Chemical variability and leaf damage among lychee varieties, host of the Sri Lanka weevil Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus Marshall

The Sri Lanka weevil Myllocerus undercimpustulatus undatus Marshall is serious economic pest in India and Pakistan, affecting more than 20 crops including cotton. The weevil was first detected in South Florida in 2000, and since then, has spread into a dozen of counties, imposing high damages on the canopy of various ornamental and fruit trees. M. undecimpustulatus is an opportunistic pest that has been reported to attack more than 80 host species at its adult stage. Due to the large number of host plants, this weevil has demonstrated the potential of becoming a wide spread invasive species. Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus’s damages are particularly visible on lychee, Litchi chinensis (Sapindales: Sapindaceae),  trees commonly found in South Florida. In this study, we correlated the levels of damage to the canopies among various lychee varieties with leaf chemistry to better understand host choice by these adult weevil.