There are two valid subspecies to O. ovatus:
Otiorhynchus ovatus glacialis Apfelbeck, 1898 found only in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Otiorhynchus ovatus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758) found throughout Europe and the Mediterrean basin.
Adults are snout-nosed beetles and, depending on species, about 5-15mm long, black to brown in colour.
Otiorhynchus armadillo, O. cribricollis, O. rugifrons, O. rugosostriatus, O. ovatus and O. sulcatus can be separated by:
Possess a sharp tooth on the fore femora: O. rugifrons, O. sulcatus and O. ovatus
Do not possess a sharp tooth on the fore femora: O. armadillo, O. cribricollis and O. rugosostriatus
O. armadillo, O. cribricollis and O. rugosostriatus can be separated by:
Size: O. armadillo c. 15mm and O. cribricollis and O. rugosostriatus c. 11-12mm
Elytral setae: O. armadillo has distinct patches of white setae; O. cribricollis has an even cover of white setae; O. rugosostriatus has an even cover of light brown setae.
Posterior end of elytra: On O. armadillo is distinctly elongated and tapered; whereas on O. cribricollis and O. rugosostriatus it is trunctate and rounded.
Elytral sculpture: O. cribcricollis is distinctly punctate whereas O. rugosostriatus is coarsely sculptured but not punctate.
O. rugifrons, O. sulcatus and O. ovatus can be separated by:
O. rugifrons has a mottled pattern on the elytra and the spine on the fore femora is minute and simple.
O. sulcatus has distinctly separated yellow patches of hair on the elytra and the spine on the fore femora is distinct but simple.
O. ovatus has not yellow patches and significantly smaller than O. sulcatus (14mm to 8mm) and the spine on the fore femora is large and toothed.
