The weevil genera Larinus and Rhinocyllus belongs to subfamily Lixinae. The weevil genera Larinus in Europe includes approximately 60 species, Rhinocyllus in Europe includes only two species. Larinus and Rhinocyllus species have the different habitat preferences; some of them are associated with the xerothermic communities, whilst others inhabit wet meadows, pasture or ruderal vegetations, and they are associated with plants from the tribe Cardueae. Many plants of this tribe are well known as important and dangerous invasive plants. Many European species from this tribe are invasive in North America (e.g. Cirsium arvense, Carduus nutans, Carduus acanthoides, Centaurea maculosa, Coombs et al. 2004).
The majority of larvae of Larinus and Rhinocyllus species develops in flower heads of plants. Weevil larvae are able to destroy almost the whole receptacle and could prevent seeds from maturing (Skuhrovec et al. 2008). These pre-dispersal predators are often considered as the first potential enemies in the generative reproduction of plant. The most known pre-dispersal predators used as biological control agents are classified into the weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, especially Lixinae and Ceutorhynchinae, Louda et al. 1997) and tehpritids (Diptera: Tephritidae, Van Driesche et al. 2008).
Larinus (str.) pollinis (Laicharting, 1781)
Larinus (Phyllonomeus) carlinae (Olivier, 1807)
Larinus (Phyllonomeus) iaceae (Fabricius, 1775)
Larinus (Phyllonomeus) sturnus (Schaller, 1783)
Larinus (Phyllonomeus) turbinatus Gyllenhal, 1835
Rhinocyllus conicus (Frölich, 1792)