South American Palm Weevil

Description:

A large matt-black weevil, about 2" long, strong flyer, attracted to overripe fruit, where it burrows in, eating a hole intothe fruit and climbing in as it goes. This is a shy weevil, doesn't like to be uncovered and scuttles away.

Habitat:

This big weevil is a vector for palm disease, the nematode Rhadinaphelenchus cocophilus, but also does a lot of physical damage to palms and other host trees (mangoes, bananas, etc.). This beetle frequents my overripe fruit bowl as well.

Notes:

The sketch in my photos is one I did of a larva before I knew what the adult form was. It helped me identify it later.