Geographic origin does not influence vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus Fabricius) susceptibility to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum Petch

Abstract: Otiorhynchus sulcatus Fabricius, commonly known as the vine weevil or the black vine weevil, is a beetle member of the Curculionidae family. This species is endemic to central Europe but its distribution has expanded in the last century via plant trading routes to most parts of Europe, parts of North America, South America, New Zealand and Japan. Adult vine weevils live above ground and feed on leaves and flowers making small rounded notches that render plants unmarketable. Larvae live in the soil or substrate in which plants are grown and feed on plant roots, stems and bulbs, reducing plant vigour. This feeding behaviour may eventually result in plant death, hence larvae are considered the most damaging life stage. Vine weevils are considered a highly polyphagous species as they have been recorded feeding on more than 150 host plant species, including a wide range of horticultural crops among them economically important soft fruit crops such as strawberries or raspberries, or ornamentals crops such as rhododendron or cyclamen. Economic and yield loss caused by this pest is significant, for instance, vine weevil affected more than 2,000 ha of strawberry crops in the UK in 2016, causing damage worth an estimated £ 14 M.