Flight movement of Scapanes australis (Boisduval) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) in Papua New Guinea : A radiotelemetry study

We used radiotelemetry and/or chemical light-tags to track the flight of 15 individuals of #Scapanes australis# in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. This species causes severe economic impacts on coconut palms in young plantations. Flights to feeding, mating, resting, and possibly oviposition sites covered distances of 52 to 835 m in males, and from 245 m to >1000 m in females. Upon release, females flew in a tight upward spiral above canopy level (>20 m), then usually flew along a single bearing out of radio reception within I min of initiating flight. Dispersing females probably follow scent trails to pheromone-releasing males that occupy feeding galleries excavated most frequently in coconut palms, or search for oviposition sites. Most tagged females were not found again, because they dispersed beyond the tracking capabilities of our radio-receivers, but one female was followed for 245 rn to a feeding gallery excavated by an adult male. Males typically flew within 5 m of the ground, took erratic flight paths with numerous turns, and frequently circled coconuts and other host plants. We followed males from the release point until they ceased flight for a night. Males passed daylight hours either in a feeding gallery within a host plant or under soil litter.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Beaudoin-Ollivier, Laurence, Bonaccorso, Frank, Aloysius, Michael, Kasiki, Mathew
Format:	article biblioteca
Language:	eng
Subjects:	H10 - Ravageurs des plantes, Cocos nucifera, comportement, vol, insecte déprédateur des tiges, Scarabaeidae, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_1716, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_868, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_24948, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_7389, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_30124, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5555,
Online Access:	http://agritrop.cirad.fr/516561/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/516561/1/516561.pdf
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