Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Sweetpotato West Indian weevil (119)

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Photo 1. Adult West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus, showing distinctive white patches on the wing case.

Photo 2. Adult West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus, showing typical weevil snout, and part of the distinctive white patch on the wing case. The body is covered in short stiff hairs.

Summary
  • Widespread distribution. Central and South America, Caribbean, parts of US and Asia. An important pest.
  • Adults lay eggs in base of stem ('crown') and in storage roots, and larvae do the damage by making tunnels. Same damage as sweetpotato weevil (Cylas).
  • Does not fly; crawls from weedy borders.
  • Spreads in cuttings and storage roots, same as Cylas.
  • Cultural control: early, deep rooting varieties; plant only tip cuttings; remove wild morning glory; hill-up, covering cracks during dry times; ideally, make one-time harvest; 3-4-year crop rotation; after harvest, collect and destroy vines and infested storage roots.
  • Chemical control: treat vines (bifenthrin); treat plants in field every 3-4 weeks (bifenthrin or fipronil).
Common Name

West Indian sweetpotato weevil

Scientific Name

Euscepes batatae; previously Euscepes postfasciatus

AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information from CABI (2014) Euscepes postfasciatus (West Indian sweet potato weevil). Invasive Species Compendium (https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/23541); and 1Reid C (2010) Identification of sweetpotato weevil species in the west Pacific. Australian Museum. Sydney; and Brookes D, et al. (2019) Origins, divergence, and contrasrting invasion history of the sweet potato weevil pests Cylas formicarius (Coleoptera: Brenttidae) and Euscepes batatae (Coleoptera: curculionidae) in the Asia-Pacific. Journal of Economic Entomology XX(XX): 1-9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334747037_Origins_Divergence_and_Contrasting_Invasion_History_of_the_Sweet_Potato_Weevil_Pests_Cylas_formicarius_Coleoptera_Brentidae_and_Euscepes_batatae_Coleoptera_Curculionidae_in_the_Asia-Pacific); and from O'Sullivan J et al. (undated) Sweetpotato DiagNotes: A diagnostic key and information tool for sweetpotato problems. (https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/sweetpotato/key/Sweetpotato%20Diagnotes/Media/Html/FrontPage/FrontPage.htm); Photos 1&2 Gerald McCormack, Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage. (http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org/).

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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