Welcome to Lixini Biodiversity Website

The species-rich and economically important weevil tribe Lixini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a premier biological control agents of weeds and considered beneficial insects. It is a speciose group with about 700 species globally, most diverse in the Palaearctic with over 300 species. There are two main ecological groups in the Lixini, based on life mode and the ecological niche occupied by the immature stages; 1- inflorescence inhabitants comprising Larinus and allied genera and 2- stem, root and petiole inhabitants, including Lixus and allied genera. Inflorescence inhabiting Lixini species are generally named as thistle capitulum weevils and members attack almost every thistle genus in the Palaearctic, the larvae developing in their seed heads and destroying the seeds. Their host plant range is confined to the Cynaroideae and considered as natural regulators of thistles. In last decade, nearly ten Lixini species were introduced Nearctic Region, Australia and New Zealand for the biological control of invasive weeds. In spite of the economic and environmental importance of this group itself, data on biodiversity, taxonomy, systematics, biology and host plants of Lixini are limited.
Aim of this website is to be core point to share and display biodiversity data on Lixini such as species diversity, taxonomy, systematics, morphology, biology, host plants and their related digital images.