleries oriented downward toward the root crown. Mature larva make a pupal case using plant fibers at the end of gallery, and pass the pupal stage in the late summer. Second generation adults appear in early autumn, overwinter in the same niche, and complete one generation a year. Crambe orientalis harbors 7 species of weevils in eastern Turkey, and Crambe tataria harbors 8 weevil species in central Anatolia.