Otiorhynchus ovatus

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Otiorhynchus ovatus
Otiorhynchus ovatus oberseite.jpeg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Otiorhynchus
Species:
O. ovatus
Binomial name
Otiorhynchus ovatus

Otiorhynchus ovatus, the strawberry root weevil, is one of the many species in the weevil family (Curculionidae), occurring across Canada and the northern United States. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its name comes from its affinity for strawberry plants, which form a large part of its diet. They are, however, known to feed on other plants as well. Occasionally the larvae cause serious damage to seedlings and young transplants in plantations and nurseries (Rose and Lindquest 1985). [1] It is known to be one of the major pests threatening sub-tropical strawberry farming.

Contents

Description

The adult strawberry root weevil is about six millimeters long, and is dark brown/black in color. They are often found in the leaves and foliage of the plants they feed on. The adult weevil's elytra are fused together, which means they are unable to fly. [2] The larvae can be up to thirteen millimeters long when fully grown and they are found near the roots of the plants they are infesting. The larvae are white, legless, with a darker colored head and are often C shaped.

The weevil overwinters as a larva deep in the soil, or as an adult under stones or other sheltered places. Larvae feed on roots and can weaken or kill smaller plants. They are whitish, C shaped, and about 8 mm long when full grown, much smaller than white grubs. They pupate in the upper layers of soil in the spring and change into adults later in the spring or in summer, joining the adults of the previous summer to feed on leaves and fruit.

The adults lack functional wings and do not fly. There are no males, and reproduction is asexual. Eggs are laid at random in the soil in summer around food plants, and, on hatching, the larvae feed on the roots until late fall, when they hibernate.

Strawberry root weevils reproduce through a process called parthenogenesis. This means that female adults can reproduce without the need for a male. In fact, no male specimen has ever been observed in this species. [3]

Human impact

The plants that the strawberry root weevil feeds on include strawberry, raspberry, rhododendron, grape, and peppermint and they have also been known to feed on grasses. Adults feed nocturnally on leaves and stems, leaving notches and causing slight damage, while the larvae cause significantly more damage by feeding on the roots and crowns of the plant, even as they overwinter, if the temperatures are mild.

The plants that are fed upon by the larvae are stunted and have reddish leaves that curl exposing the underside, and the plant wilts as the fruits form, especially in dry weather. [4] [5] The fine roots and sometimes even the hard fibrous roots are destroyed, allowing for the plants to be easily pulled from the soil. These plants have significantly shortened lives, poor yields that result in losses in revenue. Fields with significant damage can be up to 0.2 ha. Since adults do not fly, plants bordering older plantings show damage the first season, with damage spreading each year the planting is kept. Controlling the strawberry root weevil includes a wide variety of methods such as the use of insecticides, plowing under old crops and crop rotation, cleaning farm equipment before moving to a new field, and fall plowing infested beds or fields. Another control method is the use of entomopathogenic nematodes, though results have varied. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

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Vine weevil Species of beetle

Black vine weevil is an insect native to Europe but common in North America as well. It is a pest of many garden plants.

<i>Diaprepes abbreviatus</i> Species of beetle

Diaprepes abbreviatus is a species of weevil that is native to the Caribbean, where in Spanish it is colloquially called chichí.

<i>Curculio nucum</i> Species of beetle

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.

<i>Cyrtobagous salviniae</i> Species of beetle

Cyrtobagous salviniae is a species of weevil known as the salvinia weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious aquatic plant giant salvinia.

<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.

<i>Otiorhynchus</i> Genus of beetles

Otiorhynchus is a large genus of weevils in the family Curculionidae. Many species of the genus, particularly the black vine weevil and the strawberry root weevil, are important pests, both as larvae and as adults. Larvae feed on plant roots. Adults are flightless with fused elytra and feed at night on plant foliage. In many species of the genus at least some races are polyploid and parthenogenetic, while the rest of the races and species are diploid and bisexual. Otiorhynchus weevils, particularly O. scaber, have been a popular subject for studies of the evolution of parthenogenesis. The genus is native to the Palearctic region. However, sixteen species were inadvertently introduced to North America and have become widespread there.

