Macropterous-flightlessness

Guides

• Cleonini

  Cleonini is a tribe of weevils within the subfamily Lixinae, comprising approximately 96 extant genus-group taxa distributed globally. All extant members are hypothesized to be flightless despite frequently possessing fully developed wings (macropterous), a unique condition among Lixinae. The tribe exhibits widespread adult morphological homoplasy that obscures phylogenetic relationships, with many genera radiating from a common ancestor with weakly resolved internal branching. Cleonini are primarily associated with arid and semi-arid habitats, including deserts and steppe environments across North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and western North America.

  weevilCurculionidaeLixinaeflightlessroot-feedingarid-habitatdeserthomoplasyPalearcticNearcticmonophylysoil-pupationhost-plant-specificitywinter-activitymacropterous-flightlessness