Dock Leaf Weevil vs Spotted Wing Drosophila

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Dock Leaf Weevil	Spotted Wing Drosophila
Scientific Name	Rhinoncus pericarpius	Drosophila suzukii
Order	Coleoptera	Diptera
Family	Curculionidae	Drosophilidae
Size	2.5-3.5 mm	2-3 mm
Habitat	Farmland	Farmland
Diet	Leaf Miners	Fruit Feeders
Regions	Europe	Asia, worldwide (invasive)
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Dock Leaf Weevil

A small grey-brown weevil found on dock and sorrel plants. Larvae mine inside dock stems. One of several weevil species associated with dock plants.

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Did You Know?

Part of a community of six or more weevil species that share dock plants, each exploiting a different plant part.

Spotted Wing Drosophila

An invasive fruit fly from East Asia with a saw-like ovipositor that lets it lay eggs in ripening (not rotten) fruit — devastating soft fruit crops worldwide since its spread in 2008.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most fruit flies that only attack rotting fruit, this species cuts into perfectly ripe fruit with its serrated ovipositor — causing billions in crop damage globally.