Ceutorhynchus typhae (Herbst, 1795)

Widely referred to in older literature as C. floralis (Paykull, 1792), this species occurs throughout Europe north to the UK and far beyond the Arctic Circle in Fennoscandia, it reaches North West Africa to the south and extends through Asia Minor and Russia into Eastern Asia, it is generally common throughout this range and is generally the most common member of the genus in Europe. Following introductions from Europe to control invasive weed species it has also become established and widespread in North America.  In the UK it is generally common throughout England and Wales and more local and scarce further north to Inverness and in Northern Ireland. Host plants include a range of wild Brassicaceae, most commonly Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.)) but also e.g. Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba L.), Great Yellowcress (Rorippa amphibia (L.)), Creeping Yellowcress (R. sylvestris (L.)), Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.)), Land Cress (Barbarea verna (Mill.)), Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima Scop.), Treacle-Mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides L.) and Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) Adults are likely to be found in any habitat where the hosts occur, both warm and dry and wet and humid, they are often abundant on field margins, waste ground and verges but sweeping vegetation in any fairly open situation, including domestic gardens, should produce them in numbers. Specimens often occur in yellow pan traps and pheromone traps placed among various flowering brassicas, and sometimes in numbers but the species is not considered a crop pest. Although the active season for adults is generally April until August or September, they overwinter in soil below host plants and specimens occasionally occur throughout the autumn and winter, they peak in abundance during May and June and this is the main reproductive season. Overwintered adults appear from mid March and feed on host foliage for a few weeks before mating occurs in April and May, at this time flowers may be crowded with specimens as feeding and mating proceeds. Eggs are laid in unripe seed heads from May to July and larvae feed on developing seeds, they grow quickly and all instars have been recorded from late May. Larvae leave the seeds and drop to the soil where they will pupate and new-generation adults mostly remain in situ until the following spring.