Spinetailed weevil
Steriphus caudatus
Larvae are white, legless with a yellow head capsule, grow up to 8 mm long and are soil dwelling. Adults are greyish-black, up to 7 mm long, with a definite weevil snout. The female has two spines on the tip of the abdomen. One generation per year.
Damage: Larvae attack swelling seeds just after sowing. They can bore into the underground stem of seedling causing them to winter and die, or bore into the base of the plant tillers.
