Rhynchophorus vulneratus

The native range of this species is considered to include Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand; outside its native range it has been reported and confirmed only from the United States.

Originally from tropical Asia, this palm weevil (initially misidentified as the closely related species, R. ferrugineus) was recorded in the United States at Laguna Beach, CA late in 2010.[http://www.ocregister.com/news/palm-269513-nisson-tree.html] Orange County Register, "Destructive exotic beetle found in Laguna Beach."[http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6648] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928161902/http://www.lagunabeachcity.net/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=6648 |date=2011-09-28 }} CDFA; Red Palm Weevil, Worst Known Pest of Palm Trees Detected in Laguna Beach However it was successfully eradicated and did not become established.{{cite journal | last1=Hoddle | first1=Mark S. | last2=Hoddle | first2=Christina D. | last3=Alzubaidy | first3=Mohammed | last4=Kabashima | first4=John | last5=Nisson | first5=J. Nicholas | last6=Millar | first6=Jocelyn | last7=Dimson | first7=Monica | title=The palm weevil Rhynchophorus vulneratus is eradicated from Laguna Beach | journal=California Agriculture | publisher=UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) | volume=71 | issue=1 | year=2016 | issn=0008-0845 | doi=10.3733/ca.2016a0012 | pages=23–29| doi-access=free }}

Primarily due to the existence of numerous color forms across their ranges, the taxonomy and classification of red palm weevils has undergone a number of changes in understanding and circumscription. As such, the information in the literature should be viewed as a compilation of data which may apply to both species, depending primarily upon the biogeography. The most recent genus-level revision in 1966Wattanapongsiri, A. 1966. A revision of the genera Rhynchophorus and Dynamis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Department of Agriculture Science Bulletin 1: 1-328 recognized two species of red palm weevils, ferrugineus and vulneratus, and for decades these were interpreted as separate taxa. A genetic study in 2004Hallett, R.H., Crespi, B.J., Borden, J.H. 2004. Synonymy of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), 1790 and R. vulneratus (Panzer), 1798 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Rhynchophorinae). J. Nat. Hist. 38:2863-2882 concluded that vulneratus was not distinct from ferrugineus, and treated them as synonyms, a view that was accepted until 2013, when yet another genetic study{{cite journal |title=The Lesser of Two Weevils: Molecular-Genetics of Pest Palm Weevil Populations Confirm Rhynchophorus vulneratus (Panzer 1798) as a Valid Species Distinct from R. ferrugineus (Olivier 1790), and Reveal the Global Extent of Both |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=10 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0078379 |date=15 October 2013 |author1=Rugman-Jones, P.F. |author2=C.D. Hoddle |author3=M.S. Hoddle |author4=R. Stouthamer |pages=e78379 |pmid=24143263 |pmc=3797061 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...878379R |doi-access=free }} came to the opposite conclusion, based on more comprehensive geographic sampling. Accordingly, the "red palm weevil" species that appeared in the US was vulneratus rather than ferrugineus, though the latter is the invading species in all of the other global introductions.

Red palm weevils are reported to attack 19 palm species worldwide; due to the taxonomic confusion, it is unclear whether R. vulneratus and R. ferrugineus favor different hosts, though nearly all of the invasive populations known are of ferrugineus, so one of the only confirmed hosts for vulneratus outside of Asia is the Canary Island date palm, Phoenix canariensis.

File:Fried sago larvae dish in Sarawak.jpg, Malaysia]]

The larval grub is considered a delicacy in Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei,{{cite web|url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/food-documentary-showcases-bruneian-cuisines/|title=Food documentary showcases Bruneian cuisines|date=2 January 2019|accessdate=13 September 2019|archive-date=3 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103183832/https://borneobulletin.com.bn/food-documentary-showcases-bruneian-cuisines/|url-status=dead}} and Malaysian Borneo.{{cite book|author=Adam Leith Gollner|title=The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WaJBAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|date=11 June 2013|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4767-0499-9|pages=86–}}{{cite book|author=Tamara Thiessen|title=Borneo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfATCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA190|date=5 January 2016|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-915-5|pages=190–}} Sago grubs have been described as creamy tasting when raw, and like bacon or meat when cooked. They are often prepared with sago flour. The larvae are also eaten either raw or roasted in the Malaysian Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak, and regarded as a special high-nutrient meal among the natives there like the Kadazan-Dusun, Melanau and the Dayak.{{cite web|url=http://www.e-mjm.org/2012/v67n5/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy.pdf|title=Exotic Food Anaphylaxis and the Broken Heart: Sago Worm and Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy|author1=Kuan Leong Yew|author2=Victoria Shinq Ling Kok|publisher=Heart Centre, Sarawak General Hospital, Sarawak, Malaysia|year=2012|accessdate=7 October 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007151250/http://www.e-mjm.org/2012/v67n5/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy.pdf|archivedate=7 October 2016|url-status=dead}} In Sabah the dish is called butod.{{cite web|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/09/03/magahavat-celebrating-sago/|title=Magahavat: Celebrating sago|author=Anna Vivienne|publisher=The Borneo Post|date=3 September 2012|accessdate=7 October 2016}}

In the Karo language of North Sumatra, {{lang|btx|kidu}} refers to the wood-eating larvae of Rhynchophorus vulneratus, historically misidentified as a related beetle, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus.{{cite journal |last1=Hasairin |first1=Ashar |last2=Nasution |first2=Aswarina |issn= 2722-0257 |title=Kajian Etnobiologi Terites dan Kidu-Kidu Makanan Budaya Suku Batak Karo di Sumatera Utara |journal=Journal of Tropical Ethnobotany |date=1 April 2021 |pages=29–33 |url=http://jte.pmei.or.id/index.php/jte/article/view/118/92 |access-date=11 July 2022}} The larvae are typically harvested from sugar palm, and are eaten, either raw or deep-fried, sometimes served in arsik sauce.{{cite web |author=Charly Silaban, www.jeefuu.net |url=http://www.silaban.net/2008/04/01/kidu-si-ulat-enau |title=Kidu, Si Ulat Enau · Silaban Brotherhood |publisher=Silaban.net |date= |accessdate=2019-06-19 |archive-date=2019-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104070223/http://www.silaban.net/2008/04/01/kidu-si-ulat-enau/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/food/batak-karo-extremes-in-cuisine/315340 |title=Batak Karo, Extremes in Cuisine - the Jakarta Globe |access-date=2010-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706215543/http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/food/batak-karo-extremes-in-cuisine/315340 |archive-date=2010-07-06 |url-status=dead }}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Wikispecies|Rhynchophorus vulneratus|Rhynchophorus vulneratus}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q28946571}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhynchophorus vulneratus}}

Category:Dryophthorinae

Category:Beetles of Asia

Category:Agricultural pest insects

Category:Beetles described in 1798