Development of a Training Program to Identify Invasive Weevils in the Caribbean Basin and the United States

Numerous weevil species are serious pests on agricultural crops in the Caribbean basin and the USA. These pests include native and exotic weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) species. Among them, some weevil species are easy to identify, and others need training and expertise in taxonomy in order to identify them properly. Commodity-based identification and training tools are extremely important and critical. For example, the citrus root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was established in the US nearly 50 yr ago, and costs millions of dollars annually in control attempts in Florida alone. Other species such as the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae); the South American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum (L.) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae); and the Jamaican weevil, Exophthalmus vittatus L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), are potential threats to fruits, vegetables, and ornamental crops. Adults of these weevils display various coloration, and patterns of red, blue, black, green, yellow, orange, and white. Some species have more than 2 color forms; male and female weevils may show major variations in their morphological characters. Regulatory agencies at the local, regional, and international levels are strengthening collaboration on offshore mitigation of these pests. Strict enforcement of regulatory guidelines and procedures is being adopted at the ports of entry into the US. Indeed, training on the identification and screening of these species, and other potential crop pests, is critically important for food security in the region. Training and capacity building to design, develop, and deploy keys, tools, and resources are major components of successful implementation of digital identification tools. The team at the Center for Biological Control is part of the digital resource consortium building tools on invasive beetles on economically important crops. To build capacity in digital insect identification, we have not only modified the contents of graduate and undergraduate insect systematics curriculum, but also have trained numerous students in these new skills.