- Brontispa longissima
Taxobox
name = "Brontispa longissima"
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropod a
classis =Insect a
ordo = Coleoptera
familia =Chrysomelidae
subfamilia =Hispinae
genus = "Brontispa "
species = "B. longissima"
binomial = "Brontispa longissima"
binomial_authority = (Gestro)"Brontispa longissima" (known as the Coconut leaf beetle, the Two-coloured coconut leaf beetle, or the Coconut hispine beetle) is a
leaf beetle that feeds on youngleaves and damagesseedlings and maturecoconut palms. It has become an increasingly serious pest of coconuts throughout various growing regions in the Pacific, especially over the last 3 decades, includingIndonesia ,Solomon Islands ,Vietnam ,Nauru ,Cambodia ,Laos ,Thailand ,Maldives ,Myanmar ,Hainan Island , andAru Islands , and most recently, thePhilippines .On
September 27 , 2007, Philippines'Metro Manila and 26provinces werequarantined due to having been infested with thispest (to save the $800-million Philippine coconutindustry ). [ [http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=91109 Inquirer.net, Beetles infest coconuts in Manila, 26 provinces] ]Control measures include
pesticide s, andbiological control agents such asparasitic wasp s (e.g., "Asecodes hispinarum ").There is a similar-looking pest species of leaf beetle in a related genus, "
Plesispa reichei ", also sometimes referred to as the "coconut leaf beetle", which is distinguished only with some difficult from "B. longissima"; primarily by its slightly broader body and stronger punctation.ource
[http://aseanipm.da.gov.ph/brontispa.htm ASEAN IPM Fact Sheet]
References
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