A large beetle, approximately 4-5 cm long, that is dark-brown to black. The male tends to have a prominent horn. The pronotum (plate structure on the thorax behind the head) has a large depression with two bumps behind it. The tibia on the forelegs has three large teeth. The abdomen of the female is slightly pointed at the end and has dense hair; males are rounded and hairless.

Eggs are white and approximately 3 mm in diameter. They are laid in dead palm trees, sawdust heaps, compost heaps, stumps, and other decaying organic matter sites. They hatch after 1.5-2 weeks under ideal conditions. 

Larvae are shaped like typical scarab beetle larva; white and C-shaped. They go through three instars over the course of approximately 4-5 months before becoming pupae. They will typically emerge as adults from the pupal case after around 3 weeks.

Beetles are nocturnal, typically flying at night. Primary host is the coconut palm, but the have been known to attack other palms, ornamentals, and crops. Adults feed on the crown meristem tissue (growning point) of palms, often burrowing in at the petiole of unopened leaves.

Selected Images

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Invasive Listing Sources

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• Injurious Wildlife in Hawaii
• National Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Target Species
• National Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey Target Species - 2015

References

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Common Name Reference: VEG_DISTURBANCE_AGENTS table of the FSVeg Field Sampled Vegetation Data Dictionary version 1.3, dated March 12, 1999.

Scientific Name Reference: Zicha O. (ed.) (1999-2010) BioLib. http://www.biolib.cz/en