Bug FAQEucalyptus snout beetle
Gonipterus platensis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Curculionidae
Also called: eucalyptus weevil
Source: Wikipedia
The gum tree weevil is about 13 mm long and has a grey-brown body with a light transverse band. It feeds on the leaves and soft bark of eucalyptus trees, and heavy infestations can kill shoots, branches, or whole trees. It is native to Australia, where eucalyptus trees originate.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are greyish-brown with a light coloured band across the body.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about thirteen millimetres in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In Australia it causes little economic damage because natural enemies keep it in check. Where eucalyptus is introduced, heavy infestations cause die-back of shoots, epicormic growth, and can kill branches or whole trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
The egg-parasitic wasp Anaphes nitens has been released in some countries to biologically control the weevil.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives on and breeds in eucalyptus trees, the only known host.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults eat eucalyptus leaves and the soft bark of twigs; larvae feed mainly on leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Because of past taxonomic confusion, scientists find it hard to pin down its exact life-cycle details.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is endemic to Australia, the native range of eucalyptus.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is easily confused with Gonipterus gibberus, G. pulverulentus and G. scutellatus, which share the same common name.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Hawaii.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I control gum tree weevils?
Introducing the egg-parasitic wasp Anaphes nitens has been used as a biological control method.
Source: Wikipedia
What trees does the gum tree weevil attack?
It attacks only eucalyptus trees, feeding on their leaves and soft bark.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the gum tree weevil look like?
Adults are greyish-brown with a light transverse band across the body.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Curculionidae)
Green Immigrant Leaf WeevilPolydrusus formosusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black Vine WeevilOtiorhynchus sulcatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Nettle weevilPhyllobius pomaceusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Asian Oak WeevilCyrtepistomus castaneusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Strawberry Root WeevilOtiorhynchus ovatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Leaf WeevilPhyllobius pyriDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonipterus_platensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.