How Far Can the Red Palm Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Fly?: Computerized Flight Mill Studies with Field-Captured Weevils

Adult Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) captured in pheromone-baited traps in commercial date palm orchards in the Al Ahsaa Directorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were used in computerized flight mill studies to determine the flight characteristics of this highly invasive and destructive palm pest....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic entomology 2015-12, Vol.108 (6), p.2599-2609
Main Authors: Hoddle, M. S, Hoddle, C. D, Faleiro, J. R, El-Shafie, H. A. F, Jeske, D. R, Sallam, A. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Distribution
Animals
Body weight
Body weight loss
color morph
Curculionidae
dispersal
Diurnal
ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Female
Flight
Flight activity
Flight characteristics
Flight, Animal
Kurtosis
Male
Orchards
Random Allocation
Saudi Arabia
Summer
Survival
Tapering
Weevils - physiology
Weight loss
Weight reduction
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Summary:Adult Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) captured in pheromone-baited traps in commercial date palm orchards in the Al Ahsaa Directorate, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were used in computerized flight mill studies to determine the flight characteristics of this highly invasive and destructive palm pest. Flight mill studies were run at three different time periods, winter (December), spring (March), and summer (May). Of the 192 weevils tethered to flight mills ∼30% failed to fly>1 km. Of those weevils flying>1 km(n=139), 55% flew>10 km, and of these flyers 5% flew>50 km in 24 h. Flying weevils exhibited an average weight loss of 20–30% and nonflying control weevils lost ∼9–13% body weight in 24 h. Male and female weevils flying in summer (average laboratory temperature was ∼27° C) flew the longest average distances (∼25–35 km), exhibited highest weight reductions (∼30%), and greatest mortality rates (∼80%). Consequently, time of year not weevil sex or color morph had a consistent and significant effect on flight activity, weight loss, and survivorship rates. Flight activity was predominantly diurnal commencing around 5:00 a.m. and peaking between 9–11:00 a.m. before tapering off. The distribution of flight distances combined across season and sex was mesokurtic (i.e., normally distributed).
ISSN:0022-0493
1938-291X
DOI:10.1093/jee/tov240