Explanation of Names
Notolomus sp. TAC 2 refers to an undescribed species that Tami A. Carlow listed in her weevil survey of the lower Rio Grande valley. (Carlow 1997)
Numbers
2 spp. recognized n. of Mex.,
(1), plus two additional spp. in southmost Texas (E. G. Riley, pers. comm.)
Size
length 3.6-3.7 mm,
the greatest width 1.6-1.7 mm across the elytra at mid-length. (Riley & King, 2009)
Range
Apparent range limited to the Brownsville area, Cameron Co., TX (E. G. Riley, pers. comm.)
Season
Number of compiled Texas collecting events by month:
June (3), July (1), October (1). (Riley & King, 2009)
Food
Associated with flowers of Sabal mexicana Mart. (Arecaceae).
Anderson (1993) reported that Notolomus larvae develop in male palm flowers in Florida.
Remarks
Specimens at the Smithsonian of "Notolomus sp. TAC 2" were collected in the Brownsville area by Barber in 1904. (E. G. Riley, pers. comm.)
Herbert Spencer Barber Papers, 1903-1950, Smithsonian Institution Archives
Texas Parks & Wildlife considers this to be a "Species of Greatest Conservation Need" (SGCN)
(2)See Also
Notolomus variegatus (Suffrian) another palm flower weevil, common in FL and in Cuba and the Greater Antilles. Often taken with N. basalis. Both are attracted to the freshly opened palm inflorescences and can be taken in the thousands from a single inflorescence. Some fly to lights too. (C. W. O'Brien, pers. comm.)
Print References
Anderson, R.S. 1993. The Curculionoidea of Southern Florida: An Annotated Checklist (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea [excluding Curculionidae; Scolytinae, Platypodinae]). Insecta Mundi 6(3-4): 193-248.
Blatchley, W.S., and C.W. Leng. 1916. Rhynchophora or Weevils of North Eastern America. Nature Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana. 682 pp.
Full Text
Carlow, T.A. 1997. A faunal survey and zoogeographic analysis of the Curculionidae (Coleoptera) (excluding Anthribidae, Platypodinae, and Scolytinae) of the lower Rio Grande valley of Texas. Unpublished thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station. xi + 274.
LeConte, J.L. & G.H. Horn. 1876. The Rhynchophora of America North of Mexico. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 15(96): xvi + 455.
Full Text
Riley, E.G. & J.E. King. 2009. Element record datasheets submitted to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Wildlife Division, Austin.
