Bug FAQNew Zealand Giraffe Weevil
Lasiorhynchus barbicornis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Brentidae
Also called: Giraffe weevil
The New Zealand giraffe weevil is the country's longest beetle, with males up to about 90 mm and females up to about 50 mm, though individuals can be much smaller. They live mainly in New Zealand's North Island and are also found in the north-western part of the South Island as far south as Greymouth. Adults are active by day, feed on sap, and emerge from October to March with a peak in February; larvae live in dead wood for at least two years feeding on wood-growing fungus.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They have a long, giraffe-like head and reddish-brown spots on their wing covers. They are the only weevils that show a visible scutellum.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males range from about 15 mm to 90 mm, while females range from about 12 mm to 50 mm in total length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are common throughout the North Island of New Zealand. They also occur in the north-western South Island, reaching as far south as Greymouth.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on plant sap during the day and hide in the canopy at night. Larvae do not eat wood; they consume the fungus that grows on dead trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult weevils live only a few weeks after emerging.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults appear from October through March, with the highest numbers in February. Eggs are laid on dying wood during the same October-March period.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The giraffe weevil is endemic to New Zealand. During the Pleistocene it likely had a restricted range that expanded after glacial retreat.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adult giraffe weevils most common?
Adults emerge between October and March, peaking in February.
Source: Wikipedia
What do giraffe weevil larvae eat?
The larvae feed on fungus that grows on dead wood, not on the wood itself.
Source: Wikipedia
Where in New Zealand can I find giraffe weevils?
They are common on the North Island and also occur in the north-western South Island down to Greymouth.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Brentidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_giraffe_weevil
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.