Naupactus (weevil)

Naupactus is a genus of beetles in the weevil family Curculionidae, the true weevils. They are known commonly as whitefringed beetles.[2] Many species of the genus are considered pests, both as larvae and as adults.[2] The genus is native to the Americas, where it is distributed from Mexico to Argentina; the highest species diversity is in Brazil.[3] Several species have been introduced to the United States and New Zealand.[2]

Naupactus
Naupactus sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Tribe: Naupactini
Genus: Naupactus
Dejean, 1821
Diversity
at least 230 species
Synonyms[1]
  • Asynonychus Crotch, 1867
  • Graphognathus
Naupactus leucoloma

Some Naupactus have fully developed wings, while others have rudimentary or absent wings and are flightless. The females have flexible ovipositors with which they deposit eggs in cracks and crevices, in soil, between leaves, and beneath the sepals on fruits. The larvae emerge in the soil or fall into it upon emergence. There they feed on the roots. In citrus, for example, they physically damage the roots but more significant injury occurs when pathogens such as Phytophthora enter through the wounds. The length of the larval stage varies depending on species, temperature, and nutrients available. The adults feed on foliage.[3]

Some species reproduce via parthenogenesis, with young emerging from unfertilized eggs,[3] and males of the species have never even been observed.[2]

There are at least 150 species in the genus.[3][4]

See also

References
  1. "Naupactus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  2. Dixon, W. N. Whitefringed beetles, Naupactus (= Graphognathus) spp. (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae). EENY-294. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2003, revised 2008.
  3. Lanteri, A. A., et al. (2002). Weevils injurious for roots of citrus in São Paulo State, Brazil. Neotropical Entomology 31(4), 561-69.
  4. Ramos, C. S., et al. (2009). Sequestration of prenylated benzoic acid and chromenes by Naupactus bipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) feeding on Piper gaudichaudianum (Piperaceae). Chemoecology 19(2), 73-80.


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