Curculio caryae

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Curculio caryae
Carya tomentosa-Curculio caryae-larva.jpg
Grub
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Curculionidae
Subfamily: Curculioninae
Genus: Curculio
Species:
C. caryae
Binomial name
Curculio caryae
G. H. Horn, 1873

The pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an obligate feeder on the nuts of North American hickories and pecans ( Carya species), most widely recognized as an economically important pest of the pecan, Carya illinoinensis (Fagales: Juglandaceae). [1] [2] It has also been observed to infest one Juglans species, the Persian walnut, Juglans regia . [3]

Adult pecan weevils are approximately 38 inch (9.5 mm) long, medium-brown beetles with a proboscis of equal length to their body, which has mouthparts at the distal end. [4] The females use their proboscis to chew a hole through the husk of developing nuts and deposit eggs inside, which hatch into legless, creamy-white larvae with reddish-brown head capsules that feed inside the nuts from late summer through fall, developing through several instars up to 35 in (15 mm) long at full growth. [4] In late fall and early winter, mature larvae chew a small hole in the nut shell and drop to the ground, where they burrow into the soil and construct a cell in which they remain for eight to ten months before pupating and transforming into adults. [4] Newly formed adults remain in their cells in the soil and emerge the following year, two years after the beginning of the cycle, although some larvae do not pupate and transform to adults until an additional year has passed and the life cycle for some of each generation may take up to three years. [4]

Their economic importance results from crop loss due to their feeding and egg laying on the developing pecan nuts causing them to drop from the tree, and the destruction of the edible nut kernel by the larvae feeding inside the shell. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curculionidae</span> Family of beetles

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.

<i>Juglans</i> Genus of trees

Walnut trees are any species of tree in the plant genus Juglans, the type genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are referred to as walnuts. All species are deciduous trees, 10–40 metres (33–131 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres (7.9–35.4 in), with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts (Pterocarya), but not the hickories (Carya) in the same family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pecan</span> Species of hickory native to the southern USA and northern Mexico

The pecan is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hickory</span> Genus of trees

Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus Carya, which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexico, and two to four are native to Canada. A number of hickory species are used for their edible nuts, lumber or other wood and woodcraft products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheat weevil</span> Species of beetle

The wheat weevil, also known as the grain weevil or granary weevil, is an insect that feeds on cereal grains, and is a common pest in many places. It can cause significant damage to harvested stored grains and may drastically decrease crop yields. The females lay many eggs and the larvae eat the inside of the grain kernels.

<i>Citheronia regalis</i> Species of moth

Citheronia regalis, the regal moth or royal walnut moth, is a North American moth in the family Saturniidae. The caterpillars are called hickory horned devils. The adult (imago) has a wingspan of 3.75–6.1 in (9.5–15.5 cm). The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793.

<i>Chrysolopus spectabilis</i> Species of beetle

Chrysolopus spectabilis is a species of weevil found in south-eastern Australia. It was discovered during James Cook's first voyage, and became one of the first insects to be described from Australia. The weevil measures up to 25 mm (1.0 in) long and includes distinctive metallic green and black scales. It is found only on 28 species of the plant genus Acacia.

<i>Curculio</i> Genus of beetles

Curculio is a genus of weevils belonging the family Curculionidae and subfamily Curculioninae. Members of the genus are commonly referred to as acorn weevils or nut weevils as they infest the seeds of trees such as oaks and hickories. The adult female weevil bores a tiny hole in the immature nut to lay her eggs, which then hatch into legless grubs. In autumn, the grubs bore holes through the shells from the inside to emerge into the soil where they may live for a year or two before maturing into adults.

<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>Carya laciniosa</i> Species of tree

Carya laciniosa, the shellbark hickory, in the Juglandaceae or walnut family is also called kingnut, big, bottom, thick, or western shellbark, attesting to some of its characteristics. It is a slow-growing, long-lived tree, hard to transplant because of its long taproot, and subject to insect damage. The nuts, largest of all hickory nuts, are sweet and edible. Wildlife and people harvest most of them; those remaining produce seedling trees readily. The wood is hard, heavy, strong, and very flexible, making it a favored wood for tool handles. A specimen tree has been reported in Missouri with 117 cm (46 in) diameter at breast height, 36.9 m tall, and a spread of 22.6 m.

<i>Acrobasis nuxvorella</i> Species of moth

Acrobasis nuxvorella, the pecan nut casebearer, is a moth of the family Pyralidae described by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1970. It is found in the United States in eastern New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, southern Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

<i>Lixus concavus</i> Species of beetle

Lixus concavus, commonly called the rhubarb curculio, is a species of weevil. Rhubarb is a host, together with dock, sunflower, and thistle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maize weevil</span> 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.

<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>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 nigrirostris</i> Species of beetle

Hypera nigrirostris, commonly known as the lesser clover leaf weevil, is a species of weevil that is native to Europe and northern Africa and has been introduced to North America and Japan. Both adults and larvae feed on red clover and other plants in the family Fabaceae.

<i>Ceutorhynchus obstrictus</i> Species of beetle

Ceutorhynchus obstrictus, the cabbage seedpod weevil, is a species of snout beetles or true weevils which is widespread in Europe and lives on several types of crucifers. The adult weevils feed on the leaves, but breed in the seedpods, where the larvae destroy the seeds. It can be a harmful pest on crops like rapeseed/canola, cabbage and relatives or Brassica rapa.

<i>Sphenophorus parvulus</i> Species of beetle

Sphenophorus parvulus, commonly known as the bluegrass billbug, is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is found in North America, especially in the eastern United States. It is a pest of Kentucky bluegrass, other grasses, corn and grain crops.

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

Curculio sayi, the small or lesser chestnut weevil, is a species of true weevil in the family of beetles known as Curculionidae.

Cylindrocopturus adspersus, the sunflower stem weevil, is a species of true weevil in the beetle family Curculionidae. It is found in North America, where the larvae tunnel in the stems of wild and cultivated sunflower plants.

References

  1. Marvin K. Harris & Dennis R. Ring (1979). "Biology of pecan weevil from oviposition to larval emergence". Southwestern Entomologist . 4 (2): 73–85.
  2. Ric Bessin (2010). "Nut Weevils". University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. ENTFACT-206. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  3. W. H. Foott & P. R. Timmins (1984). "Occurrence of the pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Persian walnut, Juglans regia". Canadian Entomologist . 116 (1): 107. doi:10.4039/Ent116107-1. S2CID   86688649.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bastiaan M. Drees & John A. Jackman (1999). Field Guide to Texas Insects. Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing Company. ISBN   978-0-87719-263-3. Cited in "Pecan Weevil". Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.