Abstract
Abstract Host specificity tests of Hylobius transversovittatus Goeze (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were conducted under quarantine to determine the suitability of this imported Eurasian weevil as a biological control agent of purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria L., an emergent aquatic weed of Eurasian origin. Based on preliminary tests by the C.A.B. International Institute of Biological Control (IIBC), 15 species of plants from nine families were selected for the tests. Adult feeding, oviposition, and larval development of the weevil were restricted to the family Lythraceae. Besides purple loosestrife (the target plant), Decodon verticillatus (L.) Ell. supported larval development to the adult stage. Lythrum alatum Pursh. supported larval development to the third instar. There was, however, more adult feeding and ovipositional preference for purple loosestrife over all other test species. The results suggest that H. transversovittatus is adequately host specific and should not be a threat to nontarget plants.
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