Bug FAQGiraffe Weevil
Trachelophorus giraffa · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Attelabidae
Also called: Giraffe-necked Weevil
Giraffe weevils are small beetles about 1 to 2 inches long and have a black body with bright red wing covers. Males are recognizable by their long necks, while females lack this feature. They are native to Madagascar, where females roll a leaf into a tube and lay a single egg inside it.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s body is black and its wing covers are bright red. Only males have an elongated neck; females do not.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults grow to about 1 to 2 inches in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The leaf that the female rolls provides food for the newly hatched larva.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females roll a leaf into a tube and deposit a single egg inside it.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
This species is endemic to Madagascar.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Other beetles called giraffe weevil include New Zealand’s Lasiorhynchus barbicornis. It is often confused with the similarly shaped Cybebus dimidiatus.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell a male giraffe weevil from a female?
Males have a long neck while females do not.
Source: Wikipedia
What do giraffe weevil larvae eat?
The rolled leaf provides the first food for the larva.
Source: Wikipedia
What other insects look like giraffe weevils?
New Zealand’s Lasiorhynchus barbicornis and Cybebus dimidiatus are often mistaken for them.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Attelabidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe_weevil
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.