Characterized by a robust and elongated body, this medium-sized beetle typically measures between 11 and 15 millimeters in length, with females generally exhibiting a larger size than males. Its overall coloration is a cryptic greyish-brown to dark brown, highlighted by a highly distinctive diagnostic pattern of bright yellow or whitish lateral stripes forming a "V" shape on the elytra, which defines the species visually. The integument is covered with tiny scales and setae, giving it a rough, matte texture. The head features a short, stout snout or rostrum with elbowed antennae typical of the Curculionidae family, and the elytra are fused together, rendering the insect completely flightless as it lacks functional hindwings.

Geographical distribution: Native to the southern cone of South America, its historical range encompasses several countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. It has also been accidentally introduced and successfully established in Chile, where it has adapted aggressively to agricultural ecosystems, expanding its presence from the semi-arid northern valleys of Coquimbo down to the temperate zones of the Los Lagos region.

Habitat: Strongly associated with temperate agricultural valleys and anthropized landscapes. It thrives within commercial orchards, vineyards, domestic gardens, and riparian vegetation zones. The presence of dense ground cover, organic mulch, and woody host plants is essential for its survival, as these elements provide the necessary humidity for larval stages and protection for adults against extreme temperatures and generalist predators.

Feeding: Exhibits a strictly phytophagous and highly polyphagous diet, utilizing over 50 host plant species across numerous botanical families. The adults feed destructively on the foliage, tender buds, blossoms, and developing fruits of economically vital crops, including grapevines, peaches, apples, kiwifruits, pears, and citrus trees. Conversely, the subterranean larvae feed exclusively on the root systems, chewing through the bark of the roots and destroying the vascular tissue, which severely impairs the host plant´s ability to uptake water and essential soil nutrients.

Behavior: Displays primarily crepuscular and nocturnal activity patterns, choosing to remain hidden during the bright daylight hours under the loose bark of tree trunks, inside leaf litter, or deep within soil crevices. Lacking the ability to fly, its primary mode of dispersal is pedestrian, requiring the weevil to crawl up the trunks of trees and vines to access its food source. When threatened or disturbed by physical contact, it employs a defense mechanism known as thanatosis or death-feigning, in which it folds its legs close to its body, drops to the ground, and remains completely motionless to blend into the surrounding soil.

Reproduction: Follows a holometabolous life cycle that spans one to two years depending on environmental temperatures and host availability. Following copulation, the female deposits eggs in cohesive, flattened clusters protected by a sticky, gelatinous secretion that hardens upon contact with air. These egg masses are strategically placed in bark crevices, folded dry leaves, or close to the soil surface. Upon hatching, the legless, creamy-white larvae with distinct brown heads drop to the forest or orchard floor and burrow into the soil to seek out roots. After progressing through several subterranean instars, pupation occurs within an earthen chamber, leading to the emergence of a new generation of adults during the spring and summer seasons.

Conservation status: Lacking any major ecological threats and exhibiting high population densities in human-modified landscapes, this species is not evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, due to its status as a highly destructive pest of fruit crops, it is classified as a regulated quarantine pest by numerous international plant protection organizations, subjecting agricultural exports from infested regions to strict sanitary inspections and chemical treatment protocols.