![]() ![]() ![]() Males and females have been seen in the same tunnel in the crown of a coconut, but it is the male alone that is seen most commonly.Ĭontrol of Scapanes is difficult as they can cause substantial damage even though the numbers of adult beetles per hectare is relatively low.Īs Waterhouse and Norris say in Biological Control Pacific Prospects, "Scapanes is not an attractive target for biological control". Males are horned (Photo 3) while females have small double horns on their heads. Adults are black, 4-6 cm long, and are strong fliers. As the larvae grow, they moult twice, reaching 10 cm in length and 2 cm wide, before pupating at about 9 months. Breeding sites have also been found in old nests of megapodes, when these were near breadfruit trees.Įggs hatch after about 30 days producing C-shaped larvae (Photo 2), with heads of reddish-brown to brown. In Papua New Guinea, breeding sites occur in cocoa and coconut plantations associated with rotting stumps of shade tree (e.g., Gliricidia sepium). ![]() The eggs are creamy-white, about 5 mm long and 3 mm diameter, laid singly in soil near rotting logs or other decaying matter that provides food for the larvae. The damage allows entry of other organisms: termites and, especially, Rhynchophorus weevils. If the growing point is damaged, the palms die. The emerging fronds show V-shaped cuts, twisting, spiraling and truncated leaflets. Damage to coconuts is considerable, especially up to 5 years' old. The adults bore into crowns of coconut, oil palm, betel nut, and other palm species, as well as pseudostems of bananas (Photo 1). ![]()
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