About Scolopterus aequus Broun, 1880
Scolopterus aequus is a species of flower weevil that is endemic to, and found only in, New Zealand. This weevil species was first formally described by Broun in 1880, from a single specimen collected at Tairua on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand's North Island. Two other weevil species originally placed in the genus Scolopterus are now considered to be the same species, synonymous with S. aequus. Adult Scolopterus aequus beetles are relatively common. They inhabit bushes and trees, and can often be observed on flowers during summer and autumn. Adults feed on flower pollen from almost all flowering plant species. This species is most abundant on New Zealand's North Island, where it occurs across most of the island except for the central highlands and large portions of the Gisborne and Hawke's Bay regions. Scattered records of the species also exist from the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. S. aequus typically lives in bushes and forest canopies. The larvae of S. aequus develop for several months inside the rachis, or stem, of fern fronds, with a particular association with silver fern fronds. After development, the larvae pupate for a short period before becoming adults.
