A new Hispid Beetle injurious to the Oil Palm in the Gold Coast
TL;DR: Examination of specimens of a beetle belonging to the subfamily Hispinae of the Chrysomelidae, which is reported to be injurious to oil palms in the Gold Coast, indicates that the extent of damage is considerable when the insect becomes numerous.
Abstract: Through the courtesy of Dr. G. A. K. Marshall I have had the opportunity of examining specimens of a beetle belonging to the subfamily Hispinae of the Chrysomelidae , which is reported to be injurious to oil palms ( Elaeis guineensis , Jacq.) in the Gold Coast. Concerning this insect Mr. W. H. Patterson, Government Entomologist in the Gold Coast, writers as follows:—“The beetle has suddenly become a pest, being reported as having destroyed all the expanded foliage of many thousands oil palms in one district. A similar epidemic occurred in 1909, but entirely disappeared during the following rainy season, since which time the beetle has been very rare”. From this it would appear that the extent of damage is considerable when the insect becomes numerous. Although Mr. Patterson does not indicate the nature of the damage there is no doubt that the larvae mine into the young shoots and the adults defoliate the young leaves. In a recent work (Hispinae and Cassidinae, Fauna of Brit. Ind., London 1919, pp. 10–18) I have reviewed all the Hispid pests of plants useful to man. Only two African Hispids have hitherto been noted as harmful, and these attack maize in East Africa.
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01 Jan 2007TL;DR: The biological account and phylogenetic results provide an opportunity for identifying some general trends and major innovations in the evolutionary history of Cassidinae.
Abstract: A parsimony analysis was undertaken to test subfamily and tribal group concepts of Cassidinae (ca. 2000 genera, ca. 6000 species). An integrated account of their biology was synthesized from the primary literature. A detailed morphological study of adults, using Hemisphaerota palmarum Boheman as a model, formed the basis for evaluating characters previously utilized and for defining novel characters. The data matrix comprised 210 characters (from adults and immature stages, ecology and behavior), 6 outgroups, and 98 ingroup exemplar species (representing 94 genera and 39 of the 43 recognized cassidine tribes). Results support the monophyly of Cassidinae and place it as sister to Galerucinae. The classical Hispinae s.str. is paraphyletic whereas the classical Cassidinae s.str. is monophyletic if some Imatidiine genera are included. Four tribes—Aproidini, Delocraniini, Hemisphaerotini, and Notosacanthini—are well supported by many autapomorphies. Multiple genera were sampled to test the monophyly o...
129 citations
TL;DR: The bull beetle is a member of the genus Coelaenomenodera (family Hispidae) and was described under the specific name elaeidis (Bull. Ent. Res., x, p. 171) as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Oil palms in parts of the oil palm belt in the Gold Coast Colony have suffered at intervals from the attacks of a leaf-mining beetle. Specimens of the adult beetle and full-grown larva were sent by Mr. W. H. Patterson, Government Entomologist to the Gold Coast, to the Imperial Bureau of Entomology in 1920. These were determined by Mr. S. Maulik as a new species of the genus Coelaenomenodera (family Hispidae) and described under the specific name elaeidis (Bull. Ent. Res., x, p. 171). This species is indigenous to the West Coast of Africa, and hitherto has not been recorded outside the Gold Coast, but no doubt occurs throughout the West Coast oil palm belt. According to Mr. Maulik, 32 species of this genus are known, of which four only are recorded from Africa, the remainder being from Madagascar.
13 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that leaf miner parasites were either rare or missing, and that the fauna of the Crematogaster species was very poor, leading to the conclusion that the natural enemies of the pest were under pressure of insecticides.
Abstract: Coelaenomenodera minuta Uhlmann is one of the major pests of the oil palm, Elaeis gulneensis Jacq, in West and Central Africa. An epidemic by this leaf miner pest reduces oil palm yields by as much as 30%. A leaf miner outbreak on oil palms at Lobe (Cameroon) was first recorded in 1972. Since then over $US200 000 were spent annually on insecticides to eradicate the pest, but it was never brought under permanent control. Results indicate that leaf miner parasites were either rare or missing, and that the fauna of the Crematogaster species was very poor. These findings led to the conclusion that the natural enemies of the pest were under pressure of insecticides. The deployment of Crematogaster species led to a decline of the leaf miner pest population in all treated fields. The reduction in the pest population was mainly due to the destruction of the larval galleries resulting in the exposure of larvae to unfavourable temperatures, heavy rains and attacks by parasites and predators. A system for m...