Entiminae Subfamily of beetles

The Entiminae are a large subfamily in the weevil family Curculionidae, containing most of the short-nosed weevils, including such genera as Entimus, Otiorhynchus, Phyllobius, Sitona, and Pachyrrhynchus. In comparison with their stunning diversity, only a few of these weevils are notorious pests of major economic importance. Entimines are commonly encountered in the field, including urban environments, and abundant in entomological collections.

Maize weevil Species of beetle

The maize weevil, known in the United States as the greater rice weevil, is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae. It can be found in numerous tropical areas around the world, and in the United States, and is a major pest of maize. This species attacks both standing crops and stored cereal products, including wheat, rice, sorghum, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, peas, and cottonseed. The maize weevil also infests other types of stored, processed cereal products such as pasta, cassava, and various coarse, milled grains. It has even been known to attack fruit while in storage, such as apples.

Delia floralis, commonly known as the turnip root fly or summer cabbage fly, is a cosmopolitan pest of crops. The larvae or maggots feed on the roots of various plants in the family Brassicaceae.

<i>Otiorhynchus armadillo</i> Species of weevil

Otiorhynchus armadillo is a species of broad-nosed weevil belonging to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Entiminae.

<i>Otiorhynchus vehemens</i> Species of beetle

Otiorhynchus vehemens is a species of broad-nosed weevils belonging to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Entiminae.

<i>Hylobius transversovittatus</i> Species of beetle

Hylobius transversovittatus is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is native to the Old World where both adults and larvae feed on purple loosestrife. This plant is regarded as an invasive species in North America and the weevil has been introduced into both the United States and Canada in an effort to control the plant.

<i>Gonipterus gibberus</i> Species of beetle

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.

<i>Gonipterus scutellatus</i> Species of beetle

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.

<i>Curculio elephas</i> Species of beetle

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.

<i>Hypera postica</i> Species of beetle

Hypera postica, commonly known as the alfalfa weevil, is a species of beetle in the superfamily Curculionoidea; it can be found in alfalfa fields throughout Europe. Considered a destructive threat to alfalfa production in North America, several accidental introductions have been successfully countered though the use of a variety of biological control species.

<i>Sitona lineatus</i> Species of beetle

Sitona lineatus, commonly known as the pea leaf weevil is a species of weevil with a Palearctic distribution. It is a common pest of beans, peas, and other plants in the family Fabaceae. Adult beetles of S. lineatus measure 3.4-5.3 mm in length. They are characterized by a series of colored scales arranged in alternating lines (striae) on the elytra; it is from this characteristic where the species gets its name lineatus meaning 'lined' or 'striped'. The head and pronotum also have fine pointed setae amongst the scales. The antennae are clubbed, pointed and preceded by 7 segments. The femora is dark, but tibiae and tarsi are red. As a member of Order Coleoptera (beetles) their forewings are modified to form hardened covers over the thorax and abdomen, with the hindwings for flight underneath.

<i>Otiorhynchus meridionalis</i> Species of beetle

Otiorhynchus meridionalis, the lilac root weevil, is a species of broad-nosed weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is found in North America. Lilac root wevils are shiny, brownish-black beetles, about 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) with long snout (rostrum) and geniculate (elbowed) antennae. They are common landscape pests, feeding on lilac, euonymous and peonies.

Listronotus oregonensis, the carrot weevil, is a species of weevil in the beetle family Curculionidae. It is found in North America.

References

  1. ↑ Rose, A. H. & Lindquist, O. H. (1985). "Insects of eastern spruces, fir and, hemlock, revised edition". Gov’t Can., Can. For. Serv., Ottawa, For. Tech. Rep. 23. 159 p. (cited in Coates et al. 1994, cited orig ed 1977)
  2. ↑ "Strawberry Root Weevil: Species Account" Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine . Talk About Wildlife.
  3. ↑ Insects and diseases of Canada's forests: Strawberry root weevil Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine , Natural Resources Canada
  4. ↑ Emenegger, D. B. & Berry, R. E. (1978). "Biology of strawberry root weevils on peppermint in Western Oregon". Environmental Entomology. 7 (4): 495-498.
  5. 1 2 Canadian Department of Agriculture (1962). "Control of Root Weevils in Strawberries". Ottawa: Queen’s Printer & Controller of Stationery
  6. ↑ Berry, R. E. (1997). "Efficacy & persistence of Heterorhabditis marelatus (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae) against root weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in strawberry". Environmental Entomology. 26 (2): 465-470.
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