Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Coconut rhinoceros beetle – oryctes (108)

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Photo 1. Characteristic damage done by the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, showing V or wedge-shaped sections missing from the fronds eaten by the adults as they tunnel into the crowns of mature palms. (Solomon Islands)

Photo 2. Severe damage to young fronds by adult coconut rhinoceros beetle, Orytes rhinoceros. (Palau)

Photo 3. The damage from Orytes rhinoceros in Solomon Islands is so severe that palms are dying from the attack. 

Samari

  • Disfala bitol i stap finis long South an Southeast Asia wetem Oceania. Hemi stap plande taem long kokonat, bata hemi save stap an kaikai tu long narafala palm tri olsem bilnat, sago pam, oel pam, banana, pandanas, sukaken an fen tri.  Hem wanfala impoten pest.
  • Adult bitol save flae lo naet, mekem hol go insaet lo kraon blong pam, an spoelem olketa niu lif. Fasin wea disfala bitol hemi kakai an spoelem kokonut or nara pam tri hem barava no haed an isi tumas fo luk save.
  • Lokol kontrol: Katem smol smol olketa log wea i stap insaed long plantesin an bonem go go hemi finis, iu mas plandem tu olketa legume wea save krol antap graon long barik blo iu fo haedem roten log or rabis an helpem olketa fo roten kuiktaem. Iu save hipim up olketa lif, gras an samfala rabis fo mekem kompos. Tanem raon an luluk insaed sodust, an olketa roten hip blong kompos an faendem wom blong disfala bitol an den u kilim dae. Iu save usim wire fo pokem go insaet olketa hol long kraon blong kokonat fo kilim dae adalt bitol wea hemi save haed insaed.
  • Biopesticides: Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (kasholem and relisim adult), Metarhizium anisopliae(putim insaet long breeding sites).  Note, wanfala new fom blong OrNV i stap long Guam, Palau, Papua New Guinea an Solomon Islands).
  • Kemikol kontrol: Hem barava had fo usim kemikol fo spreim bikos praes blong hem hae an olketa betol stap long antap an hemi no isi fo faendem. Samfala ples olketa bin faendem aot tu dat wanfala pheromone nao olketa save usim fo kontrol an katem daom population blong bitol.

Komon nem: Coconut rhinoceros beetle

Saentifik nem: Oryctes rhinoceros. Umi garem tu samfala bitol wea olketa kolsap sem sem olsem diswan long olketa Pacific Islands blong iumi.

Photo 4. Close up of  characteristic shape of fronds eaten by adult coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros. (Palau)

Photo 5. Holes made by adult coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, in the base of fronds. Presumably, the holes were made when the leaves were much younger as the beetle tunnelled into the crown of the palm. (Palau)

Photo 6. Larvae of coconut rhinoceros beetle, Orytes rhinoceros, in a rotten coconut trunk. A favourite breeding site, especially in still standing but decaying palms (Fiji).

Photo 7. Larvae of coconut rhinoceros beetle, Orytes rhinoceros, under a log of unknown tree species.

Photo 8. Close-up of the larva of a coconut rhinoceros beetle, Orytes rhinoceros. Note that the C-shape grubs or larvae grow up to 100 mm.

Photo 9. The adult is jet-black, up to 40 mm long with a prominent horn. Both male and female beetles vary in size, and size cannot be used to distinguish the sexes.

Photo 10. Close-up of the head end of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros. Male (right), female (left).

Photo 11. Underside of adult coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, to show the fuzzy group of hairs at the rear end of the female (left) compared to the male (right).

Photo 12. Close-up of the hind end of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros. Female, with abundant hairs at the tip (left); male (right).

Photo 13. The grub or larva of a coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, infected by the fungus Metarhizium (Guam). The green areas are where the fungus is sporulating.

Photo 14. Trapping coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros. Breeding sites are heaps of old fronds or other organic matter; they are covered by a gill net, and the beetles get caught in the mesh when entering or leaving the heaps.

Photo 15. Bucket traps for coconut rhinoceros beetles, Oyctes rhinoceros, with chicken-wire covers and pheromone (Fiji).

Photo 16. Bucket traps for coconut rhinoceros beetles, Oyctes rhinoceros, placed above ground. About 2 m above ground is ideal.

Photo 17. Bucket trap with catch of coconut rhinoceros beetles, Oryctes rhinoceros.

Photo 18. An artificial breeding site inoculated with spores of Metarhizium anisopliae, in order to infect larvae of the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros (Fiji).

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