Oviposition in the chestnut weevil Curculio elephas Gyll (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Oviposition behavior of Curculio elephas comprises three phases : perforation of the chestnut with its rostrum, inversion and hole seeking, oviposition of an egg. In the laboratory, the total behavioral sequence averages 20 mn, but in 47% of their egg-laying trials, females do not deposit any eggs. A female oviposits one egg in 80% of egg-laying and 10% of oviposition holes contain two eggs. The total duration of oviposition is short compared to female longevity (21 days on the average). In 32% of cases, female weevils use already bored oviposition holes, which decreases the overall time of perforation and the energetic and temporal cost of oviposition. Time invested in oviposition would not be a limiting factor for the fecundity.