Fauna
Insect

Plum Curculio

Conotrachelus nenuphar

Plum curculios are cryptic snout beetles renowned for their mottled, bark-like camouflage and distinctive humpbacked silhouettes. Females cut unmistakable crescent-shaped slits into the skin of developing fruit to deposit a single egg, a behavior that halts tissue growth and creates protective cavities for hatching grubs. When alarmed, adults abruptly tuck their legs and drop from branches to the leaf litter below, feigning death until danger passes.

HerbivorousCamouflagedAgricultural Pest
Plum Curculio reference1 / 7
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—observations
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyDomestic plum, Sweet cherry, Cultivated apple
Predators
  • Ground beetles
  • Ants
  • Parasitoid wasps
ThreatsTargeted pesticide applications, entomopathogenic nematodes, and habitat clearing
HabitatsDeciduous woodlands, abandoned orchards, and commercial fruit groves
Life span10–14 months
Classification
  1. OrderColeoptera
  2. FamilyCurculionidae
  3. GenusConotrachelus
  4. SpeciesConotrachelus nenuphar
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Jarring branches: Place a white sheet beneath low limbs and tap branches firmly to dislodge camouflaged adults.
  • Inspection: Look for distinctive crescent scars on young fruit surfaces in late spring.
Related species
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