[3] American naturalist Thomas Say described the bean weevil species as Bruchus obtectus in 1831,[1] and was later moved to the genus Acanthoscelides.

[4] In a 1870 publication John Lawrence LeConte mistakenly called it Bruchus obsoletus, which led several later author to call it under this name which in fact belonged to another species, and as a result references to A. obtectus in publications from the late 1800 and early 1900 often used the incorrect name Bruchus obsoletus.

[6] They range in colour from light to dark brown, with longitudinal spots on their elytra, which has a red posterior border.

[6][7] The head is bent forward and lacks the long snout that is characteristic of true weevils.

[7] Bean weevils are originally native to northern South America,[3] however grain shipments at the end of the 19th century introduced the species to Europe where it subsequently spread around the globe.

It is now found in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia and elsewhere.

[10] The bean weevil is a significant pest in some parts of the world, especially in areas such as Australia where it is non-native.