Nematode-vector
Guides
Rhynchophorus palmarum
South American palm weevil, American palm weevil, black palm weevil
Rhynchophorus palmarum is a large black palm weevil native to the Neotropics that has become a destructive invasive pest in southern California. Adults are attracted to volatile compounds released by injured palms, where females lay eggs in the crown. Larvae burrow into the palm heart, causing direct damage and creating wounds that facilitate secondary infections. The weevil is the primary vector of the red ring nematode (Bursaphelenchus cocophilus), which causes lethal red ring disease in palms. In its native range, larvae have been consumed as food for centuries.
Setomorpha rutella
Tropical Tobacco Moth
Setomorpha rutella is a tineid moth commonly known as the tropical tobacco moth. It has been widely distributed through commerce across warmer regions of Africa, Eurasia, Malaysia, Australia, Pacific islands, and the Americas. The species is notable as an intermediate host for the nematode parasite Tetrameres mohtedai, which infects fowl.
Trypophloeus
Trypophloeus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, containing approximately 12 species distributed across North America, Europe, and Asia. The genus is primarily associated with Salicaceae hosts, particularly Populus and Salix species. Trypophloeus populi has gained recent attention as the causative agent of sudden aspen decline in North America. Several species are significant forest pests, with T. klimeschi causing extensive damage to shelter forests in northwest China and T. binodulus affecting poplar plantations in Spain.