Scyphophorus acupunctatus found in Sicilia, Italy
Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) is a pest of Agave originating from the Americas. It has been found several times by Italy and the Netherlands on imported ornamental plants (Beaucarnea, Dasylirion and Yucca) under glasshouse conditions but did not establish (see EPPO RS 2002/046, 2003/014). In 2006, numerous larvae, pupae and adults of S. acupuntatus were found on Agave americana in parks and gardens in the city of Catania, Sicilia (IT). From December 2006 to January 2007, S. acupunctatus adults (64 live – 92 dead) were collected from severely attacked Agave plants and the surrounding grounds in the urban centre of Catania. Several specimens were studied and reared in the laboratory. In 2007, 10 traps were installed in Catania. In addition, many Agave, Beaucarnea, Dracaena and Yucca plants growing in the urban centre of Catania and in a few other localities along the Ionian coast of Sicilia were inspected. No other specimens were observed. However, it is considered that a trapping network should be set up to verify that S. acupunctatus has not established in Sicilia.
Sources
Longo S (2008) [Morphological and biological remarks on the Agave weevil Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Cucurlionidae) in Sicilia]. Bollettino di Zoologia Agraria e di Bachicoltura, Serie II, 40(1), 45-50 (in Italian).
Longo S (2007) [Sexual dimorphism differences between adult populations of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Sicilia]. Bollettino di Zoologia Agraria e di Bachicoltura, Serie II, 39(1), 45-50 (in Italian).
EPPO Alert List – Deletions from the EPPO Alert List. http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/Alert_List/deleted