Micro-CT to document the coffee bean weevil, araecerus fasciculatus (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), inside field-collected coffee berries (Coffea canephora)

Authors: ALBA-ALEJANDRE, IGNACIO - Universidad De Granada; ALBA-TERCEDOR, JAVIER - Universidad De Granada; Vega, Fernando

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/9/2018
Publication Date: 8/14/2018
Citation: Alba-Alejandre, I., Alba-Tercedor, J., Vega, F.E. 2018. Micro-CT to document the coffee bean weevil, araecerus fasciculatus (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), inside field-collected coffee berries (Coffea canephora). Insects. 9(3):100.

Interpretive Summary: The coffee bean weevil is a worldwide pest of stored products, including stored coffee. Increased knowledge on the basic biology of the coffee bean weevil can result in new insights on how to reduce damage caused by the insect. We report on the use of an x-ray imaging technique known as micro-computerized tomography to observe the coffee bean weevil inside coffee berries. This information will be of use to coffee scientists, entomologists, and the coffee industry.

Technical Abstract: The coffee bean weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), is a cosmopolitan insect with more than 100 hosts, and has been reported as a pest of stored coffee. During a study involving the coffee berry borer, we observed coffee bean weevils emerging from field-collected coffee berries and used micro-computerized tomography (micro-CT) scans to observe the insect inside the berry. Two eggs had eclosed inside the berry, resulting in observations of a newly eclosed adult beetle and a larva, each feeding on one of the two seeds. This is the first time since 1775, when the insect was first described, that the insect has been observed inside a coffee berry.