BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR OF Elaeidobius kamerunicus FAUST, 1898 (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) IN TWO OIL PALM CULTIVARS IN COLOMBIA

Abstract

Elaeidobius kamerunicus is the most efficient and abundant pollinator in oil palm plantations. We recorded biweekly observations to understand the population behaviour, habits and biological features of E. kamerunicus , as well as the volatile organic compound profile emitted by the inflorescences of two oil palm cultivars. Samples of the male and female inflorescences during the anthesis of Elaeis guineensis and the hybrid Coari × La Mé were collected. Elaeidobius kamerunicus adults copulated between 9:30 and 11:30 hr, and the females oviposited on the stamens of the male flowers. The life cycle of E. kamerunicus from egg to pupa took 8.6 days, and the life expectancy of adult males and females was 40.8 and 51.4 days, respectively. The female oviposition rate was 1.3 eggs/day, with a development time of 0.5 days. Insects such as Pachycondyla harpax , Hololepta sp., and members of the Chrysopidae and Dermaptera families, as well as spiders and Pseudoscorpiones, predated on this species. The main compounds emitted by the male and female inflorescences were methyl salicylate, estragole, cis-Anethole, and trans-Anethole studied in these two cultivars.