Euhrychiopsis lecontei

Euhrychiopsis lecontei is a type of weevil that has been investigated as a potential biocontrol agent for Eurasian water milfoil.[1] It is found in the eastern and central United States and western Canada.[2]

Euhrychiopsis lecontei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Superfamily:
Curculionoidea
Family:
Curculionidae
Subfamily:
Baridinae
Tribe:
Phytobiini
Genus:
Euhrychiopsis
Species:
E. lecontei
Binomial name
Euhrychiopsis lecontei
(Dietz, 1896)

Life cycle

E. lecontei is a holometabolous insect, undergoing true metamorphosis. Development is temperature dependent, but the time to develop from egg to larvae is about 4 days, from larvae to pupae 13 days, and from pupae to adult 13 days. Larvae are stem borers and damage plant tissue from about 7 cm from the tip of the plant.

Use as a Biocontrol

Milfoil weevils occur in natural populations in much of North America on their native host, Northern watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum). They often reach sufficient densities to suppress invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) infestations after a prolonged infestation or artificial augmentation. Studies indicate that for effective control a density of about 1 weevil per two stems of milfoil (0.5 weevils per stem) is necessary.[3] There are mixed reviews that fish such as bluegills can reduce weevil populations as research has only been conducted in very limited settings.[4] Augmenting native weevil populations as a biological control is effective as long as there is a small amount of milfoil to sustain the population. Milfoil weevils are commercially available as a management option for Eurasian water milfoil by a firm based in the United States and Canada.[5][6]

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References
  1. Ellen Healey (December 17, 2008). "Euhrychiopsis leconti and Myriophylum spicatum. Establishing a balance In Candlewood Lake: Response to stocking weevils in Eurasian watermilfoil weed beds" (PDF). Candlewood Lake Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  2. Ross H. Arnett Jr.; Michael C. Thomas; Paul E. Skelley & J. Howard Frank (2002). American Beetles Volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-0954-9.
  3. Laura L. Jester; Michael A. Bozek; Daniel R. Helsel; Sallie P. Sheldon (2000). "Euhrychiopsis lecontei distribution, abundance, and experimental augmentations for Eurasian watermilfoil control in Wisconsin Lakes" (PDF). Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. 38: 88–97.
  4. Raymond M. Newman (2004). "Biological control of Eurasian watermilfoil by aquatic insects: basic insights from an applied problem". Archiv für Hydrobiologie. 159 (2): 145–184. doi:10.1127/0003-9136/2004/0159-0145.
  5. EnviroScience, Inc. (2011). "Milfoil Solution". Lake Management. Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  6. Milfoil Solution, Inc. (2012). "Milfoil Solution". Lake Management. Archived from the original on 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
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