Tree Species Used as Hosts by Pecan Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The host range of the pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Horn), was determined through inspections of field-collected nuts from Juglans regia L. and all North American species of Carya , collections of adult and larval pecan weevils from species of Carya , and exposure of nuts from trees reported as hosts of the pecan weevil or other members of the genus Curculio to infestation by the pecan weevil in the field and laboratory. Pecan weevils or nuts exhibiting characteristic damage were found in all species of Carya indigenous to North America. Nuts of J. regia from Canada contained pecan weevil larvae and emergence holes, whereas nuts of J. regia from Georgia failed to contain larvae or emergence holes. Pecan weevils were not found to infest other members of Juglandaceae, Fagaceae, or Betulaceae. The geographical range of the pecan weevil may need expansion to include Lake Placid and Ocala, Florida ( Carya floridana Sargent), Cola de Caballo near Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico ( Carya palmeri Manning), and Harrow, Ontario, Canada ( J. regia ). Information on species of trees attacked by the pecan weevil will be useful in establishing or clarifying quarantines against introduction of pecan weevil, locating the most promising candidate germ plasm for use in host plant resistance programs, and in developing wide area management strategies to control pecan weevil.