kids encyclopedia robot

Asiatic rhinoceros beetle facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Asiatic rhinoceros beetle
Oryctes nasicornis Thailand.jpg
Scientific classification
Genus:
Oryctes
Species:
rhinoceros
Synonyms 

Scarabaeus rhinoceros Linnaeus, 1758

The Asiatic rhinoceros beetle (also called the coconut rhinoceros beetle) is a type of rhinoceros beetle. It belongs to the Scarabaeidae family. This beetle attacks many kinds of palm trees. These include raffia, coconut, and oil palms. It lives in tropical Asia and many Pacific islands.

When the beetle attacks a palm, its leaves (called fronds) show special triangular cuts. The beetle can kill palms, especially new ones. This happens when it eats the growing part of the palm. These beetles also live in dead tree trunks.

About the Rhinoceros Beetle

This large beetle is usually 33 to 40 millimeters long. Adult beetles are dark brown or black. Their backs are shiny. They have a big horn on their head. Male beetles have longer horns than females. Males also have a rounded, shiny end to their body. Females have a slightly hairier "tail." There are two small bumps on the beetle's chest area.

Beetle Eggs

Female beetles lay yellowish-white, oval eggs. Each egg is about 3 millimeters wide. They usually lay eggs in rotting plants. After one week, the eggs get bigger. They hatch into larvae in about 11 to 13 days.

Beetle Larvae (Grubs)

The baby beetles are called grubs. They are yellowish-white. They grow through three stages before becoming a pupa. In their last stage, grubs can be 60 to 100 millimeters long. Their head is dark brown and has many small, round dents. It also has tiny hairs. The breathing holes on their chest are larger than those on their belly.

Beetle Pupae

The pupa stage is like a cocoon for the beetle. The pupa is yellowish-brown and about 50 millimeters long. It has horn-shaped bumps on its front.

Why This Beetle is Important

Oryctes rhinoceros beetles are nocturnal. This means they are active at night.

In 1964, these beetles accidentally arrived in some new places. This caused a big problem. The United Nations created a special fund to help. This fund aimed to get rid of the rhinoceros beetle in the South Pacific. Countries like Australia, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Western Samoa helped with money.

Scientists use different ways to control these beetles. They use cultural methods, like keeping farms clean. They also use cover crops (plants grown to protect the soil). Pheromones (chemical signals) are also used to trap the beetles. Biological controls are another method. This means using natural enemies like fungi (Metarhizium majus and M. anisopliae).

A special virus called the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) worked very well for 30 years. It stopped the beetle from spreading in the Pacific islands. However, a new type of beetle, called CRB-G, has appeared. This new type is immune to the OrNV virus. It is now spreading to new islands about every two years.

The beetle is an invasive species in Hawaii. It was first found there in December 2013. People think it arrived by air cargo. Because of the damage in Hawaii, Australia is worried. In June 2021, experts from the University of Queensland and a horticulturalist spoke out. They warned about the beetle getting close to Australia. They said it threatens Australia's date, ornamental palm, and coconut oil industries. They also stressed the need to help neighboring countries control the beetle. This is important for both money and people's lives.

Damage Caused by the Beetle

In 1985, many coconut palms in Malaysia were heavily attacked. In 1911, the beetles appeared in Myanmar. In the early 1900s, they were seen on rubber plants in Sri Lanka. Later, they were brought to Upolu island in Western Samoa in 1909.

Adult beetles and grubs are major pests of coconut and oil palm farms. Adults feed on the top part of the palms. They bore into the base of the leaf stems and into the new, unopened leaves. This damages the plant tissue. You can often see signs of the beetle. There will be stringy waste inside and near the feeding holes. The damaged leaves often have V-shaped cuts.

Plants the Beetle Attacks

The Asiatic rhinoceros beetle can attack many different plants, including:

Controlling the Beetle

People can remove adult beetles by hand. This is a mechanical method. For biological control, natural enemies like predators, diseases, and tiny wasps (parasitoids) can be used.

Another effective method uses a special smell (pheromone) that male beetles produce. This smell attracts other beetles, which helps to trap them. Farmers can also destroy places where beetles breed. Using cover crops also helps. A hooked wire can be used to pull beetles out of palm trees. Some insecticides like gamma-BHC, cypermethrin, lambda cyhalothrin, and naphthalene can also be used.

Beetle Predators

These animals hunt and eat the rhinoceros beetle:

  • Alaus farinosus
  • Alaus montravelii
  • Alaus podargus
  • Alaus speciosus
  • Brachinus stenoderus
  • Catascopus facialis
  • Hololepta marginipunctata
  • Hololepta quadridentata
  • Lanelater bifoveatus
  • Lanelater fuscipes
  • Mecodema spinifer
  • Neochryopus savagei
  • Ochyropus gigas
  • Oxylobus punctatosulcatus
  • Pachylister chinensis
  • Pheropsophus consimilis
  • Pheropsophus lissoderus
  • Pheropsophus occipitalis
  • Pheropsophus sobrinus
  • Pheropsophus stenoderus
  • Placodes ebenenus
  • Plaesius javanus
  • Platymeris laevicollis
  • Santalus parallelus
  • Scarites dubiosus
  • Scarites madagascariensis

Beetle Parasitoids

These tiny creatures live on or in the rhinoceros beetle, harming it:

  • Athogavia borneoica
  • Boettcherisca peregrina
  • Campsomeris azurea
  • Elis romandi
  • Hypoaspis dubia
  • Rhabditis sp.
  • Scolia cyanipennis
  • Scolia oryctophaga
  • Scolia patricialis
  • Scolia procer
  • Scolia quadripustulata
  • Scolia ruficornis
  • Steinernema carpocapsae

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Oryctes rhinoceros para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Asiatic rhinoceros beetle Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.