12 citations
TL;DR: Members of the Old World hispine tribe, Coelaenomenoderini, are documented on host plants of Arecaceae, Cyperaceae, and Zingiberales and the potential of Javeta pallida as a pest of date palm in India is discussed.
Abstract: Members of the Old World hispine tribe, Coelaenomenoderini, are documented on host plants of Arecaceae, Cyperaceae, and Zingiberales. A few species are renowned pests of oil palm, especially in Africa. The host plants and natural history of Javeta pallida Baly, 1858, the only Indian species of the tribe, is reported for the first time. These beetles can densely infest indigenous wild date palms, Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb. (Arecaceae), and also use the introduced date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., which is an expanding crop in India. Javeta females lay single eggs and cover each with an ootheca. All larval stages mine the leaves and pupation occurs within the larval mine. Adults are exophagous, leaving linear feeding trenches. Natural and induced infestations of Javeta pallida on these two palms were observed and the potential of Javeta pallida as a pest of date palm in India is discussed. Javeta pallida completed development on Phoenix palms in 52-88 days (mean 66.38 days) with egg period 11-15 days (mean 12.8 days), larval period 21-54 days (mean 33.02 days) and pupal period 17-23 days (mean 20.52 days). Elasmus longiventris Verma and Hayat and Pediobius imbreus Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitize the larva and pupa of Javeta pallida.
12 citations
Cites background from "A new Hispid Beetle injurious to th..."
...The biology, life cycle and enemy complex are well-documented for C. (C.) elaeidis (see Maulik 1920; Cotterell 1925; Waterston 1925; Cachan 1957; Morin and Mariau 1970, 1971, 1974; Mariau and Morin 1971, 1972, 1974; Mariau 1976, 1999; Mariau et al. 1978; Bernon and Graves 1979; Philippe et al. 1979; Mariau and Philippe 1983; Philippe 1990; Timti 1991; Mariau et al. 1999a), Coelaenomenodera (Coelaenomenodera) lameensis Berti and Mariau (see Berti and Mariau 1999; Mariau and Lecoustre 2000, 2004; Mariau 2001), Coelaenomenodera (Coelaenomenodera) perrieri Fairmaire (Mariau 1988, 2001; Lecoustre et al. 1980), and Coelaenomenodera (Coelaenomenodera) speciosa Gestro (Uhmann 1961; Santiago-Blay 2004)....
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...Maulik S (1919) Hispinae and Cassidinae of India, Burma and Ceylon....
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...Coelaenomenodera Maulik is by far the best-known genus because three species are significant pests of oil palm in Africa and have received much research attention, especially by the French agro-entomologist, Dominique Mariau....
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...Taylor & Francis, London, 439 pp. Maulik S (1920) A new hispid beetle injurious to the oil palm in the Gold Coast....
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...Mariau and colleagues intensely studied C. (C.) elaeidis Maulik for over 10 years as it was considered the most important pest of oil palm in West Africa (Morin and Mariau 1970)....
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TL;DR: Fecundity increased with temperature, but other climatic factors were also important, with air saturation deficit playing a decisive role, and a highly significant correlation was established between the latter and fecundity.
Abstract: Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti et Mariau (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Hispinae), mineur des feuilles, est le principal ravageur du palmier a huile en Afrique. L'etude des variations, dans l'espace et dans le temps, de la fecondite a ete conduite sur 7 plantations de Cote d'Ivoire et sur 19 sites. Les fluctuations de la fecondite, qui peut varier de pres de 300 oeufs a quelques unites par periode de 90 jours, sont tres comparables sur divers sites d'une meme plantation ainsi que sur les sites de plantations differentes meme tres eloignees les unes des autres. La fecondite augmente avec la temperature mais d'autres parametres climatiques sont egalement importants, le deficit de saturation de l'air jouant un role determinant. Plus l'air est sec, plus la fecondite est faible, celle-ci pouvantdevenir presque nulle. Le degre de saturation de l'air ayant une grande action sur l'ouverture stomatique, on a pu etablir une correlation tres significative entre ce test et la fecondite. L'alimentation des larves et des adultes peut influer egalement sur la fecondite qui apparait etre tres variable en fonction de la teneur des feuilles en potassium. (Resume d'auteur)
6 citations