Coleoptera: Curculionidae
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier is a member of Coleoptera: Curculionidae. The male and female adults are large reddish brown beetles about 3 cm long and with a characteristic long curved rostrum; with strong wings, they are capable of undertaking long flights. Damage to palms is produced mainly by the larvae. Adult females lay about 200 eggs at the base of young leaves or in wounds to the leaves and trunks; the grubs feed on the soft fibers and terminal bud tissues. They reach a size of more than 5 cm before pupation. Except just before pupating, they move towards the interior of the palm making tunnels and large cavities. They can be found in any place within the palm, even in the very base of the trunk where the roots emerge. Pupation occurs generally outside the trunk, at the base of the palms. The larva pupates in a cocoon made of brown dried palm fibres. Overlapping generations with all life stages can be present within the same palm tree. Generally the adult weevils present in a palm will not move to another one while they can feed on it. Usually the damage caused by the larvae is visible only long after infection, and by the time the first symptoms of the attack appear, they are so serious that they generally result in the death of the tree.
Resource: Journal of the International Palm Society Vol. 46, No 4, Palms (formerly Principes)
Resource of Photo: www.agrotecnici-napolicaserta.com/curculionid
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