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• Jiří Skuhrovec: Curriculum vitae
• Current Projects
  • Host specificity of insect herbivores
  • Insect Developmental Database
  • Effect of agricultural managements on biodiversity of insect
  • Biology of pest in agriculture land
  • Taxonomy and phylogeny of Hyperini
  • Taxonomy and phylogeny of weevils
  • Larval morphology of weevils
    • Morphology and biology of immatures stages of genus Lixus, and using of larval characters for reconstructing phylogeny
  • Digital Weevil Determination projects
  • Biodiversity of weevils
• Publications
  • Published scientific papers
  • Chapters in books
  • Applicable results
  • Popularization papers
  • Abstracts of organized conferences, and official proposals
  • Oral presentations
  • Posters
  • Theses
• Useful web links
• Host specificity of pre-dispersal seed predators
  • Studied Plants
    • Arctium
    • Carduus
    • Carlina
    • Centaurea
    • Cirsium
    • Cyanus
    • Echinops sphaerocephalus
    • Onopordum acanthium
    • Serratula tinctoria
  • Pre-dispersal predators
    • Curculionidae
    • Tephritidae
      • Myopitinae
      • Tephritinae
      • Terelliinae

Taxonomy and phylogeny of weevils of the tribe Hyperini

Hyperini sensu lato included three groups; Holarctic (Hyperini sensu stricto), Circumtropical (Cepurini) and Australian Hyperini (Hyperini or Cepurini?).

The status of hyperini within family curculionidae is still unresolved; see: the hyperines have generally been presented as a subfamily of Curculionidae (e.g., Thompson 1992; Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal 1999; Marvaldi et al. 2002; Bouchard et al. 2011), but Kuschel (1995) included them as Brachycerinae and Oberprieler et al. (2007) and McKenna et al. (2009) presented them as a tribe of Curculioninae. Legalov (2011) listed them as a tribe in Entiminae although they do not share the autapomorphies of this subfamily.

Recently solved subtopics:

Cladistic analysis of weevils of the tribe Hyperini

The main intention my project is to analyze the relationships of Hyperini genera using cladistic analysis of external morphological characters of adults and larvae. Larval and adults characters will consolidate the phylogenetic position of the genera. Major clades within the tribe Hyperini will be identified and justified scientifically. Some genera are possibly not as closely related with other genera within tribe Hyperini as previosuly thought,

Handbook of Zoology (Curculionidae: Hyperini)

(in cooperation with Rolf Oberprieler and Roberto Caldara)

Recently, complete known data about Hyperini sensu lato will be published in the long-term project Handbook of Zoology, where each group includes information; Distribution; Biology and Ecology; Morphology, Adults; Morphology, Larvae; Morphology, Pupae; and Phylogeny and Taxonomy.

Revision of genus Limobius 

(in cooperation with Miguel A. Alonso-Zarazaga)

The genus Limobius with three species is classified close to the genus Hypera. All known species develop on plants from the family Geraniaceae. Recently, I study the new material of this group including also undescribed species, and thus the revision of this genus is essential.

Revision of genus Bubalocephalus

(in cooperation with Miguel A. Alonso-Zarazaga)

The endemic Spanish genus Bubalocephalus with four described species is classified close to the genus Donus. All species from this genus have round eyes and long projecting setae on the whole body. Bionomy is unfortunately completely unknown. I study the new material of this group including also undescribed species, and thus the revision of this genus is necessary.

Host plants of weevils of the tribe Hyperini

Hyperine larvae develop on many plant families, mainly Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Polygonaceae and Saxifragaceae. Species occurring in lowlands, typically Brachypera and Hypera, are mainly oligophagous, feeding on several genera of one plant family, whereas species in higher-lying areas and mountains, typically Donus, often are either mono- or polyphagous. Studies of host plants and host specificity are still in the preparation.

Morphology of immature stages of the tribe Hyperini

Detailed descriptions of immature stages of Hyperini species are important for further studies on generic and subgeneric taxonomic relationships within the tribe. Larval morphology is also useful in assigning higher taxonomic levels (see Marvaldi 1997), but morphological studies within tribes or genera are also required for a complete understanding of each group (e.g., Skuhrovec 2005, 2006, 2007)

Updated: September 18, 2013

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