Clover Seed Weevil vs Red Clover Seed Weevil

Protapion assimile compared with Protapion trifolii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Seed Weevil	Red Clover Seed Weevil
Kingdom same	Animalia (동물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (절지동물)	Arthropoda (절지동물)
Class same	Insecta (곤충)	Insecta (곤충)
Order same	Coleoptera (딱정벌레목)	Coleoptera (딱정벌레목)
Family same	Apionidae	Apionidae
Genus same	Protapion	Protapion
Species	Protapion assimile	Protapion trifolii

Evolutionary Relationship

Clover Seed Weevil and Red Clover Seed Weevil share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Protapion.

Conservation Status

Clover Seed Weevil

LC — Least Concern

Red Clover Seed Weevil

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Seed Weevil	Red Clover Seed Weevil
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Seed Weevil

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Red Clover Seed Weevil

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Clover Seed Weevil

Protapion assimile is a small apionid weevil in the family Brentidae, subfamily Apioninae, order Coleoptera, known by the shared common name clover seed weevil alongside its congener P. apricans and the unrelated Tychius picirostris. P. assimile is distinguished from P. apricans principally by its host plant preference: while P. apricans predominantly infests red clover (Trifolium pratense), P. assimile shows preference for white clover (Trifolium repens) and alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum), an ecological distinction that reduces direct interspecific competition between these closely related species. Females lay eggs in developing flower heads and seed pods of their respective host plants, and larvae consume developing seeds within the flower head. Adults feed on clover foliage and stems. P. assimile is distributed across Europe and is recorded from Norway and Sweden, inhabiting meadows, pastures, roadsides, and agricultural grasslands where white and alsike clover are present. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with populations considered stable across its range. P. assimile can be separated from P. apricans by differences in elytral striation depth, rostrum proportions, and tibial structure, though the two species are frequently confused in field identification due to their similar size and coloration. Both species can cause localized damage to clover seed crops but rarely reach pest status in mixed-clover agricultural systems.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden