Bug FAQSphenophorus coesifrons
Sphenophorus coesifrons · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Dryophthoridae
Source: Wikipedia
It lives from the northern states like Maryland and Wisconsin down to the Gulf Coast and Arizona, and it is native to North America. It is a serious pest of corn, destroying early plantings along the Gulf Coast.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It looks like the bluegrass billbug but can be told apart by its shorter, much heavier beak.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 0.25 to 0.312 inches in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It has been recorded destroying the first and second corn plantings along the Gulf Coast.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its natural food was unknown in 1924, though it was successfully reared on timothy grass in Illinois and Michigan. It is highly destructive to corn, especially on the Gulf Coast.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay eggs in late summer, and the larvae develop slowly, staying in that stage for at least five months in captivity. In the north its life cycle mirrors that of the bluegrass billbug, while in the south eggs are laid late summer or fall, letting the young overwinter as larvae, pupae, or adults.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Egg-laying occurs in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is a North American species.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It closely resembles the bluegrass billbug, but its beak is shorter and much heavier.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas.
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
What crops does the oblite billbug damage?
It is extremely destructive to corn, especially on the Gulf Coast, where it can wipe out early plantings.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell the oblite billbug apart from the bluegrass billbug?
Look for a shorter, much heavier beak; that distinguishes it from the bluegrass billbug.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Dryophthoridae)
Rice WeevilSitophilus oryzaeCan damage your home
Wheat WeevilSitophilus granariusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red Palm WeevilRhynchophorus ferrugineusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Hunting BillbugSphenophorus venatus
Cocklebur WeevilRhodobaenus quinquepunctatus
South American Palm WeevilRhynchophorus palmarumDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphenophorus_coesifrons
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.