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First record of the agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), in Puerto Rico

Authors:
Gregory P. Setliff at Kutztown University
Gregory P. Setliff
Jesse A. Anderson
Jesse A. Anderson
Jesse A. Anderson
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The agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), is reported from Puerto Rico for the first time. It was collected on feral sisal, Agave sisalana Perrine (Agavaceae), in the Guánica Dry Forest Reserve in the southwestern part of the island.
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Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida
Insecta Mundi
University of Nebraska - Lincoln Year 
First record of the agave snout weevil,
Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal
(Coleoptera: Curculionidae:
Dryophthorinae), in Puerto Rico
Gregory P. Setliff∗Jesse A. Anderson†
∗Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, setliff@kutztown.edu
†Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
This paper is posted at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi/671
CENTER FOR SYSTEMATIC E NTOMOLOGY, INC., Gainesville, FL
First record of the agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus
Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), in Puerto Rico
Gregory P. Setliff and Jesse A. Anderson
Department of Biology
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530 U.S.A.
Date of Issue: March 11, 2011
INSECTA
MUNDI A Journal of World Insect Systematics
0152
Gregory P. Setliff and Jesse A. Anderson
First record of the agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal (Co-
leoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), in Puerto Rico
Insecta Mundi 0152: 1-3
Published in 2011 by
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1
0152: 1-3 2011
First record of the agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus
Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae), in Puerto Rico
Gregory P. Setliff and Jesse A. Anderson
Department of Biology
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530 U.S.A.
setliff@kutztown.edu
Abstract. The agave snout weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae),
is reported from Puerto Rico for the first time. It was collected on feral sisal, Agave sisalana Perrine (Agavaceae), in
the Guánica Dry Forest Reserve in the southwestern part of the island.
Introduction
Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal, 1838 (Fig. 1), is a major pest of several ornamental and
commercially important species of Agave (Agavaceae) (Vaurie 1971). Adults feed on the leaves and bore
into the bole of the plant to oviposit. Larvae also induce rotting in plant tissues by transmitting associated
microbes that can cause premature death of the host (Warring and Smith 1986). Originally from the New
World, S. acupunctatus has expanded its range considerably; undoubtedly aided by human mediated
dispersal of its host plants (Warring and Smith 1986). It is currently known to occur in Australia, Brazil,
Borneo (country not specified), Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guate-
mala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia (Java), Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Tanzania, United States
(including Hawaii), and Venezuela (Vaurie 1971, O’Brien and Wibmer 1982, Anderson 2002). It has also
recently been discovered in Italy (Sicily), Spain, and France (Colombo 2000, Flinch and Alonso-Zarazaga
2007, and Germain et al. 2008 respectively); however it is not yet clear that these European records
represent established populations.
Discussion
On 20 July 2009, nine adult specimens of S. acupunctatus (2 males, 7 females) were hand-collected at
night from feral sisal plants (Agave sisalina Perrine) (Fig. 2A) in the Guánica Dry Forest Reserve in
southwestern Puerto Rico (Fig. 2B, 2C). The collection locality (N 17o57.51’; W 66o51.71’) is approximately
0.2 km north of a trailhead located on Rt. 333 at km marker 8.8. All of the weevils were actively feeding
near the base of large, apparently healthy, nonblooming plants. Extensive feeding damage was observed
on the leaves of nearly all mature plants in the area but we found no boring damage on the boles. No
attempt was made to determine whether larvae were present and the plants were otherwise left undis-
turbed.
Sisal was introduced to Puerto Rico for cultivation as a fiber plant more than a century ago (Cook and
Collins 1903), yet our collection of S. acupunctatus is, to our knowledge, the first recorded for the island.
Searches of collections in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. (USNM), Univer-
sity of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM), Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa (CMNC), and Charles W.
O’Brien personal collection, Green Valley, Arizona (CWOB) revealed no additional specimens from Puerto
Rico. The lack of any prior published records of S. acupunctatus in Puerto Rico suggests that its presence
in Puerto Rico is relatively recent or has not been previously recognized. Voucher specimens have been
deposited in the UPRM and USNM collections.
Acknowledgments
We thank Nico Franz (UPRM) and the other members of the Franz lab for hosting our visit to Puerto
Rico. We would also like to thank Robert Anderson (CMNC) and Charlie O’Brien (CWOB) for kindly
checking their respective collections for Puerto Rican specimens of S. acupunctatus. Steven Lingafelter
2 • I NSECTA MUNDI 0152, March 2011 SETLIFF AND ANDERSON
Figure 2. A) Sisal plants (Agave sisalana Perrine) infested with S. acupunctatus at Guánica, Puerto
Rico. B) Guánica, dry forest habitat where S. acupunctatus was collected. C) Map of Puerto Rico with
location of Guánica indicated.
Figure 1. Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal, female, lateral view. Scale bar = 5 mm.
INSECTA MUNDI 0152, March 2011 • 3
SCYPHOPHORUS ACUPUNCTATUS IN PUERTO R ICO
(USNM) and Robert Anderson (CMNC) reviewed this manuscript and provided helpful feedback. Our
research was supported by a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Faculty Development Grant.
Literature Cited
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(Coleoptera; Curculionoidea). Zootaxa 80: 1-94.
Colombo, M. 2000. Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera Curculionidae): prima segnalazione per
l’Italia. Bollettino di Zoologia Agraria e di Bachicoltura, Serie II, 32(2): 165-170.
Cook, O. F., and G. N. Collins 1903. Economic plants of Porto Rico. Contributions from the United
States National Herbarium 8(2): 57-269.
Flinch, J. M., and M. A. Alonso-Zarazaga. 2007. El picudo negro de la pita o agave, o max del
henequén, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal, 1838 (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae): primera cita
para la Península Ibérica. Boletin de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa 41: 419-422.
