Tequila
Guides
Peltophorus polymitus
Speckled Agave Weevil
Peltophorus polymitus is a true weevil (Curculionidae) native to North America, widely distributed throughout Mexico. Adults and larvae feed on multiple agave species, including cultivated plants used for food, medicine, and mezcal production. Despite causing documented plant damage, it has not been formally classified as a pest species. Two subspecies are recognized: P. p. seminiveus and P. p. suffusus.
Scyphophorus
agave weevils, sisal weevils
Scyphophorus is a genus of snout and bark beetles in the subfamily Dryophthorinae, comprising approximately seven described species. The genus is best known for Scyphophorus acupunctatus, commonly called the agave weevil or sisal weevil, which is a major pest of agave crops worldwide. Species in this genus are native to the Americas but have been introduced to multiple continents through global plant trade. The genus is characterized by its association with plants in the families Asparagaceae (Agavoideae) and Asparagaceae (Nolinoideae, formerly Dracaenaceae).
Scyphophorus acupunctatus
agave weevil, sisal weevil, picudo del agave
Scyphophorus acupunctatus is a specialized weevil native to Central and North America that has become a globally significant pest of agaves and related plants. Adults bore into agave stalks and rosettes, creating entry points for pathogenic bacteria and fungi that ultimately kill the host plant. The species has established invasive populations across Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America, facilitated by the international trade of ornamental agaves. Its economic impact is particularly severe on Agave tequilana, threatening the tequila industry, and on wild agave populations important for mezcal production and ecosystem stability.