Abstract
The pea leaf weevil (Sitona lineata (L.)), a European pest of legumes, was found by W. Downes (1938) in British Columbia in 1936 where it appears to have been introduced by accident. It has gradually moved southward to legume-producing areas of western Washington and Oregon. In this region its populations have become mixed with those of the clover root curculio (Sitona hispidula (F.)) and thus a need was created for data that would be of aid to field workers in separating the two species. The adults of both species have been adequately described by Jackson (1920). Differences such as the comparatively slender body of lineata, its recumbent elytral bristles, and its quick, excitable movements contrast with the robust appearance, semi-erect elytral bristles, and slower movements of hispidula so that separation in the adult stage offers no serious problem. The larval stages of both species feed underground upon the root systems of the plants they infest. S. hispidula consumes the small lateral feeder roots of clovers and alfalfa, and most economic damage is produced by this species in its larval stage.
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