Abstract

This article discusses a case of failed introduction of Sphenophorus cf. parumpunctatus Gyllenhal, 1838 into Germany via the intra-European plant trade. A living specimen was discovered in Marburg, Germany, while planting rhizomes of Typha that were imported from Hungary via the Netherlands. It is possible that the specimen was feeding in the rhizomes as a larva, but conclusive evidence for Typha as a host plant of Sphenophorus in Europe is lacking. The species Sphenophorus parumpunctatus and S. piceus (Pallas, 1771) are poorly delimited and in need of revision.

Keywords

Curculionidae, Dryophthorinae, Typha, Invasion biology, host plant, human-mediated species displacement, horticultural imports, faunistics, Hungary.

Fulltext

Sphenophorus cf. parumpunctatus: A case of failed introduction into Germany via the intra-European plant trade