hispine leaf beetle

Description:

The coconut hispine beetle, Brontispa longissima Gestro (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is one of the potentially most serious pests of coconut palms. Both larvae and adults of the beetle inhabit the developing, unopened leaves of the coconut palm where they feed on leaf tissues. Where an attack is severe, complete defoliation of the palms may result. Prolonged attack, particularly to palms that are young or suffering from poor growing conditions, may result in death of the tree. With other palms productivity is severely affected by sub-lethal attacks. Brontispa longissima is believed to be endemic to Indonesia and possibly also to Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. In the twentieth century the beetle was accidentally introduced in several other countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and as a result has now become widespread there. The pest however was not recorded from continental Southeast Asian countries until the late 1990s when it was first detected in the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam. Specialists suspect that this species was introduced into southern Viet Nam in shipments of ornamental palms. The pest spread rapidly northward and westward, causing significant losses to the coconut industry. The introduction of the beetle in Hainan Island in southern China, is believed to have occurred in a similar way with a shipment of ornamentals from the mainland or from Taiwan province. At around the same time, the pest was introduced into the Maldives. The pest was first noticed in Thailand in February 2004, and a few months later in Lao PDR and Myanmar. Singapore has also reported damage by the pest, but it is unclear if this is a new incursion. Although the pest has not yet been recorded from Cambodia, it is highly likely that the pest has reached these countries as well.

Habitat:

Always found on palm plants.