Myllocerus undatus
Sri
Lanka Weevil or Exotic Weevil
|
Note: Yellow head, large eyes, thorax thinner than abdomen, spicules or spurs on the hind legs.
Click image to enlarge. |
Spur
on rear leg. Click image to
enlarge. |
|
Spur enlarged 40x. Click image to
enlarge. |
This
tiny critter (about 1/4 (6mm) long) is the
adult
stage of a Coleoptera: Curculionidae
or a root feeding leaf notching
weevil from the Indian subcontinent.
This little beetle is commonly known
as the Sri Lanka Weevil or Exotic
Weevil, and by the scientific name
Myllocerus undatus.
Identification
The Sri Lanka Weevil
has an appearance similar to the
native Little Leaf Notcher Weevil (Artipus
floridanus), the major differences
being
Myllocerus undatus
has a yellow head, much larger eyes,
longer antennae,
a thinner thorax and spiculs or
spurs on the hind legs.
At
about 1/4" (6mm) long ( ), Myllocerus may
be difficult to the naked eye to
identify properly without the aid of
magnification. Click image to
enlarge.
Life
Cycle
The adults lay eggs
in soft organic matter on the ground
under the host plant where the
larvae burrow through the soil
feeding on the roots of the host
plant and pupate in the soil. The
adults emerge from the soil to feed
on a wide variety of host plants.
The long and growing list is
below...
Host Plants
of
Myllocerus undatus
a palm, Veitchia
sp. (Palmae);
akee, Blighia sapida K. Koenig
(Sapindaceae);
areca palm, Dypsis lutescens (H.
Wendl.) Beentje & J. Dransf. (Palmae);
Australian brush-cherry, Syzygium
paniculatum Gaertn. (Myrtaceae);
beeftree, Guapira discolor (Spreng.)
Little (Nyctaginaceae);
black-olive, Bucida buceras L.
(Combretaceae);
bottlebrush, Callistemon sp.
(Myrtaceae);
Burmese fishtail palm, Caryota
mitis Lour. (Palmae);
buttonwood, Conocarpus erectus L.
(Combretaceae);
calamondin, Xcitrafortunella
microcarpa (Rutaceae);
carrotwood, Cupaniopsis
anacardiodes (A. Rich.) Radlk. (Anacardiaceae);
carambola, Averrhoa carambola
(Oxalidaceae);
cashew, Anacardium occidentale L.
(Anacardiaceae);
citrus, Citrus sp. (Rutaceae);
cocoplum, Chrysobalanus icaco L.
(Chrysobalanaceae);
copper leaf plant, Acalypha
wilkesiana (Euphorbiacea);
crepe myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica
L. (Lythraceae);
dahoon holly, Ilex cassine L.
(Aquifoliaceae);
earleaf acacia, Acacia
auriculiformis A. Cunn ex Benth.
(Leguminosae);
erythrina, Erythrina sp. (Leguminosae);
ficus, Ficus sp.
(Moraceae);
Florida trema, Trema micranthum
(L.) Blume (Ulmaceae);
glossy shower, Senna surattensis (Burm.
f.) Irwin & Barneby (Leguminosae);
golden dewdrops, Duranta erecta L.
(Verbenaceae);
grapefruit, Citrus x paradisi
Macfad. (Rutaceae);
hackberry, Celtis laevigata Willd.
(Ulmaceae);
hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
L. (Malvaceae);
Hong Kong orchid tree, Bauhinia x
blakeana S.T. Dunn (Leguminosae);
ice cream bean, Inga edulis
(Leguminosae);
jaboticaba, Myrciaria cauliflora
(DC.) O. Berg (Myrtaceae);
jambolan plum, Syzygium cuminii
(L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae);
lantana, Lantana camara L.
(Verbenaceae);
laurel oak, Quercus laurifolia
Michx. (Fagaceae);
live oak, Quercus virginiana L.
(Fagaceae);
longan, Dimocarpus longan Lour.
(Sapindaceae);
loquat, Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.
(Rosaceae);
lychee, Litchi sinensis Sonn.
(Sapindaceae);
mahoe, Hibiscus tiliaceus L.
(Malvaceae);
mahogany, Swietenia mahagoni (L.)
Jacq. (Meliaceae);
mamey sapote, Pouteria sapota (Jacq.)
H. E. Moore & Stearn (Sapotaceae);
mango, Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae);
muscadine,
Muscadine grape, Vitis
rotundifolia Michx. (Vitaceae);
Rafflesia, Tetrastigma sp.
(Vitaceae);
orange jasmine, Murraya paniculata
(L.) Jack (Rutaceae);
orchid tree, Bauhinia sp.
(Leguminosae);
oriental arborvitae, Platycladus
orientalis (Cupressaceae);
passionflower, Passiflora sp.
(Passifloraceae);
peach, Prunus persica (L.) Ratsch.
(Rosaceae);
pigeon plum, Coccoloba
diversifolia Jacq. (Polygonaceae);
plumbago, Plumbago auriculata Lam.
(Plumbaginaceae);
pongam, Pongamia pinnata (L.)
Pierre (Leguminosae);
powderpuff, Calliandra
haematocephala Hassk. (Leguminosae);
pygmy date palm, Phoenix
roebelenii O'Brien (Palmae);
Rafflesia, Tetrastigma sp.
(Vitaceae);
red maple, Acer rubrum L.
(Aceraceae);
red silk-cotton tree, Bombax ceiba
L. (Bombacaceae);
rouge plant, Rivina humilis L.
(Phytolaccaceae);
salt bush, Baccharis halimifolia
L. (Compositae);
seagrape, Coccoloba uvifera (L.)
L. (Polygonaceae);
shrubby false buttonweed,
Spermacoce verticillata L. (Rubiaceae);
Spanish lime, Melicoccus bijugatus
Jacq. (Sapindaceae);
spinach, Spinacia oleracea L.
(Chenopodiaceae);
strangler fig, Ficus aurea L.
(Moraceae);
Surinam cherry, Eugenia uniflora
L. (Myrtaceae);
tropical almond, Terminalia
catappa L. (Myrtaceae);
Turk's cap, Malvaviscus
penduliflorus DC. (Malvaceae);
upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum
L. (Malvaceae);
water chestnut, Pachira aquatica
Aubl. (Bombacaceae);
white mulberry, Morus alba L.
(Moraceae);
wild tamarind, Lysiloma
latisiliquum Benth. (Leguminosae);
woman's tongue, Albizia lebbeck
(L.) Benth. (Leguminosae)
Characteristic feeding pattern and damage to
Meyer lemon
leaves. Click image to enlarge.
Control
No pesticides are
listed for use on dooryard fruit
trees for control of
Myllocerus undatus.
Severe infestations on
ornamental plants may be controlled with
insecticides containing carbaryl (Sevin),
acephate (Orthene, formerly Isotox), or
pyrethroid insecticides labeled for use
on leaf-feeding insects.
Myllocerus undatus is a
weak flyer. When disturbed the weevil
will run away, but when aggressively
harassed it will flee by flying a short
distance.
Sri Lanka
Weevil eggs, larva, pupa, and adults
have no natural enemies that are known
of in Florida. Birds, anole or other
lizards, and carnivorous insects do not
seem to find them edible.
Sources:
Sri
Lanka Weevil
(Myllocerus undatus),
University of Florida Extension
service pamphlet, August 2006;
Myllocerus undatus Marshall, a
weevil new to the Western Hemisphere,
Revised 19-Jan-2005, Florida
Department of Agriculture & Consumer
Services, Division of Plant Industry |
