Curculionidae
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Rüsselkäfer |
| • English: | true weevils |
| • Español: | curculiónidos |
| • Français: | curculionidés |
Author(s): F. Benci, Boll Weevil Research Laboratory
Source: IPM Images
Curculionidae - (true weevils)
This is a very large familiy with more than 60,000 plant-feeding species, including many pests of crops and stored products. Most of the damage is done by the larvae which bore into plant tissue.
Most species of Curculionidae can be easily recognized by the long snout and the elbow-shaped antennae which arise from the middle of the snout. With the mouthparts at the tip of the snout, the weevils can create deep holes in plant tissue, usually for depositing eggs. The size of most species ranges from 2 to 20 mm, but some are larger (e.g. the red palm weevil). The body has typically an oval shape and is often covered with scales. The antennae have a 3-segmented club. The larvae are leg-less.
Among the more important pest species are the:
- Boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis), a notorious cotton pest in Central and South America.
- Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) and maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais), cosmopolitan storage pests.
- Banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), a wide-spread and destructive banana pest.
- Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), an invasive palm pest.
- Citrus root weevil (Diaprepes abbreviatus), an important citrus pest in south-eastern North America.
Note:
This page refers to plant pests only, for beneficial species feeding on weeds see the Curculionidae (weed bioagents).
The following genera and individual species are currently entered under Curculionidae:
- Anthonomus (genus)
- Aubeonymus mariaefranciscae
- Barypeithes pellucidus
- Bothynoderes (genus)
- Calomycterus setarius
- Ceutorhynchus (genus)
- Chalcodermus aeneus
- Conotrachelus (genus)
- Cryptorhynchus lapathi
- Curculio (genus)
- Cylindrocopturus adspersus
- Cyrtepistomus castaneus
- Diaprepes abbreviatus
- Euscepes postfasciatus
- Gonipterus (genus)
- Heilipus (genus)
- Hylobitelus xiaoi
- Hylobius (genus)
- Hypera (genus)
- Lignyodes bischoffi
- Lissorhoptrus (genus)
- Listronotus (genus)
- Myllocerinus aurolineatus
- Myllocerus (genus)
- Naupactus (genus)
- Odoiporus longicollis
- Oedophrys hilleri
- Orchestes (genus)
- Oryzophagus oryzae
- Otiorhynchus (genus)
- Pachnaeus (genus)
- Pachylobius picivorus
- Pantomorus cervinus
- Parascythopus intrusus
- Phlyctinus callosus
- Phyllobius (genus)
- Pissodes (genus)
- Polydrusus (genus)
- Rhabdoscelus obscurus
- Sciaphilus asperatus
- Sitona (genus)
- Smicronyx (genus)
- Sternechus subsignatus
- Sternochetus (genus)
- Strophosoma (genus)
