Adults are roughly 15–25 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Lithinus nigrocristatus
A beetle whose body has been remodelled into a moving fragment of lichen-covered bark.
About this species
Lithinus nigrocristatus(Coquerel, 1859)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Lithinus nigrocristatus is a Madagascan broad-nosed weevil with cream, brown and black scaling, raised tubercles and dark hair tufts. Its irregular surface disrupts every familiar beetle outline.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Curculionidae · Lithinus
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
MadagascarBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Madagascar
Humid forest, tree trunks, branches and lichen-covered surfaces.
Slow-moving and cryptic on bark.
Leaves and plant tissue as an adult; roots or woody plant tissue as a larva.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The black crests, pale scales and knobbled wing cases create false shadows and false edges, so predators see a patch of lichen and bark texture instead of a symmetrical animal.
Its camouflage is three-dimensional rather than merely coloured: tufts and ridges physically imitate the uneven surface on which the beetle rests, remaining convincing even under changing light.
When threatened it can pull in the rostrum and legs and become an inert, bark-like lump, combining visual deception with the classic weevil strategy of dropping and “dying” rather than fleeing.
Sources and scientific references
- GBIF — taxon record/search for Lithinus nigrocristatus
- Catalogue of Life — taxon search for Lithinus nigrocristatus
- Wikispecies-linked gallery and nomenclature for Lithinus nigrocristatus
- National Museums Scotland example of Lithinus lichen mimicry
- External morphology description of Lithinus nigrocristatus