Larinus curtus

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Yellow starthistle flower weevil
Larinus curtus.jpg
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L. curtus
Binomial name
Larinus curtus
Hochhut

Larinus curtus is a species of true weevil known as the yellow starthistle flower weevil. It is native to Southern Italy, Southern Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasuses. [1] It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) in the United States.

The adult weevil is dark brown or black with light colored mottled hairs on its body. It is about 6 millimetres (14 in) long. The female lays glossy, milky white, oval-shaped eggs at the bases of open yellow starthistle flowers. [1] The larva emerges from its egg in a few days and goes inside the flower head, where it feeds on the developing seeds. A larva is capable of destroying all of the seeds inside a given head, with an average reduction of 96%. [1] The adult feeds on flowers and pollen but probably does little damage to the plant. It is the larva's impact on seed production that helps control the plant's spread. [1]

There have been field reports of large numbers of adult L. curtis feeding on safflower flowers Carthamus tinctorius , but no evidence that larvae have successfully developed on this plant. [2]

This weevil is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It was first introduced to the United States as a biocontrol agent in 1992. [2] It is now established throughout the Pacific Northwest, but in relatively low densities. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Centaurea</i> A genus of flowering plants belonging to the daisy and sunflower family

Centaurea is a genus of between 350 and 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich. In the western United States, yellow starthistles are an invasive species. Around the year 1850, seeds from the plant had arrived to the state of California. It is believed that those seeds came from South America.

<i>Centaurea diffusa</i>

Centaurea diffusa, also known as diffuse knapweed, white knapweed or tumble knapweed, is a member of the genus Centaurea in the family Asteraceae. This species is common throughout western North America but is not actually native to the North American continent, but to the eastern Mediterranean.

Tephritidae Family of fruit flies

The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus Drosophila, which is often called the "common fruit fly". Nearly 5,000 described species of tephritid fruit fly are categorized in almost 500 genera of the Tephritidae. Description, recategorization, and genetic analyses are constantly changing the taxonomy of this family. To distinguish them from the Drosophilidae, the Tephritidae are sometimes called peacock flies, in reference to their elaborate and colorful markings. The name comes from the Greek τεφρος, tephros, meaning "ash grey". They are found in all the biogeographic realms.

<i>Centaurea solstitialis</i>

Centaurea solstitialis, yellow star-thistle, is a member of the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin region. The plant is also known as golden starthistle, yellow cockspur and St. Barnaby's thistle The plant is a thorny winter annual species in the knapweed genus.

<i>Bruchidius villosus</i> Species of beetle

Bruchidius villosus is a species of bean weevil known by the common names broom seed beetle and Scotch broom bruchid. This beetle is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed known as Scotch broom.

<i>Bangasternus fausti</i> Species of beetle

Bangasternus fausti is a species of true weevil known as the broad-nosed seed head weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, particularly spotted knapweed, squarrose knapweed, and diffuse knapweed.

Chaetorellia acrolophi is a species of tephritid fruit fly known as the knapweed peacock fly. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially spotted knapweed.

<i>Cyphocleonus achates</i> Species of beetle

Cyphocleonus achates is a species of true weevil known as the knapweed root weevil. It is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean and is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially spotted knapweed. It has recently been spotted in India.

Larinus minutus is a species of true weevil known as the lesser knapweed flower weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially diffuse knapweed and spotted knapweed.

<i>Larinus obtusus</i> Species of beetle

Larinus obtusus is a species of true weevil known as the blunt knapweed flower weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, especially spotted knapweed.

<i>Metzneria paucipunctella</i> Species of moth

Metzneria paucipunctella is a species of moth known as the spotted knapweed seed head moth. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against noxious knapweeds, particularly spotted knapweed.

<i>Rhinocyllus conicus</i> Species of beetle

Rhinocyllus conicus is a species of true weevil. It is best known as a controversial agent of biological pest control which has been used against noxious thistles in the genera Carduus, Cirsium, Onopordum, and Silybum.

Bangasternus orientalis is a species of true weevil known as the yellow starthistle bud weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle.

Chaetorellia australis is a species of tephritid fruit fly known as the yellow starthistle peacock fly. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle.

<i>Eustenopus villosus</i> Species of beetle

Eustenopus villosus is a species of true weevil known as the yellow starthistle hairy weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle.

<i>Urophora affinis</i>

Urophora affinis is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Urophora of the family Tephritidae. It has been released in the United States and Canada as a biocontrol agent to control spotted knapweed. U. affinis became established in Montana in 1973.

<i>Puccinia jaceae <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> solstitialis</i>

Puccinia jaceae var. solstitialis is a species of fungus in the Pucciniaceae family. It is a plant pathogen that causes rust. Native to Eurasia, it is the first fungal pathogen approved in the United States as a biological control agent to curb the growth of the invasive weed yellow starthistle.

<i>Larinus planus</i> Species of beetle

Larinus planus is an insect of the Curculionidae family. They are oval shaped, dark brown or black, and about 5–10 millimetres long. While native to Europe, it is also common in North America. It feeds on floral buds, primarily of thistles, with the larvae stage being the most destructive to them. In North America, it has been used as a biocontrol agent. It is also known as Larinus carlinae.

Larinus filiformis is a species of true weevil found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

Chaetorellia succinea is a species of tephritid fruit fly that was accidentally released in 1991 into the United States and had since become one of the major biological pest controls against the noxious weed yellow starthistle.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sobhian & Fornasari (1994). "Biology of Larinus curtus Hochhut (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) a European weevil for Biological Control of Yellow Starthistle Centaurea solstitialis L. (astereraceae) in the United States" (PDF). Biological Control. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  2. 1 2 S.L. Clement; L.J. Smith; J. Prena; M.D. Kleene; R.C. Johnson (April 2009). "Non-target plant use by a weed biocontrol agent in idaho: host expansion or opportunistic behavior?" (PDF). Biocontrol Science and Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  3. Smith; Cristofaro; Tronci; Hayat (2007). "Evaluation of the rosette weevil Ceratapion basicorne, a new biological control agent of yellow starthistle" (PDF). cal-ipc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2009-12-18.