Larvae can reach a length of 13 mm and are creamy yellowish-white to grey, with a brown head curled back into the thorax and black mouthparts. They have no legs and two sub-lateral longitudinal grooves along their body length. They are soil-dwelling grubs with a slightly bent shape.
Adults are huge weevils that can grow to be 10-13 mm long. They are pale to dark grey or brown and have prominent hairs. They feature a lighter band on the wing covers’ outer margins and two paler longitudinal lines on each side of the thorax and head, one above and one below the eye. They have a large, short snout. Graphognathus leucoloma was the former name for this species.
Host plant:
Whitefringed beetles have a broad host range, including potato, soybean, turnip, peanut, sweet potato, cabbage, collards, tobacco, sweet corn, strawberry, and blackberry.
Territory:
Whitefringed beetles are native to South America. However, there are isolated infestations in the southeastern United States. The Virginia Department of Agriculture used to control the Whitefringed Beetle, but it no longer does.
Damages caused by Whitefringed Beetle:
Adults eat on foliage and inflict little damage aside from notching leaves. Conversely, larvae feed on the roots, tubers, and underground sections of host plants, where they debark and gouge roots.Plants that are affected may wilt and die.
Life history and habits:
This pest has one generation each year. They spend the winter as larvae and, on occasion, as eggs; however, eggs have a more difficult time surviving the winter unless they are in a location shielded from the harsh winter temperatures. Larvae emerge in early spring and feed on host plant roots or subterranean stems. They will then pupate after tunneling 5 to 15cm into the ground. This stage will last 13 days. The adults then emerge and start devouring vegetation. Oviposition occurs 5 to 25 days after emergence. The eggs are placed in clusters of around 15 on the host plant’s stems, roots, or soil. It takes roughly 17 days for the eggs to hatch throughout the summer. If the eggs survive the winter, it might take up to 100 days for them to hatch. The overall quantity of eggs laid by each female is determined by what she ate. Beetles that eat mostly legumes can lay more eggs than those that eat mostly grass.
