After hatching, the insect goes through 4 instar stages (totaling 90 to 220 days) before enter pupation that lasts 17 to 28 days. Biologyįemales burrow into rotting stumps, standing trees or debris piles (such as sawdust or compost) to lay whitish-brown eggs.

On other islands in the Pacific, this beetle has been documented to destroy over 50% of coconut palms present on the islands. Moreover, the beetle is able to also infest sugarcane and palms which means if this beetle were able to make it to the continental United States it could severely impact Texas, Louisiana, and Florida crops and native palm plants. Several of these plants are economically and ecologically important for Hawaii. A moderate infestation can reduce nut production and a strong infestation can cause dieback and eventually death to the plants. Symptoms of beetle infestation are damage to the center of the crown and the developing leaves growing out with a V-shape due to the feeding path from the larvae. Host Plant: Coconut, palm, pineapple, papaw, taro and date trees, and sugarcane. Larvae Description: Larvae are white and c-shaped with brown legs and head. The posterior end (pygidium) is densely covered with reddish brown hairs on the ventral surface in the female which helps in distinguish it from the male. They are black or reddish-black in color, and have a characteristic horn which is larger in males (pictured below male beetle on the right). Apart from coconut and African oil palm recorded host plants include the date palm and a variety of palms grown for ornamental purpose, including Roystonea regia, Livistona chinensis, Corypha umbraculifera and Raphia ruffia (Gressitt, 1953 Bedford,1980) also recorded are pine apple, sugarcane, pandanus and banana (Lever, 1979) (Source: Global Invasive Species Database, 2005).Adult Description: The adults of Oryctes rhinboceros are large and stout beetles that can measure up to 35mm long and 21mm wide. They may provide entry points for lethal secondary attacks by the palm weevil Rhyncophorus or by other pathogens, in some countries (Bedford, 1980). Attack by adults may reduce yield and kill seedlings. In younger palms the effect of damage can be much more severe (Wood, 1968 1976). rhinoceros bores into the base of cluster of spears, causing wedge shaped cuts in the unfolded fronds. Apart from coconut and African oil palm recorded host plants include the date palm and a variety of palms grown for ornamental purpose, including Roystonea regia, Livistona chinensis, Corypha umbraculifera and Raphia ruffia (Gressitt, 1953 Bedford,1980) also recorded are pine apple, sugarcane, pandanus and banana (Lever, 1979) (Source: Global Invasive Species Database, 2005). From artificially pruned leaf damage stimulation studies it was observed that damage to 50% fronds corresponds to leaf area reduction of 13% and decrease in nut yield by 23% (Young, 1974). (1963) has reported a loss in yield of 5.5 to 9.1% due to beetle attack. In India damage of inflorescence is also reported in severely infested areas which cause reduction in yield up to 10% (Nair, 1986). Some of the crushed fibre is pushed outside the entrance hole, where it indicates the insect’s presence. The imagos are the destructive stage, they bore into the crown of the palm resulting in wedge shaped or “V” cuts in the fronds that unfurl. The coconut rhinoceros beetle is one of the most damaging insects to coconut palms and African oil palm in southern and south- east Asia and the Western Pacific islands.

Asiatic rhinoceros beetle