Larval dispersal of the weed biological control agent oxyops vitiosa (coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The Australian weevil Oxyops vitiosa is a biological control agent of the exotic tree Melaleuca quinquenervia in Florida, USA. Evidence suggests that the last instar drops from the canopy to the forest floor to pupate in the soil or leaf litter. This dispersal method preempts weevil population persistence in permanently flooded habitats, where some populations of the exotic weed occur. In these habitats, sustained weevil herbivory is dependent upon repeated colonization events.