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Field guide to exotic pests and diseases: Hoop pine weevil
Vanapa oberthuri Pouillaude
Hoop pine weevil adult on stem of hoop pine.
Source: B. Gray, Bulolo, Papua New Guinea
Identification: larvae pale yellow with brown head, C-shaped, up to 90mm long. Adult black, up to 70mm long, with longitudinally ridged wing covers and long curved rostrum with elbowed antennae at end.
Hosts: trees and timber of Araucaria species (such as hoop pine and klinki pine).
Distribution: Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (West Irian).
Detection:
Larvae: make J-shaped tunnels in wood, 10-15mm in diameter, about 40mm depth, may make audible crushing noise, often leave clean wood debris on bark. Pupal chamber plugged with wood slivers. Damage usually occurs clumped in-groups of up to 10 trees, cause dead branches, and can kill tree within five months.
Adults: emergence hole round, 8-13mm in diameter. Life span 6-8 weeks, feed on green bark of pine twigs, lay eggs in fresh resin on bark. Species most likely to enter Australia from PNG via items carried by people for traditional trade, or in timber from Araucaria species or souvenirs.
Potential impact: could have severe impact upon Australia’s native Araucaria forests.