About

Hi! I’m Jakob Jilg (he/him), an entomologist and master’s student with a focus on weevils (Curculionoidea) and biodiversity.

My former social media handle “@curculio.noidea” was a nod to the labyrinthine complexity of weevil taxonomy, expressing that I have “no idea” about the Curculionoidea.

“In this work, one should always consider oneself a student who can in a lifetime learn comparatively little of what there is to be learned.”
— E.C. Zimmerman, Australian Weevils, Vol. VI

There’s a lot to learn, discover and to marvel at.
Weevil see where this journey is going!

Why do I run a blog?

We live in strange times: The technological possibilities for entomologists have never been greater. Public appreciation for insects may be at an all-time high. And yet, the number of experts, those who can accurately identify insects and have a deeper understanding of their habits, appears to be dwindling.

The blog will try to explore topics which are not typically covered by introductory literature and textbooks, e.g. because they are considered to be “too basic”. I’d like to write more about technical aspects of entomology (how to..) instead of providing factual information on weevils directly. There may be space for that, but I believe that such information is more easily accessible e.g. on wikipedia.

Of course the number of potential readers for this blog is small. But if I can spark enthusiasm or offer advice to just one person on their journey to becoming an entomologist, then my effort is worth it! I started communicating about weevils on Instagram, but I felt very limited in how I could express myself (unfortunately I like long texts).

Contact

I’m happy to receive your email: [email protected]

The logo

This is a linocut of Ixapion variegatum by my friend Marc Hoffmann, a renegade who left the study of weevils to become an expert in robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae).