An invasive pest Brontispa longissima (Gestro) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) attacks an endemic palm in the Yaeyama Islands, Japan

Keiji Takasu, Shun Ichiro Takano, Kazuhiko Konishi, Satoshi Nakamura

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The coconut hispine beetle Brontispa longissima (Gestro) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is considered native to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and it has been established and causing serious leaf damages on Cocos nucifera (L.) in Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Although this insect was found on only C. nucifera in the Yaeyama Islands, Japan in the 1980s, it was unknown whether it had established in the islands and whether it attacked the endemic palm Satakentia liukiuensis (Hatusima) H. E. Moore. We conducted field surveys in the Yaeyama Islands in 2007 to 2009 to determine whether B. longissima causes serious damages on S. liukiuensis in the islands. Although B. longissima infested leaves of the young trees in most nurseries or roadsides on Ishigaki, Iriomote and Kohama islands, no serious damage was observed on wild mature trees of the S. liukiuensis communities, which are protected as national natural monuments. All the developmental stages of B. longissima were found in November 2008 and May 2009. The present study first shows that B. longissima is common and attacks the endemic palm S. liukiuensis as a main host in the Yaeyama Islands where C. nucifera is very rare.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-144
Number of pages8
JournalApplied Entomology and Zoology
Volume45
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2010

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Insect Science

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