Adults are approximately 16–26 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Lithinus sepidioides
A weevil that hides its beetle shape beneath a shaggy, wax-like coat until it resembles a loose scrap of living lichen.
About this species
Lithinus sepidioidesFairmaire, 1896
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Lithinus sepidioides is a Madagascan broad-nosed weevil with a dark body concealed by pale waxy material, scales and long irregular tufts. The result is three-dimensional camouflage rather than a flat colour pattern.
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 eastern forest, especially lichenous bark and low vegetation.
Slow-moving; relies heavily on remaining still.
Leaves and other plant tissue.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The apparent “hair” is a protective surface covering that projects beyond the body, so even the outline of the legs and wing cases dissolves into the texture of the substrate.
Its camouflage continues to work when illumination changes because the tufts cast real, irregular shadows; this is physical impersonation of lichen, not simply matching its colour.
When the legs and snout are pulled inward, the animal becomes a compact, asymmetrical clump. A predator searching for a beetle is confronted with something that no longer has a beetle-shaped silhouette.