Coleoptera (beetles) of the British Indian Ocean Territory

Aderus

Aderus is a genus of leaf beetles of the family Aderidae that resemble ants. The genus was named by John Obadiah Westwood in 1829.

Dried Fruit Beetle

Carpophilus hemipterus, the dried-fruit beetle, is a species of sap-feeding beetle in the family Nitidulidae. It is found in North America and Oceania.

Cheilomenes sexmaculata is a species of ladybird. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781. It is well known as a predator of aphids and other small insects. Although sometimes known by the common name of six-spotted zigzag ladybird, this is misleading as there are several colour morphs and some colour morphs of the species can be confused with Micraspis ...more ↓

Chilocorus nigritus

Chilocorus nigritus (often misspelled as nigrita), sometimes referred to as the Malaysian ladybird beetle, is a species of lady beetle in the family Coccinellidae. It is native to SE Asia, but has been introduced for use in biological pest control in Hawaii and Europe.

Small Transverse Ladybird Beetle

Coccinella transversalis, commonly known as the transverse ladybird or transverse lady beetle is a species of ladybird beetle found from India across southern and southeastern Asia to Malesia and Australia. It is not to be confused with Coccinella transversoguttata, a widespread species in Europe and North America also known as the transverse ladybird. The ...more ↓

Colasposoma rugiceps

Coptops aedificator

The Albizia Long-horned Beetle (Coptops aedificator) is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1792, originally under the genus Lamia. It is known from Djibouti, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Oman, Gabon, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the Ivory Coast, ...more ↓

Cratopus adspersus

Cryptamorpha

Cryptamorpha is a widespread genus of beetles in the family Silvanidae, which has not been revised taxonomically. The best known species is Cryptamorpha desjardinsi. The most recently described species is Cryptamorpha triregia, from the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand.

Cybocephalus

Cybocephalus is a genus of beetles in the family Cybocephalidae, previously belonging to the subfamily Cybocephalinae of the family Nitidulidae.

Lesser Coconut Weevil

Diocalandra frumenti, commonly known as the palm weevil borer, the lesser coconut weevil,^[3] or four-spotted coconut weevil,^[4] is a species of

...more ↓

Diocalandra frumenti, commonly known as the palm weevil borer, the lesser coconut weevil,^[3] or four-spotted coconut weevil,^[4] is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It occurs in Africa, Southern Asia and Northern Australia, and is a pest of coconut and other palm trees.

Distribution

Diocalandra frumenti is found in Somalia, Tanzania, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Mauritius, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, various Pacific island groups and Australia. It has also been recorded in the Canary Islands.^[5]^[6] Although infesting a number of species of palm, it is a major pest of coconut (Cocos nucifera), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) and Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta).^[7]

Life cycle

The adult Diocalandra frumenti is about 7 mm (0.3 in) long. It is a glossy black colour with four large rusty-brown or blackish-brown coloured spots on the elytra (wing covers}. The female lays eggs in crevices in the stems of palms which hatch in about a week. The larvae bore into the stem where they form extensive galleries. After eight to ten weeks they pupate, the adult emerging from the pupal case about eleven days later.^[8]

Damage

Eggs may be laid among the flowers, in cracks in the leaf or flower stalks, or near the base of the stem just above the adventitious roots. As the larvae bore deeper into the palm, a gummy exudate forms in the entry hole. The galleries can damage any part of the palm including the roots. Leaves may turn yellow and fruit may drop off, and severe infestations may cause the plant to die.^[8] It has been found that the males emit a pheromone which attract females, and this may make it possible to trap the insects, which are strong fliers, and reduce the level of infestation. The weevil has a number of natural enemies including a parasite Spathius apicalis, a predatory fly Chrysophilus ferruginosus and a predatory beetle Plaesius javanus.^[9]

References

^ Global Biodiversity Information Facility: Diocalandra frumenti Marshall & G.A.K., 1931 (retrieved 9 January 2020)
^ "Diocalandra frumenti (Fabricius, 1801): lesser coconut weevil". Discover Life. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
^ "Diocalandra frumenti (palm weevil borer)". UniProt. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
^ Vacas, S.; Navarro, I.; Seris, E.; Ramos, C.; Hernández, E.; Navarro-Llopis, V.; Primo, J. (2017). "Identification of the Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromone of the Four-Spotted Coconut Weevil, Diocalandra frumenti". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 65 (2): 270–275. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.6b04829. hdl:10251/101790.
^ "Diocalandra frumenti: distribution". EPPO Global Database. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
^ Lu Xiu-xia (2003). "The dangerous palm weevil borer, Diocalandra frumenti (Fabricius), and its morphological differences with related species (Coleoptera:Curculionidae)". Forest Pest and Disease. 6.
^ "Diocalandra frumenti: hosts". EPPO Global Database. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
^ ^a ^b Howard, F.W.; Giblin-Davis, R.; Moore, D.; Abad, R. (2001). Insects on Palms. CABI. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-85199-705-6.
^ Lever, R.J. (1969). Pests of the Coconut Palm. FAO. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-92-5-100857-7.

less ↑

Euxestus erithacus

Euxestus erithacus is a species of well polished beetle in the family Euxestidae. It is found in North America, Oceania, and Europe.

Dusty Surface Beetles

Gonocephalum is a genus of darkling beetles in the family Tenebrionidae.

