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Species Scyphophorus acupunctatus - Agave Weevil

Representative Images

Weevil - Scyphophorus acupunctatus Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal - Scyphophorus acupunctatus Yucca weevil? - Scyphophorus acupunctatus Yucca weevil? - Scyphophorus acupunctatus Sisal Weevil - Scyphophorus acupunctatus Scyphophorus acupunctatus Agave Weevil? - Scyphophorus acupunctatus agave weevil - Scyphophorus acupunctatus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Curculionoidea
Family Curculionidae (Snout and Bark Beetles)
Subfamily Dryophthorinae
Tribe Rhynchophorini
Subtribe Sphenophorina
Genus Scyphophorus
Species acupunctatus (Agave Weevil)

Other Common Names

Sisal Weevil, Sisal Borer

Explanation of Names

Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhaal 1838
acupunctatus 'pin-pricked' (refers to the pronotal punctation)

Size

8‒19 mm

Identification

see (1)

Range

sw US (CA to WY‒NE‒TX) & FL to n. S. America; W. Indies - Map (2)(3); originated in the New World, spread globally to many arid and tropical regions wherever Agave spp. have been introduced(1)

Food

larvae mine roots and stems of Agave and Furcraea; also recorded on Yucca and Manfreda(1)

Life Cycle

in Kenya, takes 50‒90 days(1)

Remarks

important pest of cultivated agaves; larvae used as food in parts of Mexico; one of several species put into "tequila" (actually mezcal) bottles

Print References

Ramos-Elorduy J. (2006) Threatened edible insects in Hidalgo, Mexico and some measures to preserve them. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 2: 51 (Full text)
Waring GL, Smith RL (1986) Natural history and ecology of Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its associated microbes in cultivated and native agaves. Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 79: 334‒340. (Abstract)

Internet References

Fact sheet(1)

Works Cited

1.Invasive Species Compendium (ISC)
2.Review of Scyphophorus (Curculionidae: Rhynchophorinae)
Vaurie P. 1971. Col. Bull. 25: 1‒8.
3. A distributional checklist of the beetles (Coleoptera) of Florida.
Peck & Thomas. 1998. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville. 180 pp.
Contributed by Boris Büche on 19 June, 2008 - 11:20am
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 20 May, 2024 - 4:18pm

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