From Bugwoodwiki

Author: Dr. D. L. Horton, University of Georgia, Department of Entomology

sweetpotato weevil Photo by Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, , Bugwood.org Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Hexapoda (including Insecta) Order: Coleoptera Family: Brentidae Genus: Cylas Species: formicarius Scientific Name Cylas formicarius (Fabricius, 1798) Scientific Name Synonym Cylas elegantulus (Summers)

Contents 1 Description 2 Hosts 3 Damage 4 Life Cycle 5 Originally compiled from

Description

Adults are ant-like, shiny, blue-black, snout beetles whose "waist" and legs are bright orange-red. They are about 6 mm long. Larvae are legless, white to cream colored with a pale brown head. Larvae are about 9 mm long.

Hosts

Sweet potato, morning glory, and other plants of the same family.

Damage

Larvae cause damage by burrowing through the stem and roots. Even slightly infested sweet potatoes are unfit for food. Heavily infested tubers are unfit even for stock feed.

Life Cycle

Breeding is continuous throughout the winter, especially in potatoes in storage. Eggs are laid singly in small cavities eaten out in the stem or tuber. Eggs hatch in less than a week and larvae feed inside for two to three weeks. Pupation occurs in the potatoes. The pupal stage lasts about a week to 10 days. There can be as many as eight generations per year.

Originally compiled from

• Horton, D.L. Sweetpotato Weevil. University of Georgia.