Rhino Beetle

Deb and I found this lovely specimen near the home of certain wealthy family. It had landed on its back and dried up in the hot morning sun. Compare this rhino beetle with the one we saw in Australia—at least twice the size of this one. Click here.

"First it was the brown tree snake which killed most of Guam’s native birds. Then it was the Asian cycad scale killing more than half of Guam’s native cycad plants, known locally as “fadang”. Now it is the coconut rhinoceros beetle. This latest invasive species may kill more than half of Guam’s palm trees (including coconuts, betelnuts and ornamental palms) if nothing is done about it.

The rhino beetle is a very large and powerful scarab beetle.

It is the world’s most serious insect pest of coconut palms. Adult beetles fly up into the crowns of palm trees just after dark where they bore into the center of the tree to feed on the sweet sap. In addition to leaving a large bore hole, the beetles damage developing new leaves."

Read more…

Source: Guams Rhino Hunters by Dr. Aubrey Moore, Entomologist at the University of Guam

Sadly, according to another source Guam may be losing the battle with the rhino beetle.  Read more…