The family Cimberididae belongs to a small and relatively little-known group of weevils within the superfamily Curculionoidea. Members of this family represent an evolutionarily ancient lineage of primitive weevils and are characterised by a specialised association with conifers, particularly pine (Pinus). The family comprises tiny beetles with a relatively long rostrum (snout) and simple, non-geniculate antennae, a characteristic typical of so-called primitive weevils. It is a group of purely fossil origin, with roots dating back to the Mesozoic era. The family has a single extant subfamily, Cimberidinae, and two tribes – Cimberidini and Doydirhynchini – whose distribution is restricted exclusively to the Northern Hemisphere. Both the larvae and adults of all extant Cimberididae species are palynophagous – they feed exclusively on pollen from the male cones of pine trees of the genus Pinus (Pinaceae). It was only in 2018, based on phylogenetic analyses, that the family was separated from the older and broader family Nemonychidae to become a fully-fledged independent family.

Number of Species:

Family Card

Cimberis attelaboides

 

Doydirhynchus austriacus