Ehsine M'hammed, Belkadhi Mohamed Sadok, Chaieb Mohammed
Institute of Arid Regions-Kebili, BP 32, 4200 Kebili, Tunisia
Institute of Arid Regions-Kebili, BP 32, 4200 Kebili, Tunisia.
J Insect Sci. 2014 Jan 1;14. doi: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu118. Print 2014.
The rhinoceros borer Oryctes agamemnon Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a date palm insect pest that causes damage to trunk and roots of palm trees in several countries, including Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to monitor the seasonal and nocturnal activities of this beetle. Experiments were performed on a date palm of Rjim Maatoug during a 6-yr period (2004-2007, 2009-2010). Field survey using light traps shows that O. agamemnon is a univoltine, with a single population peak. Adults appear in the field around late May-early June and the population continued to build until maximum numbers are reached between the end of July and the beginning of August in the same year. No adults were found after first 10 d of November. This peak was characterized by female dominance in number. The monitoring of nocturnal activity showed that it starts its activities roughly 40 min after the sundown and continues until approximately 1 h before sunrise. The highest number of trapped beetles was remarked in the two first hours of flight activity, with a dominance of female in the first hour and a dominance of male in the second hour. We remarked that the sex ratio (female:male) of the cumulated number of trapped adults in the different years and nights of survey was in favor of females.
犀金龟Oryctes agamemnon Burmeister（鞘翅目：金龟科）是一种枣椰树害虫，在包括突尼斯、阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）、阿曼和沙特阿拉伯在内的几个国家，会对棕榈树的树干和根部造成损害。本研究的目的是监测这种甲虫的季节性和夜间活动。在6年期间（2004 - 2007年、2009 - 2010年），对Rjim Maatoug的一棵枣椰树进行了实验。使用诱虫灯进行的田间调查表明，O. agamemnon一年发生一代，有一个单一的种群高峰。成虫于5月下旬至6月初出现在田间，种群数量持续增加，直到同年7月底至8月初达到最大值。11月的前10天之后未发现成虫。这个高峰的特点是雌性数量占优势。对夜间活动的监测表明，它大约在日落后40分钟开始活动，并持续到日出前约1小时。诱捕到的甲虫数量在飞行活动的前两个小时最多，第一个小时以雌性为主，第二个小时以雄性为主。我们注意到，在不同年份和调查夜晚诱捕到的成虫累计数量的性别比（雌性：雄性）有利于雌性。
