kingdom (625). More than 35,000 have been described worldwide, 2,500 in North 
America (670). With a few exceptions, the weevils are vegetarian; some are gall 
makers. Many are wondrously disguised, with cryptic color and form to mimic 
other insects, bird droppings, or buds. In many cases, the technique of deception is 
enhanced when disturbed weevils remain motionless for a long time or feign death 
and fall to the ground. 
Some of our most destructive agricultural pests belong to the Curculionidae: the 
cotton boll weevil, the alfalfa weevil, and the grain weevils. Foresters have prac- 
tically stopped planting eastern white pine in the Northeast because of the white 
pine weevil. 
With such a large number of entities involved, the interpretation of the systemat- 
ics of the family presents great difficulties, and authorities are not always in 
agreement. The sequence of species used here closely follows that of ‘*Cur- 
culionidae of America North of Mexico” (670). 
There are five subfamilies of ““broadnose” weevils that are characterized by 
short, broad snouts, and an oval depression on the face of the mandibles that marks 
the position of a pupal cusp. Many species of this group have larvae and pupae that 
are subterranean. The cusp is thought to assist adult emergence. These larvae eat 
roots. Consequently, those species that feed on the roots of woody plants are of 
concern to foresters and nurserymen. A disproportionately large number of the 
most common and economically important of these weevils have been introduced 
from Eurasia. 
The arborvitae weevil, Phyllobius intrusus Kono, is a Japanese species first 
recorded on nursery stock in Rhode Island in 1947. [t is now known to occur in the 
other New England States as well as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It 
feeds on many varieties of arborvitae, northern white-cedar and eastern redcedar. 
Damage in nurseries as a result of root pruning may be severe when populations 
build up over a number of years. 
Adult weevils are 5.1 to 6.3 mm long, black and covered with minute, light 
metallic-green scales and hairs. The legs and antennae are more sparsely covered. 
Eggs are laid in the soil during May and June. The larval period usually extends 
through the winter, but some individuals overwinter as pupae. The weevil pupates 
among the roots in an earthern cell that may be as deep as 25 cm. Adults begin to 
emerge about mid-May (663). 
The arborvitae weevil is destructive in both the larval and adult stages but 
primarily in the larval stage. Damage in nurseries may be severe where infestations 
occur over a period of many years. In severely infested areas, well over 200 larvae 
may be found feeding on the roots of a single plant. This results in severe root 
pruning. 
Phyllobius oblongus (L.), the European snout beetle, was first recorded in the 
United States at Rochester, N.Y., in 1923. It has been reported in New Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The adults are brown and 4 to 7 mm long. They seem 
to prefer the leaves of sugar maple reproduction, but also eat leaves of elm, birch, 
cherry, and alder. Adults are present in June and July. There is one generation a 
year. Mature larvae overwinter in the ground. 
Another introduced species (Nova Scotia, in 1884), one often associated with P. 
oblongus, is Sciaphillus asperatus Bonsdorff. This 5- to 6-mm-long ash gray 
weevil has been found as far south as Maryland, and west to Michigan. It feeds at 
night, primarily on sugar maple, but also on leaves of mountain and red maples, 
yellow birch, hazel, and hophornbeam. Because of its habit of feeding on buds, this 
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