Other Common Names
Citrus [Root] Weevil, Sugarcane Rootstalk Borer Weevil, Apopka Weevil, Sugarcane Root Weevil, West Indian Sugar Cane Rootstalk Borer
Explanation of Names
Diaprepes abbreviatus (Linnaeus 1758)
Identification
color highly variable (from gray to yellow to orange to black)
Range
Native to the Caribbean, adventive and established in so. US: so. & central FL (since 1960s), so. TX (since 2000), so. CA (2005), LA (2008)
Can be found farther north in greenhouses [see case in Guelph, Ontario
here]
Season
Adults found year round in Florida.
Food
polyphagous; larvae feed on roots, adults on foliage of citrus trees (esp. oranges in TX) and a wide range of other plants
Remarks
Major pest of citrus crops: Larvae feed on the roots in the soil, and will often girdle the taproot, which may kill the plant and provide an avenue for Phythophora infections. A single larva can kill young hosts while several larvae can cause serious decline of older, established hosts. A female can produce over 20,000 adults in four years.
Pest of sugarcane in the Caribbean
(1)
report finds in CA to California Dept of Food & Agriculture 1-800-491-1899
Print References
French, J.V. & M. Skaria. 2000. Citrus root weevil identified. Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center Newsletter 18(6).
Simpson S.W., Nigg H.N., Coile N.C., Adair R.A. (1996) Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): host plant associations. Environ. Entomol. 25: 333-349.
Woodruff R.E. (1985) Citrus weevils in Florida and the West Indies: preliminary report on systematics, biology, and distribution (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Fla. Entomol. 68(3): 370-379.
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