Larinus curtus
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| Larinus curtus | ||||||||||||||||
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| Larinus curtus Hochhut |
Larinus curtus is a species of true weevil known as the yellow starthistle flower weevil. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis).
The adult weevil is dark brown or black with light colored mottled hairs on its body. It is about 6 millimeters long. The female lays eggs at the bases of open yellow starthistle flowers. 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. The adult feeds on flowers but probably does little damage to the plant. It is the larva's impact on seed production that helps control the plant's spread. It is not known to attack other species of plants.
This weevil is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It was first introduced to the United States as a biocontrol agent in 1992. It is now established throughout the Pacific Northwest.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
Coombs, E. M., et al., Eds. (2004). Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 429.
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