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 Caucasus.[1] It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) in the United States.
| Larinus curtus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Curculionidae |
| Genus: | Larinus |
| Species: | L. curtus |
| Binomial name | |
| Larinus curtus Hochhut | |
The adult weevil is dark brown or black with light colored mottled hairs on its body. It is about 6 millimetres (1⁄4 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]
References
External links
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