D3458: Development of digital identification key on the economically important weevil species in the Caribbean and Florida pathways

In recent years, numerous invasive weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) species are becoming serious pests to agricultural crops in the Caribbean and Florida Pathways. These pests include established and potentially invasive species of agricultural importance. 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 United States nearly 50 years ago, and costs millions of dollars annually in control attempts in Florida alone. Other species such as the hibiscus bud weevil, Anthonomus testaceosquamosus Linell (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), A. rubi (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); 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 in the United States and the Caribbean countries. In the Caribbean and Florida, several species have been established and the others are being intercepted at the port of entries. These pests pose serious challenges to plant industry, food security, and trade. This study was conducted to report economically important weevils (41 species within 23 genera), their commercial host plants and identify them using Lucid platform for stakeholders and clientele. User friendly interactive digital key provides list of weevils, their characters, and high-definition images (dorsal habitus, ventral habitus, and diagnostic characters) to end-users (port of entry screeners, identifiers, extension agents, pest managers, scientists, students, and public) to obtain proper identification of selected weevil species free of cost.