Adults are elongated, 3–4 mm long, a mottled brown, and have long snouts. Adults emerge in spring and feed on hydrilla stems and leaves exposed by receding waters. Females lay up to 230 eggs singly on emerged or drying hydrilla stems, tubers, moist wood, or soil. Eggs are white and oval. Larvae are C-shaped, white with brown head capsules, and up to 5 mm long. Larvae crawl through sediment searching for hydrilla tubers, then feed on or within tubers and develop through three instars. Pupation typically occurs within tubers. There are possibly 2–3 generations per year in the native range. Adults overwinter in soil or among stranded hydrilla stems.