adult feeding sites facts to remember behavior &...
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Behavior & BiologyCoconut Rhinoceros Beetle
Adult Feeding Sites• Adultsfeedonlivingpalmtreesfortheirsweetsapintheheart.
• Leaves are damaged as a result of adultsburrowing past new emerging leaves in thecrown.
Adult Breeding Sites• Afterfeeding,adultswillseeksitestobreed.• Females lay their eggs in dead standingcoconut trees, and other decaying organicmatter.
• Grubs will spend their whole life-cycle inorganicmatter.
• Alllifestagescanbefoundinthesebreedingsites.
Facts to Remember• Alllifestagescanbefoundinbreedingsites.• Grubsarebeneficialinbreakingdownorganicmatterforcompost.
• AdultbeetlesaretheONLYonesthatfeedandcausedamagetopalmtrees.
• GrubsDO NOTfeedonlivepalmtrees.• Someadultslayeggsontreetopsandgrubsfeedindeadorganicmatteratthebaseofthefronds.
• Adults feed on the sap of palm trees anddamageemergingleavesastheyboreintotheheartofthetree.
For More InformationCoconutRhinocerosBeetleProgramCollegeofNatural&AppliedSciencesAgricultureandLifeScienceBuildingRm.105UniversityofGuamUOGStationMangilao,Guam96923Phone:(671)735-2085/0Fax:(671)734-1244
www.cnas-re.uog.edu
PreparedbyIanIriarte,RolandQuitugua,OlympiaTerral,AubreyMoore,andMarianaSanders.LastUpdatedSeptember14,2015.
This publication ismade possible through a grant from the USDAForestService.
Scientific NameOryctesrhinoceros
Common NamesAsiaticRhinocerosBeetleCoconutRhinocerosBeetle
Where are they from?TheCoconutRhinocerosBeetle(CRB)isnativetoSoutheastAsia,primarilyinIndonesiaandthePhilippines.During thepast century, theyhavebeen introduced intomany Pacific Islands likeFiji, Palau, Samoa, and Tonga because of theincreaseinairandseatrade.Itwasfirstdetectedin Tumon, Guam in 2007 andOahu, Hawaii in2013.
How did they get here?Itisstillunknown,however,itwasmorelikelybroughtinbyshippingcontainerholdingconstructionmaterials.
Life CycleThebeetlehasfourlifestages:egg,larvae,pupa,and adult (Figure 3). The female rhino beetlelaysabout100eggs(inherlifetime)indecayingorganic matter. Once hatched, the grubs feedonorganicmatter,helpingtobreakitdownintocompost. After about 60 days, grubs begin topupateandtransformintoanadultbeetle.
Figure 3. Coconut rhinoceros beetle life cycle.
Instar Grubs• Liveinbreedingsiteswithingreenwastepilesorpilesofdecomposingmaterial.• Spendall of their timeeatingandproducingwasteinordertogrowanddevelop.• Growforabout2–3monthsfromafirst-instartoathird-instargrub.• Eachinstarstageisdeterminedbythesizeoftheirheadcapsulesratherthanbodysize.
Adult Beetles• Onetotwoinchesinlength,blacktoreddishblack in color with reddish hairs around thebody,andpossessasinglepredominanthorn.
• Adultsaretheonlyonesthatcausedamagetococonutandotherpalmstrees.
• Bore into trees using their horn and spikedlegstofeedonthesweetsapintheheartofthepalm.
• Arenocturnalandareactiveatsunset.• Canflyupto2milesatatime.• Onlyfeedfortwotothreedaysatatime.• After feeding theyexit the treeandflyoff tomateingreenwasteororganicmatterpiles.
Figure 1. Male coconut rhinoceros beetle.
Figure 2. Female coconut rhinoceros beetle.
Male or female? How can I tell?
Note. The amount of nutrition each beetleconsumesinthegrubstageoftheirlife-cycleplaysaroleinthebodyandhornsize.
Males• Usuallylargerhorn.• Littletonoreddish
hairsontheirposteriorends.
Females• Usuallysmallerhorn.• Posteriorendsfully
coveredinreddishhairs.