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d’un coléoptère ravageur des agaves. PHM Revue Horticole 505: 34-36.
O’Brien, C. W., and G. J. Wibmer. 1982. Annotated checklist of the weevils (Curculionidae sensu lato)
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Vaurie, P. 1971. Review of Scyphophorus (Curculionidae: Rhynchophorinae). Coleopterists Bulletin 25(1):
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Waring, G. L., and R. L. Smith 1986. Natural history and ecology of Scyphophorus acupunctatus
(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its associated microbes in cultivated and native agaves. Annals of the
Entomological Society of America 79(2): 334-340.
Received October 10, 2010; Accepted December 21, 2010.
4 • I NSECTA MUNDI 0152, March 2011 SETLIFF AND ANDERSON
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... Por norma general, los adultos de S. acupunctatus tienden a permanecer en el área donde se originaron y su dispersión suele ser baja. La colonización de nuevas áreas lejanas suele estar propiciada por el ser humano mediante el movimiento de sus plantas hospedantes (Setliff & Anderson, 2011;Solís, 2001). Todo hace pensar, debido a la distancia entre los distintos núcleos, que este es el caso de las poblaciones españolas. ...
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... The new map quadruples the previously known distribution described by Molina (2013). This may seem un- usual if we take into account that it was considered a species with a low dispersal capacity (Setliff & Anderson 2011). Although the observed spread could have been facilitated by the trade of ornamental plants infected by the weevil, as indicated by Molina (2013), it has recently been described the ability of the species to fly, so it could have a greater potential for natural dispersion than previously thought (Charro et al. 2017). ...
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Full-text available
  • Oct 2002
The Dryophthoridae of Costa Rica and Panama are reviewed. A checklist is presented of the 127 species in Costa Rica and 103 species in Panama. Keys are presented to genera and species. Twenty-four new species are described as follows: Mesocordylus redelmeieri Anderson (type locality; Guanacaste, Costa Rica), Cactophagus dragoni Anderson (type locality; Chiriqui, Panama), C. gasbarrinorum Anderson (type locality; Chiriqui, Panama), C. lineatus Anderson (type locality; San Jose, Costa Rica), C. lingorum Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), C. morrisi Anderson (type locality; Chiriqui, Panama), C. riesenorum Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), C. silron Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), C. sunatoriorum Anderson (type locality; Chiriqui, Panama), Metamasius atwoodi Anderson (type locality; Cocos Island, Costa Rica), M. bellorum Anderson (type locality; Chiriqui, Panama), M. burcheri Anderson (type locality; Cartago, Costa Rica), M. gallettae Anderson (type locality; Darien, Panama), M. hooveri Anderson (type locality; Limón, Costa Rica), M. leopardinus Anderson (type locality; Guanacaste, Costa Rica), M. murdiei Anderson (type locality; Cartago, Costa Rica), M. richdeboeri Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), M. shchepaneki Anderson (type locality; Panama, Panama), M. vaurieae Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), M. wolfensohni Anderson (type locality; Guanacaste, Costa Rica), Rhodobaenus howelli Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), R. labrecheae Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), R. patriciae Anderson (type locality; Puntarenas, Costa Rica), and R. tenorio Anderson (type locality; Limón, Costa Rica). New country records are as follows: Toxorhinus grallarius (Lacordaire) (Costa Rica), Alloscolytoproctus peruanus Hustache (Panama), Cactophagus aurofasciatus (Breme) (Panama) and Metamasius scutiger Champion (Costa Rica). The genera Toxorhinus Lacordaire and Cosmopolites Chevrolat are transferred from Sphenophorini to Litosomini. Notes about the natural history and plant associations for all new species are given where available.
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Natural History and Ecology of Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Its Associated Microbes in Cultivated and Native Agaves
Article
  • Mar 1986
  • ANN ENTOMOL SOC AM
A cultivated plant, Agave americana var. expansa (Jacobi) Gentry, is attacked by the weevil Scyphophorus acupunctatus Glyllenhal before flowering, while Agave palmeri Engelmann, a wild species, is colonized by the weevil only after it blooms. Several explanations for this differential susceptibility are offered, and new host records for S. acupunctatus are reported. Microbes associated with the weevil apparently cause agave decline, a pathological condition that accompanies larval S. acupunctatus infestation. Agave decline kills afflicted plants.
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CMNC) reviewed this manuscript and provided helpful feedback. Our research was supported by a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Faculty Development Grant
  • Robert Anderson
SCYPHOPHORUS ACUPUNCTATUS IN PUERTO RICO (USNM) and Robert Anderson (CMNC) reviewed this manuscript and provided helpful feedback. Our research was supported by a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Faculty Development Grant. Literature Cited
Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera Curculionidae): prima segnalazione per l'Italia
  • Jan 2000
  • 165-170
  • M Colombo
Colombo, M. 2000. Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera Curculionidae): prima segnalazione per l'Italia. Bollettino di Zoologia Agraria e di Bachicoltura, Serie II, 32(2): 165-170.
Economic plants of Porto Rico
  • Jan 1903
  • 57-269
  • O F Cook
  • G N Collins
Cook, O. F., and G. N. Collins 1903. Economic plants of Porto Rico. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 8(2): 57-269.
Premier signalement en France d'un coléoptère ravageur des agaves
  • Jan 2008
  • 34-36
  • J F Germain
  • J M Ramel
  • A Maury
  • F Blanchon
Germain, J. F., J. M. Ramel, A. Maury, and F. Blanchon. 2008. Premier signalement en France d'un coléoptère ravageur des agaves. PHM Revue Horticole 505: 34-36.