Gonipterus platensis | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Family: | Curculionidae |
Subfamily: | Curculioninae |
Genus: | Gonipterus |
Species: | G. platensis |
Binomial name | |
Gonipterus platensis Marelli, 1927 [1] | |
Gonipterus platensis is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is commonly known as the eucalyptus snout beetle, the eucalyptus weevil or the gum tree weevil. It feeds and breeds on Eucalyptus trees and is endemic to Australia, though it is also found in New Zealand, North America, Hawaii, and western Europe. [2]
This weevil is greyish-brown with a light coloured transverse band. It is about thirteen millimetres long and not readily distinguishable from the closely related weevils, Gonipterus gibberus , Gonipterus pulverulentus , and Gonipterus scutellatus , all of which share the same common names, as they have historically been confused with one another. [2]
Eucalyptus trees are the only hosts for the gum tree weevil. [2]
The gum tree weevil is endemic to Australia where Eucalyptus trees are native. This and other related species in the genus Gonipterus are invasive pests of eucalyptus in Africa, South America, North America, and Europe, and were historically misidentified as G. scutellatus until researchers examined the DNA of the pest species in 2012 and determined that none of the pests were genuine G. scutellatus. [2] Populations formerly misidentified as Gonipterus scutellatus in New Zealand, North America, Hawaii, and western Europe are Gonipterus platensis, and those in Africa and eastern Europe are an undescribed species. [2] .
This particular gum tree weevil is of little economic significance in Australia where it has natural enemies. Because of the confusion between this species and related species in all of the published literature prior to 2012, and much of the subsequent literature, it is difficult to assess which properties (life cycle, host preferences, and other ecological parameters) pertain to this species. [2] In other countries where Eucalyptus has been introduced, gum tree weevils feed mostly on leaves and the soft bark of twigs while the larvae feed mostly on leaves. Heavy infestations cause die back of shoots which may result in the development of epicormic shoots. Repeated defoliations may cause the splitting and death of branches or even whole trees. [3] The egg parasite Anaphes nitens , a wasp which is native to Australia, has been introduced to other countries as a biological control agent to control the gum tree weevil. [4]
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role. It can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae.
Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than 6 mm in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several families, with most of them in the family Curculionidae. It also includes bark beetles, which while morphologically dissimilar to other weevils in lacking the distinctive snout, is a subfamily of Curculionidae. Some other beetles, although not closely related, bear the name "weevil", such as the biscuit weevil, which belongs to the family Ptinidae.
Belidae is a family of weevils, called belids or primitive weevils because they have straight antennae, unlike the "true weevils" or Curculionidae which have geniculate (elbowed) antennae. They are sometimes known as "cycad weevils", but this properly refers to a few species from the genera Parallocorynus and Rhopalotria.
Gonipterini is a tribe of weevils in the subfamily Curculioninae.
The palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is one of two species of snout beetle known as the red palm weevil, Asian palm weevil or sago palm weevil. The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between 2 and 4 centimetres long, and are usually a rusty red colour—but many colour variants exist and have often been classified as different species. Weevil larvae can excavate holes in the trunks of palm trees up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant. As a result, the weevil is considered a major pest in palm plantations, including the coconut palm, date palm and oil palm.
Curculio nucum, the nut weevil, is a medium-sized beetle, with an especially elongated snout, characteristic of the Curculionini tribe of the weevil family (Curculionidae). Its larvae develop in hazel nuts Corylus avellana, being a serious pest in hazelnut orchards. It occurs in most of Europe, from south Sweden, Finland and Great Britain to the Mediterranean.
Oxyops vitiosa is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. Common names include the melaleuca leaf weevil and the melaleuca snout beetle. It feeds on the leaves and shoots of the broad-leaved paper bark tree, Melaleuca quinquenervia, which is endemic to Australia where it grows on seasonally inundated plains and swampland, and was introduced into Florida in order to help drain flooded portions of the Everglades.
Gonipterus gibberus is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is commonly known as the eucalyptus snout beetle, the eucalyptus weevil or the gum tree weevil. It feeds and breeds on Eucalyptus trees and is endemic to Australia.
Gonipterus scutellatus is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is commonly known as the eucalyptus snout beetle, the eucalyptus weevil or the gum tree weevil. It feeds and breeds on Eucalyptus trees and is endemic to Australia.
Gonipterus is a genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae. There are approximately 20 described species in the genus, most of which are native to Australia. They are all plant feeders and many are specific to a single host species. Gonipterus platensis, Gonipterus pulverulentus, and an undescribed species infest a number of species of Eucalyptus and have spread to other parts of the world where these trees have been planted.
Charles Pugsley Lounsbury was an American-born South African entomologist, widely regarded as having laid the foundations of economic entomology in Southern Africa.
Hylastes ater is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. It is a bark beetle, a member of the subfamily Scolytinae. Its common name is the black pine bark beetle. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia, including China and Korea. It is known as an introduced species in many other regions, including Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, and South Africa. It is a pest of pines and other trees, and it is widespread in areas where pine trees are cultivated. The species "is an important threat to the biosecurity of all forested countries."
Curculio elephas is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. It is known commonly as the chestnut weevil. It is a serious pest of chestnut in Europe.
Anaphes nitens is a species of fairyfly, a chalcid wasp in the family Mymaridae. Native to Australia, it is an egg parasitoid of the gum tree snout beetle, a pest of Eucalyptus trees, and has been used in biological pest control of that species.
Anoplognathus brunnipennis, commonly known as the brown- or golden-brown Christmas beetle, is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae native to eastern Australia, being common in coastal Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, the Great Dividing Range and the Murray-Darling river basin.
Hypomeces pulviger, also known as the gold-dust weevil or green weevil, is a species of beetle in the true weevil family. The adult weevil can reach a length of about 14 mm (0.6 in) and is covered with iridescent green or yellowish-green dust-like scales all over the body. This species can be found in India, tropical Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. Both the larvae and adults are crop pests. The larvae live in and pupate in the soil, feeding on living plant roots. The adult weevils are long-lived, doing damage to foliage, and sometimes defoliating young bushes and nursery trees.
Rhynchus is a genus of hidden snout weevils in the family of beetles known as Curculionidae. There is at least one described species in Rhynchus, R. apiculatus.
Listronotus oregonensis, the carrot weevil, is a species of weevil in the beetle family Curculionidae. It is found in North America.
Gonipterus pulverulentus is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is commonly known as the eucalyptus snout beetle, the eucalyptus weevil or the gum tree weevil. It feeds and breeds on Eucalyptus trees and is endemic to Australia, though it is also found in South America.