Hypothenemus

Hypothenemus hampei

Hypothenemus is a genus of oriental bark beetles in the family ...more ↓

Inopeplus

Myllocerus dentifer

Myllocerus dentifer, is a species of weevil found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Redlegged Ham Beetle

The red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes is a species of predatory beetle, in the family Cleridae, with a cosmopolitan distribution, first described by De Geer in 1775.

Ocholissa

Pentarthrum

Pentarthrum is a genus of beetle in family Curculionidae. It contains about 70 species of mainly tropical distribution.

...more ↓

Platynaspis capicola

Psammoecus

Psammoecus is a genus of beetles in the family Silvanidae, containing the following species:...

Scymnus nubilus

Scymnus (Scymnus) nubilus, is a species of lady beetle found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, China, and Asia Minor.

Stenotrupis

Mango Seed weevil

Sternochetus mangiferae is a weevil commonly known as the mango seed weevil, mango stone weevil, or mango weevil. It is a compact weevil typical of the Cryptorhynchinae. It was first described in 1775 in the genus Curculio. The adults are 7.5-9.5 mm long and 4 mm in width.

Subfamily Colydiinae

Colydiinae is a subfamily of beetles, commonly known as cylindrical bark beetles. They have been treated historically as a family Colydiidae, but have been moved into the Zopheridae, where they constitute the bulk of the diversity of the newly expanded family, with about 140 genera worldwide. They are diverse for example in the Australian region, from where about 35 ...more ↓

Trachypholis

Trochoideus desjardinsi

Trochoideus desjardinsi is a species of handsome fungus beetle in the family Endomychidae. It is found in Africa, North America, and Southern Asia.

Island Pinhole Borer

Xyleborus perforans, commonly known as island pinhole borer, is a species of weevil native in the Oriental region through to Australia but shows a cosmopolitan distribution due to introduction to many parts of the world.

...more ↓

Xyleborus perforans, commonly known as island pinhole borer, is a species of weevil native in the Oriental region through to Australia but shows a cosmopolitan distribution due to introduction to many parts of the world.^[1]

Distribution

The native range of the species include: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indonesia (Java, Maluku Islands, Sulawesi, Sumatra), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Australia.^[2]

It is introduced to many African, European and American countries particularly through timber and wood commodities. This exotic range includes: Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana. Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Cocos Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Maldives, Portugal, Spain, Canada, British Columbia, United States, Hawaii, American Samoa, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.^[2]

Description

Body length of the female ranges from 2.1 to 2.5 mm. Frons convex, and the entire surface is minutely reticulate with faint, shallow punctures. Pronotum sides are moderately arcuate whereas the anterior margin is broadly rounded, without serrations. Elytral apex is narrowly rounded. Elytral declivity is steep, and convex. There is a row of 4 to 5 small, acute granules found in elytral interspaces 1 and 3.^[3]

Biology & control

A highly polyphagous species, it is known from diverse array of host plants. Due to being a secondary borer, it is considered as a high-risk quarantine pest. They show inbreeding, where the males usually mating with their sisters within the parental gallery system before dispersal. It is particularly common in disturbed areas and flies mainly around dusk, and can be attracted to light in large numbers easily. Adults normally attacks stressed or recently felled trees, newly sawn timber, fire-damaged trees, and salvaged logs. Sometimes, they attack living trees particularly through injuries or diseased areas. However, there is no any attack observed in small shoots and twigs.^[4]^[5]

The gallery system consists of branching tunnels, without enlargements, and penetrate deeply into the wood. During severe attacks, the tunnels ranges from different broods which are intersect withothers. These tunnels are usually in one transverse plane and rarely in vertical galleries. The surface galleries also have been observed at the cambial level. The first eggs brood appear when the tunnel length is from 3–8 cm. Then the emerging larvae develop and pupate within the same gallery system. Both parent female and the larvae feed on the ambrosia fungus such as Ambrosiella which are growing on the walls of the galleries. The fungus is transmitted by the female in a mycangium. Duration of the egg stage is about 4 days, and the larval stage is about 7 to 9 days. Pupal stage is 4 days, where the total duration from egg to teneral adult is about 16 to 18 days. The first females of the new generation extend the gallery system, and begin to lay eggs before the parental female has died. Therefore, overlapping generations is common within a single cane stem.^[4]

Adults can be controlled naturally by the parasite Phymastichus xylebori and other natural predators such as lizards, clerid beetles and ants as they attempt to bore into the host tree. Immature stages are susceptible for both predators and parasitoids.^[4]

Host plants

References

^ "In vitro rearing and gallery tunnelling pattern of Island pinhole borer, Xyleborus perforans (Wollaston), a scolytid associated with pomegranate wilt complex" (PDF). CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 118, NO. 2, 25 JANUARY 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
^ ^a ^b "Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of , Xyleborus perforans (Wollaston 1857)". www.barkbeetles.info. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
^ "SE Asian Ambrosia Beetle ID: Fact sheet". idtools.org. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Xyleborus perforans (island pinhole borer)". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
^ "Knowledge Bank: Xyleborus perforans". www.plantwise.org. Retrieved 2021-09-07.

less ↑

Coleoptera (beetles) of the British Indian Ocean Territory

Contents

Distribution

Life cycle

Damage

References

Partial list of species

References

Contents

Distribution

Description

Biology & control

Host plants

References