Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Metamasius hemipterus
Gorgojo, West Indian sugar cane borer, West Indian sugar cane weevil
Herbivore; agricultural area and humid forest zones; February–July; FIT. This species is common in rotting banana stalks, and it can cause economic loss to bananas, pineapple, and sugarcane.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Coleoptera
Suborder
Polyphaga
Superfamily
Curculionoidea
Family
Curculionidae
Section
Rhyncophorini
Genus
Metamasius
Species
hemipterus
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 1964
Mode of introduction: Accidental
Introduction Pathway: Contaminant
Subpathway: Contaminant on plants (inc. seeds and plant associated material)
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: Unlikely to become invasive
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Santa Cruz, Floreana, Isabela, San Cristóbal
- Peck, S.B. (1996) Origin and development of an insect fauna on a remote archipelago: The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. In: Keast A., Miller S.E. (eds.): The origin and evolution of Pacific Island biotas, New Guinea to eastern Polynesia: patterns and processes. SPB Academic Publishing, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, p. 91-122.
- Peck, S.B. Kukalová-Peck, J. (1990) Origin and biogeography of the beetles (Coleoptera) of the Galápagos Archipelago, Ecuador. Can. J. Zool. 68(8): 1617-1638.
- Peck, S.B. Heraty, J., Landry, B. & Sinclair, B.J. (1998) Introduced insect fauna of an oceanic archipelago: The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Am. Entomol. 44: 218-237.
- Peck, S.B. (2006) The Beetles of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity (Insecta: Coleoptera) NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 314 pp.
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This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Metamasius hemipterus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=6629. Accessed 3 November 2026.