Species Rhynchophorus cruentatus - Palmetto Weevil

Giant Palm Weevil (GPW)

Orig. Comb: Curculio cruentatus Fabricius 1775

cruentus - Latin for 'blood-stained, bloody' (1)

2 spp. n. of Mex. (2) (Second sp. in CA)

19-31 mm, the largest weevil in N. Amer. (3)(4)

Coloration from all-black to nearly all-red with a variable black pattern (3)(5).

The rostrum of males is covered with tiny bumps, in females it is smooth and shiny. (4)

Coastal se. US (TX-FL-SC) (3)

Adults found throughout the year in FL but usually more noticeable in the late spring and early summer (4)(5)

Hosts include a wide variety of palms (Arecaceae) (4), but larvae are esp. destructive to cabbage palm: they tunnel the trunk and may kill the growing point (5) and cause the top of the palm to fall off(4)

Multiple generations can occur; life cycle takes ~3 months under optimal conditions (5).

Eggs are laid in the bases of leaves or in wounds in a dying host palm and hatch in ~3 days. Larvae have tend to feed primarily on the soft tissue surrounding the apical meristem. Mature grubs migrate to the periphery of the stem or petioles, build a cocoon from palm fibers and pupate. The adult emerges in a few weeks and may immediately break free of the cocoon or spend several days within the cocoon. The entire life cycle (egg to adult) takes ~84 days. Adults may live for several weeks (up to 26 weeks in captivity).(4)

Fact sheet - Mike Quinn, 2008

Featured Creatures - Univ. FL (4)