''Anthonomus santacruzi'' is a species of
weevil
Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...
that is a promising biocontrol agent for ''
Solanum mauritianum
''Solanum mauritianum'' is a small tree or shrub native to South America, including Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its common names include earleaf nightshade (or "ear-leaved nightshade"), woolly nightshade, flannel we ...
'', a major ecological weed in high-rainfall regions of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
The weevil exhibits a preference for ''S. mauritianum'' and possibly two South African native species of ''
Solanum
''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solana ...
'', namely ''
S. linnaeanum'' and ''S. tomentosum''.
References
External links
''Anthonomus santacruzi''
Curculioninae
Insects of South Africa
Insects described in 1924
{{Curculioninae-stub