Conotrachelus hicoriae

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Order	Coleoptera
Suborder	Polyphaga
Infraorder	Cucujiformia
Superfamily	Curculionoidea
Family	Curculionidae
Subfamily	Molytinae
Tribe	Conotrachelini
Genus	Conotrachelus

Scientific Name

Conotrachelus hicoriae

Common Name

nut curculio

Authors: Beatrice Wun and Laura Timms, Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto

Distribution & Hosts

Native to North America, the hickory nut curculio can be found in the southern United States. . It feeds on the nuts of hickory trees (genus Carya, which includes pecan trees).

Description

Adults are dark-gray to reddish-brown, with a tan or whitish band going across the distal ends of the elytra, and a somewhat scaly upper surface. They range from 0.17-0.27” (4.5-7 mm) long, with a curved beak that is usually one-third of the body length.

The larvae have legless, curved creamy-white bodies and brown head capsules. At maturity, they can measure up to 0.38 inches (9.5 mm).

The eggs are small white ovals, laid singly just below the outer shell (the shuck) of the nut.

Damage

Damage is caused by both adult punctures and larval feeding from within the nut. The punctures caused by adults (either for feeding or for egg-laying) are easily spotted. Larval feeding inside the nut may push sap out of the puncture wounds, resulting in sticky brown deposits on the outside of the nut. These nuts usually abort and drop from the tree around two weeks after being punctured

Life Cycle

Adults overwinter in the soil or litter, emerging in late spring (mid-June to mid-July) and feeding on young nuts via punctures with their snouts. After mating, the female adults also use their snouts to make punctures for the eggs to be deposited into.

The eggs hatch after about five days, and the larvae feed and develop inside the nuts for three to four weeks (late July to late August). ), and tree jarring (striking the tree will cause curculios to contract their legs and fall). However, since hickory nut curculio seldom causes severe economic damage , it is not considered a major pecan pest, and there are no prescribed population thresholds for treatment. Their populations can be controlled with insecticides, and are often controlled during pesticide applications meant for the pecan weevil or third-generation hickory shuckworm.

Modified from

This page was modified from:

• Conotrachelus hicoriae written by H.C. Ellis.

Images

More images here.

Adult hickory nut curculios.

Larva with damage.

Larva with damage.

Damage.

Damage.