TMC: Rare weevil with markedly long snout pictured on Yakushima Island
The camellia weevil, a very rare type of weevil known for its markedly long snout, has been successfully photographed on Japan's southwestern Yakushima Island, according to a pair of experts. Takaaki Nakata, 51, a resident park ranger on the Kagoshima Prefecture island, and his associate have photographed a camellia weevil actually perched on a camellia tree, which is a very rare sight, he said. The weevil is known as "tsubakishigi zomushi" (camellia snipe weevil) in Japanese as it punctures the fruits of a camellia tree using a long snout, which resembles a snipe's beak, to lay eggs...Last year, Nakata spotted a female camellia weevil on the island's western mountains when he visited the area with Isao Matoba..."Weevils are still full of mysteries." [Matoba] said.