Journals Information
Universal Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 11(3), pp. 651 - 663
DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2023.110315
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Morphometric Variation of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros Linn.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Different Sites in the Philippines
Allan B. Del Rosario 1,*, Elaida R. Fiegalan 2, Marita S. Labe 2, Luis L. Calama 3
1 Central Bicol State University of Agriculture, Philippines
2 College of Agriculture, Central Luzon State University, Philippines
3 College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, President Ramon Magsaysay State University, San Marcelino Campus, Philippines
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to conduct a morphometric analysis on the Coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), Oryctes rhinoceros Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Scarabidae) across the Philippines. O. rhinoceros is a major insect pest of coconut (Coccus nucifera L.) and other palms worldwide. In the Philippines, morphometric analysis of the insect pest has yet to be undertaken. Conducting such a study on the insect pest could help in crafting better-integrated pest management (IPM) schemes/programs. Morphometric analysis is a tool that can help in determining the existence of a cryptic species, biotypes, or subspecies among the CRB population that could be more damaging or resilient to control tactics. In the conduct of the study, 35 male and 35 female adult CRBs were collected from the provinces of Aurora, Quezon, Marinduque, Palawan, Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental, and Davao Del Sur. Each of the CRB specimens collected was subjected to morphological measurements using the 25 morphological characters set by the study. To determine if a morphological variation exists among the CRBs, the morphometric measurements of the 25 morphological characters were subjected to multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) as well as descriptive discriminant analysis (DDA). In the MANOVA, 23 out of 25 morphological characters were found to significantly vary among seven coconut provinces. In the DDA, the Palawan group of CRBs was discriminated from the rest of the groups. The morphological characters associated with this discrimination were elytron length (EL), hindwing length (W3l), hindwing width (W3w), body width (BW), hind leg tibia length (L3Tbl), and antennal club length (Acll). From these morphological characters, the only characters that significantly varied concerning the Palawan group of CRBs were the BW and L3Tbl. The beetles that originated from Palawan had the significantly smallest body width and longest hind leg tibia. These results indicate that there exists a morphological variation in BW and L3Tbl between the Palawan group of CRBs and those from other coconut areas in the Philippines. However, further study should be conducted, either through morphological or genetic analysis, to validate these results.
KEYWORDS
Morphometric Variation, Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, Coconut Tree, Coccus Nucifera, Philippines
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Allan B. Del Rosario , Elaida R. Fiegalan , Marita S. Labe , Luis L. Calama , "Morphometric Variation of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros Linn.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Different Sites in the Philippines," Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 651 - 663, 2023. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2023.110315.
(b). APA Format:
Allan B. Del Rosario , Elaida R. Fiegalan , Marita S. Labe , Luis L. Calama (2023). Morphometric Variation of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros Linn.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Different Sites in the Philippines. Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, 11(3), 651 - 663. DOI: 10.13189/ujar.2023.110315.