Weevils can appear scarce in local forests, despite their overwhelming dominance of the animal kingdom. But it's likely that many dwell within the trunks that line the trails, infest the seeds of the forest and lurk in the gills of fruiting hyphae, showing up only at points of dispersal that cross the paths of nocturnal prowlers. Others hide in plain view on bark or roll up leaves that serve as nurseries for hungry grubs.
Like longhorns and scarabs, adult curculionoids are not infrequently the bearers of mitey things, which form clusters of rotund bodies at the joints of laden beetles. A free ride is usually cited as the goal of these acarines, which hop off when their beast of burden lands on promising ground. Some hitchhikers, however, have taken to hanging on for good, turning their appetites to haemolymph or the eggs of their host. It's not always a losing proposition, though, for some beetles have salvaged the relationship, turning what might have been a bad deal into a more complex arrangement in which both parties stick together for better or worse.
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