Phyllobius (Metaphyllobius) pomaceus, Gyllenhal, 1834

We've not had enough beetles recently to be representative of their international faunal dominance.

To redress the balance:

Photographed in Bosham, West Sussex, in May 2012, using an Olympus E-420 with Zuiko 40-150mm lens and 3 KOOD magnifiers.

This is one of several green Nettle Weevils found in the UK and Europe, specifically:

Phyllobius (Metaphyllobius) pomaceus

Gyllenhal, 1834

As with weevils generally, it is a herbivore - feeding, as you may guess from the name, upon stinging nettles - and is harmless. Except to nettles, which it can be devastating to. 

Although nettles are still generally considered a nuisance plant, their abundance has plummeted across much of the UK - and certainly undisturbed stands are essentially absent from the south - and this weevil, along with many other nettle-dependent insects, is also suffering declines, although the vestiges of its former abundance are still enough for many of these species to remain common, if not in comparison to populations a decade or two ago...

Comment over, and onwards into the taxonomy. We're going to mix and match a few old ways of doing this today... Our featured creature belongs to the:

(binomials are links to original page for each species).

• Phyllobini of which we've already met Otiorhynchus atroapterus.
• Entiminae comprises the various tribes of snout weevils, some of which are commercially important pests, but most of which are quite innocuous.
• Curculionidae also includes innumerable weevils that I've not yet featured.
• Curculionoidea also includes a number of other weevil families.
• Cucujiformia of which we've already featured Malachius bipustulatus, Oedemera noobilis and Cheilomenes lunata.
• Polyphaga of which we've already featured Melolontha melolontha,  and Neojulodis vittipennis.
• Coleoptera of which we've already featured Demetrias atricapillus and Anthia fornasiini.
• Coleopterida is a little redundant... once, if I recall, also contained the earwigs, which we now know are closer to grasshoppers. Shocking, I know.
• Endopterygota of which we've already featured Metisella willemi, Acada biseriata, Anthocharis cardamines, Laelia robusta, Zebronia phenice, Crambus pascuella, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Diasemopsis meigenii, Dolichotachina caudata, Megistocera filipes, Metadon inermis, Panorpa germanica, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Andrena nigroaenea and Hagenomyia tristis.
• Eumetabola of which we've already featured Pephricus, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Ranatra, , and Grypocoris stysi.
• Neoptera of which we've already featured Cyathosternum prehensile, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Stictogryllacris punctata, Sibylla and Humbe tenuicornis.
• Manopterygota of which we've already featured Rhyothemis semihyalina, Pseudagrion hageni, Enallagma cyathigerum and Lestinogomphus angustus.
• Pterygota also includes mayflies... none of which we've featured yet.
• Dicondylia also includes the silverfish.
• Insecta also includes the Archaeognath bristletails.
• Hexapoda also includes the springtails and other insect-related groups.
• Arthropoda of which we've already featured Hyllus argyrotoxus, Argiope bruennichi, Enoplognatha ovata, Alopecosa barbipes, Dicranopalpus ramosus and Ligia oceanica.
• Ecdysozoa also contains a selection of worms, which have yet to be featured...
• Protostomia also includes the snails, slugs and various worms... none of which we've featured yet.
• Nephrozoa of which we've already featured Hipposideros vittatus, Troglodytes troglodytes, , Chalcophaps indica, Ardea goliath, Sterna hirundo, Burhinus vermiculatus, Thelotornis capensis, Lygodactylus capensis, Trachylepis varia, Zootoca vivipara, Chiromantis xerampelina, Rana temporaria and Synchiropus splendidus.
• Bilateralia is actually indistinguishable from the Nephrozoa, which i retain for... no known reason...
• Eumetazoa also contain the corals and jellyfish, none yet featured.
• Animalia also contains sponges... none featured.
• Eukaryota also contains plants, fungi and an assortment of micro-kingdoms generally lumped (artificially) together into the Protista... none of which have been featured as yet.  

NOTE: Above phylogeny is a summary, and is not complete either in levels or in what is included at each. Also, two further domains, the Archaea and the Prokaryota are not included anywhere in

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, the Watford Coleoptera Group website is an excellent and free resource on British Beetles...

Otiorhynchus (Arammichnus) atroapterus (De Geer, 1775)

You knew it had to happen eventually. After all, three quarters of all known life on earth is made up of insects, and half of those are beetles, and about two thirds of those... are weevils.

We'll skim the the taxonomy today:
Eukaryota
  Animalia
    Eumetazoa
      Nephrozoa
        Bilateralia
          Protostomia
            Hexapoda
              Insecta
                Dicondylia
                  Pterygota
                    Metapterygota
                      Neoptera
                        Eumetabola (Grouping the true bugs in Hemiptera with the following taxon)
                                              Endopterygota, the insects that undergo 'complete' metamorphosis.
                            Coleopterida (Beetles and their closest chums)
                              Coleoptera (Beetles)
                                Polyphaga (most beetles excluding Carabids and water beetles)
                                  Cucujiformia (flat bark beetles and relatives)
                                    Curculionoidea (weevils)
                                      Curculionidae ('True' weevils)
                                        Entiminae (broad-nosed weevils)
                                          Phyllobini (leaf weevils)
                                            

Otiorhynchus (Arramichnus) atroapterus

(De Geer, 1775)

Otherwise known as the Black Marram Weevil. Behold:

Although quite closely related to a number of pest species (most notably the Black Vine Weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus), this weevil, as the common name suggests, is a specialist feeder on marram grass and a handful of closely related plants.

Its flightlessness, common in its genus, ensures that it does suddenly zoom out of its narrow band of preferred habitat and into the sea (which is a simplification of an explanation as to why a lot of island animals become flightless). It also has reasonably enlarged feet to allow it to walk without undue difficulty on the sandy dunes where its food-plants grow.

This lovely little individual was found on the successional dunes between salt-marsh and the Solent, at East Head, West Wittering, West Sussex, UK, back in March 2012.