[1][2] It is found in North America,[1] where the larvae tunnel in the stems of wild and cultivated sunflower plants.

The adult sunflower stem weevil is about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and a grayish-brown color with irregular whitish markings.

When ready to breed, the female chews a hole in the base of a sunflower stem and inserts a single egg, protecting it with frass.

The larva feeds inside the stem and when fully developed descends to the base of the plant and hollows out a chamber in the woody tissue.

[4] Where this weevil is present in association with the pathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, the stems may develop black streaking and the crop may be affected by a Fusarium solani collar rot.