Oil-palm

Guides

Billaea
Billaea is a genus of tachinid flies comprising approximately 80 described species. Most larvae are parasitoids of beetle larvae, particularly cerambycids and lucanids, with some species attacking lepidopteran hosts in the family Pyralidae. Several species have been investigated as biological control agents for agricultural and forestry pests, including palm weevils and sugarcane borers.
Tachinidae parasitoid biological-control Cerambycidae Dryophthoridae Crambidae viviparous planidia forest-pest agricultural-pest oil-palm sugarcane palm-weevil wood-borer southeast-Asia South-America Europe Bulgaria Brazil Turkey Mexico Peru integrated-pest-management natural-enemy host-searching kairomones superparasitism mass-rearing Galleria-mellonella laboratory-host frass gallery tunnel pupal-parasitoid larval-parasitoid ectoparasitoid endoparasitoid Coleoptera Lepidoptera Diptera Brachycera Dexiinae Dexiini Robineau-Desvoidy-1830 80-species global-distribution forestry agriculture ornamental-palms date-palm coconut Rhynchophorus Diatraea Prionus Xylotrechus climate-matching establishment-potential Mediterranean Middle-East California invasive-species red-palm-weevil American-palm-weevil red-ring-disease vector-control natural-mortality pest-management sustainable-agriculture host-specificity trophic-association new-host-record parasitism-rate field-parasitism laboratory-rearing adult-longevity fecundity sex-ratio pupal-viability pupal-duration planidia-length food-resources pollen honey sucrose flowering-plants spontaneous-flora companion-plants habitat-management conservation-biological-control augmentative-biological-control classical-biological-control quarantine host-range circumstantial-evidence taxonomic-confusion B.-rhynchophorae B.-menezesi B.-adelpha B.-claripalpis B.-rutilans B.-cerambycivora B.-steini B.-fortis B.-irrorata B.-pectinata B.-setosa B.-triangulifera B.-lata B.-intermedia B.-biserialis B.-gigantea B.-rubens B.-maritima B.-marmorata B.-aurifrons B.-verticalis B.-flava B.-chinensis B.-brevicauda B.-kurahashii B.-micronychia B.-papei B.-setigera B.-yintiaoling B.-rufescens B.-triquetrus B.-rubida B.-rufiventris B.-brasiliensis B.-friburgensis B.-giacomeli B.-kosterae B.-plaumanni B.-shannoni B.-africana B.-argentaurea B.-atkinsoni B.-capensis B.-communis B.-decisa B.-edwardsi B.-erecta B.-ficorum B.-grandis B.-impigra B.-interrupta B.-kolomyetzi B.-luteola B.-malayana B.-minor B.-monohammi B.-montana B.-morosa B.-nipigonensis B.-orbitalis B.-ovata B.-quadrinota B.-rhingiaeformis B.-robusta B.-satisfacta B.-sibleyi B.-sjostedti B.-solivaga B.-trivittata B.-trochanterata B.-vanemdeni B.-velutina B.-versicolor B.-villeneuvei B.-vitripennis B.-zimini B.-lateralis B.-lativentris
Derelomini
Palm Flower Weevils
Derelomini is a tribe of flower weevils (Curculionidae: Curculioninae) commonly known as palm flower weevils. Members are associated with reproductive structures of plants, particularly inflorescences. The tribe includes genera with specialized brood pollination mutualisms with palms (Arecaceae) and other monocots, as well as genera associated with dicotyledonous plants. Genera include Derelomus, Elaeidobius, Hypoleschus, Notolomus, Phyllotrox, and several recently described genera including Ebenacobius, Cyclanthura, Ganglionus, and Staminodeus.
brood-pollination mutualism palm-pollinators oil-palm inflorescence-specialist flower-weevil Afrotropical Neotropical Arecaceae Cyclanthaceae Ebenaceae Araceae Curculionidae Curculioninae economic-importance agricultural-pollinator
Elaeidobius subvittatus
Elaeidobius subvittatus is a palm-pollinating weevil species in the tribe Derelomini, formally included in the genus Elaeidobius as part of a 2020 taxonomic revision. The species is associated with the oil palm Elaeis guineensis and contributes to pollen transportation. It was originally described by Faust in 1898.
palm-pollinating-weevil oil-palm pollinator Afrotropical economic-importance
Haplaxius crudus
American Palm Cixiid, palm leafhopper
Haplaxius crudus is a cixiid planthopper and the primary known vector of lethal yellowing phytoplasma, a devastating disease of palms. The species has a complex life cycle split between two distinct host groups: nymphs develop on grasses and sedges, while adults feed exclusively on palms. This host alternation makes management challenging, as nymphs and adults occupy different habitats. The species is economically significant across the Caribbean, Florida, and tropical America, where it has caused millions of palm deaths and substantial agricultural losses.
vector phytoplasma palm-pest planthopper cixiidae lethal-yellowing oil-palm coconut invasive-potential agricultural-pest monocot-feeder host-alternation integrated-pest-management sticky-trap-monitoring spatial-aggregation
Pyroderces
cosmet moths
Pyroderces is a genus of small moths in the family Cosmopterigidae, subfamily Cosmopteriginae. The genus includes species with diverse ecological roles: some, such as Pyroderces rileyi, are agricultural pests of banana and other crops, while others have been identified as potential supplementary pollinators of oil palm in Malaysia. The genus was established by Herrich-Schäffer in 1853. Taxonomic boundaries remain fluid, with some authors including the genus Anatrachyntis within Pyroderces.
agricultural-pest pollinator oil-palm banana Cosmopterigidae tropical-agriculture pheromone integrated-pest-management
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
Red Palm Weevil, Asian Palm Weevil, Sago Palm Weevil
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is a large snout beetle and one of the most destructive pests of palm trees worldwide. Native to tropical Asia, it has become invasive across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, causing severe economic damage to coconut, date, and oil palm plantations. Larvae tunnel deep into palm trunks, excavating galleries up to 1 meter long that destroy vascular tissue and typically kill the host plant. The species is frequently confused with R. vulneratus, a closely related species with which it shares common names and overlapping ranges.
invasive-species agricultural-pest palm-pest Curculionidae Rhynchophorus date-palm coconut-palm oil-palm stored-product-pest food-insect
Strategus
Ox Beetles
Strategus is a genus of rhinoceros beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, commonly known as ox beetles. The genus is widespread in the Americas, ranging from Kansas southward through South America. Species in this genus are notable for their large size and prominent horns, particularly in males. Some species, such as S. aloeus, are significant agricultural pests of oil palm plantations in Latin America, where they reproduce in decomposing organic matter from replanting operations.
rhinoceros-beetle ox-beetle pest oil-palm semiochemical pheromone Dynastinae Scarabaeidae Coleoptera agricultural-pest integrated-pest-management
Strategus aloeus
ox beetle, Aloeus ox beetle
Strategus aloeus is a large rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, native to the Americas. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism and male polymorphism, with "major" males possessing three prominent thoracic horns resembling Triceratops, while "minor" males have reduced horns and females bear only a small horn used for digging. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to lights. The species has been documented as a significant pest of young oil palm crops in Latin America, where population dynamics are strongly influenced by plantation management practices.
rhinoceros-beetle dynastine pest oil-palm sexual-dimorphism male-polymorphism semiochemicals nocturnal light-attracted