Biology:Anthonomus musculus

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of beetle


Cranberry weevil
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Curculionidae
Subfamily: Curculioninae
Genus: Anthonomus
Species:
A. musculus
Binomial name
Anthonomus musculus
Say, 1832

Anthonomus musculus, the cranberry weevil, is a pest of blueberries and cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Michigan. A. musculus is native to North America and ranges from New England to Florida and west of the Rocky Mountains.[1]

Description

Adult cranberry weevils are tiny reddish-brown beetles approximately 1.6 to 2.0 millimeters long. They are stout, oval-shaped, and have a curved snout typical of weevils. The eggs are smooth, oblong, and a pale-yellow color approximately 0.4 to 0.5 millimeters long.[2][3]

Life history

Females deposit eggs in flower buds, and larvae develop inside, preventing fruit development. Adults are active during the day and feed on flowers, leaves, and buds. A. musculus is attracted to damaged cranberry flower buds.[4] A. musculus males are attracted to volatile chemicals (hexanol, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, hexyl acetate, and (Z)-3-hexenyl butyrate) that blueberry buds emit.[5]

In addition to cultivated cranberry and blueberry plants, host plants for cranberry weevil include swamp sweetbells, staggerbush, dangleberry, sheep laurel, swamp honeysuckle, and chokeberry.[6]

References

  1. Dittl, T. G. 1988. A survey of insects found on cranberry in Wisconsin. MS, Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
  2. Sylvia, Marth; Averill, Anne (2015-11-23). "Cranberry Weevil (1999)" (in en). University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cranberry Experiment Station. https://ag.umass.edu/cranberry/fact-sheets/cranberry-weevil-1999. 
  3. Mahr, Daniel L., University of Wisconsin Fruit Program, https://fruit.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2011/05/Cranberry-Weevil.pdf
  4. Mechaber, W. L. 1992. Ecology of Anthonomus musculus: hostplant finding and exploitation by cranberry weevil. PhD dissertation, Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medfrod, MA.
  5. Szendrei, Zsofia; Malo, Edi; Stelinski, Lukasz; Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar (2009). "Response of cranberry weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to host plant volatiles". Environmental Entomology 38 (3): 861–869. doi:10.1603/022.038.0340. 
  6. "Cranberry Weevil - Cooperative Extension: Cranberries - University of Maine Cooperative Extension" (in en-US). https://extension.umaine.edu/cranberries/grower-services/insects/cranberry-weevil/. 

Wikidata ☰ Q4771924 entry