Morphological, molecular-genetic and breeding data were collected to investigate the species status of the Asian palm weevils, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) and R. vulneratus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). These weevils are distinguished by characteristic colouring of the pronota and elytra, but naturally occurring colour intermorphs were observed. Contrary to the literature, quant...

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Curculionidae: Coleoptera), is not native to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since its arrival in 1985, it has been causing major damage to date palm trees. A primary control strategy has been the use of pheromone baited traps. The objectives of this study were to determine the quantity of bait, and the best trap color, to obtain the max...

Rhynchopolipus rhynchophori (Ewing) (Acari: Podapolipidae) is an ectoparasite of the palm weevils, Rhynchophorus palmarum L. and Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), whose implications in the biological control of the weevils are acquiring more and more interest. Hence there is a need to discern this mite species and others species, which can be found on the palm weevils. In this paper, species...

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a serious pest of the palm tree in tropical regions of the world. One strain of Metarhizium sp. ZJ-1, isolated from Chinese soils, was evaluated for growth characteristics, and screened for its virulence to R. ferrugineus larvae in laboratory conditions. An approximately 685-bp fragment was amplified by ITS (I...

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) larvae are cryptic, internal tissue-feeding pests of palm trees that are difficult to detect; consequently, infestations may remain hidden until they are widespread in an orchard. Infested trees and propagable offshoots that develop from axillary buds on the trunk frequently are transported inadvertently to previously uninfested a...

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, also known as the red palm weevil, is regarded as the major pest of palm trees. Although studies of the microbiota associated with this species have been performed in recent years, little attention has been dedicated to the influence of the diet in shaping the host bacterial community. Here, we investigated the influence of food sources (i.e. palm tissues vs apple bas...

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is considered the worst pest of palm species, and few natural enemies are reported for this parasite in its area of origin. Here, we report the first recovery of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium pingshaense associated with R. ferrugineus from Vietnam. The morphological, biochemical, and toxicological features of this strain were studied and compared with those o...

This study determined the pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae strain SD-3 against invasive red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (coleoptera:curculionidae) larvae in Hainan Province, China. Inoculation of 1 × 108 conidia/mL caused 100 % mortality of R. ferrugineus, indicating that the conidia of strain SD-3 were highly virulent. The process of invasion mechanism was showe...

Vatanparast M., Hosseininaveh V., Ghadamyari M., Minoo Sajjadian S. (2014): Plant cell wall degrading enzymes, pectinase and cellulase, in the digestive system of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Plant Protect. Sci., 50: 190–198. In digestion, the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, has been adapted to overcome the plant cell wall barrier, spec...