Rhynchites auratus (Scopoli, 1763)
on woody Rosaceae
parasite
Adult beetles feed in spring on flower buds and young fruits. A female produces 60-140 eggs. Each one is deposited singly in a wound she has bitten in a young fruit. The larva feeds on de the developing seed. Contrary to Involvulus cupreus the fruit stalk is left undamaged. The full grown larva exits and drops to the ground for the pupation.
host plants
Rosaceae-Amygdaloideae, oligophagous
Crataegus; Malus; Prunus avium, cerasus, domestica, spinosa; Pyrus.
Mainly on Prunus spp.
phenology
Univoltine; hibernation as imago, but part of the larvae enters diapause before pupation, for the time of one year.
distribution within Europe
synonyms
Epirhynchites auratus.
references
Avgın & Colonnelli (2011a), Colonnelli, Osella & Cornacchia (2011a), Dieckmann (1974a), Rheinheimer & Hassler (2010a), Yunakov, Nazarenko, Filimonov & Volovnik (2018a).