; class Insecta, order Coleoptera)
Family of small, compact beetles, 1.5–5 mm long, with the head curved under the body. The elytra are dark, with a pattern of white or yellow hairs. Bruchidae are a common pest of leguminous crops. Eggs are laid on developing seeds. The larva is fleshy, grub-like, and completes its development inside a single seed. There are 1200 species. They are also known, incorrectly, as pea weevils and bean weevils (see Curculionidae).
Subjects: Zoology and Animal Sciences.