A Field Key For Separating Larvae Of Four Species Of Citrus Weevils In Florida

The “sugar- cane root-stalk borer weevil” (Diaprepes abbreviatus ( L. ) ) was first found in the U.S. At Apopka, Florida, in 1964, although no significant population was discovered until 1968 (Woodruff, 1964, 1968). Since this species is a serious pest of citrus and sugarcane in the West Indies, the infested area and a buffer to the extent of 6500 acres around Apopka, Florida, were placed under quarantine. Surveys for this species have been handicapped by the difficulty of accurately distinguishing larvae from those of other weevil larvae commonly found on citrus roots. Other species likely to be encountered in surveys are: Fuller’s rose weevil, Pantomorus cervinus Boh, (=godmani (Crotch)) and the citrus root weevils, Pachnaeus opalus (Oliv.) and P. litus (Germ.).