Unequal Saint Helena Weevil (Tychiorhinus inaequalis)

The Unequal Saint Helena Weevil was described in 1877; it is, or probably was, restricted to the island of Saint Helena.

The species appears to have already been on the brink of extinction when it was discovered.:

“Although of extreme rarity, I have nevertheless taken the T. inaequalis in widely distant parts of the great central ridge (to which it seems to be peculiar), – namely amongst the sticks and wood of the old cabbage-trees about Diana’s Peak and Actaeon, as well as (under similar circumstances) at Cason’s, and at the edge of the precipice, or crater-wall, immediately above West Lodge.” [1]

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The Unequal Saint Helena Weevil was not found during the most recent field surveys and is now feared to be extinct.

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References:

[1] T. Vernon Wollaston: Coleoptera Sanctae-Helenae. London: John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row 1877

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edited: 26.05.2021