Scientific Name: Bruchus atomarius (Linnaeus)

Common Name: Bruchid seed beetle 

Synonyms

Curculio atomarius Linnaeus; Mylabris atomaria Baudi; Mylabris atomarius var. sarothamni Hoffmann; Bruchus granarius Linnaeus; Bruchus varicornis Brulle; Bruchus fahraei Gyllenhal; Bruchus atomarius var. fahraei Gemminger & Harold; Bruchus viciae var. fahraei Schilsky; Bruchus seminarius Bach; Bruchus viciae Motschoulsky.

Taxonomic Position

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Bruchidae

Genus: Bruchus

Species: Bruchus atomarius

Geographical distribution

Algeria, France, Iran, Italy, Sweden, USSR

Host Range

L. niger, L. pisiformis, L. pratensis, L. sphoericus, L. tuberosus, L. vernus, Lens esculenta, Phaseolus sp., Pisum sativum, Sarothamnus scoparius, Vicia angustifolia, Vicia cracca, V. dumetorum, V. faba, V. narbonensis, V. pisiformis, V. sativa, V. sapium, V. tenuifolia

Identification features

• Body and head black; head short and broad with many punctuations; eyes moderately bulging, slightly incised.
• 1 to 4 antennal segments reddish brown, remaining black to dark brown, 6-10 segments are broader than length.
• Pronotum about 0.4 times as broad as long, diverging behind the small and blunt lateral tooth, disk slightly convex, with sparse punctures, covered with moderately dense tawny brown hairs and four white patches form a square.
• Elytra with small punctures, covered with densely brownish hairs except small whitish patches scattered over the surface.
• Fore legs reddish brown excepting femur with black basal part; middle and hind legs are black. Hind leg femur with small and blunt distal tooth, tibiae with three carinae and small and sharp apical tooth. 
• Pygidium covered with sparse greyish hairs with two dark patches, 2.3-4.0 mm in length.
• Females are similar to the male except 1 to 5 antennal segments reddish, remaining black, second tibiae without tooth at inner margin. 

Dorsal View	Lateral View	Posterior View –Pygidium

Detection methods

Samples can be examined with naked eye or under magnifying glass or stereoscopic binocular microscope and by using soft X-ray and seed transparency method hidden infestation can be detected.