Abstract
Date stone beetles (Coccotrypes dactyliperda Fabricius, 1801) tunnel into palm seeds to establish brood galleries with their larvae consuming the seed’s albumen. Based on behavioural observations this paper describes the biomechanical parameters that govern the initial excavation of the tunnels and the establishment of the brood galleries.
Highlights
The date stone beetle, Coccotrypes dactyliperda (Fabricius, 1801), is a cryptic spermatophagus beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Dryocoetini), with females measuring 1.9– 2.2 mm in length and about 0.7 to 1 mm in width
The entire life cycle of C. dactyliperda occurs inside the seed (Blumberg & Kehat, 1982)
Distributed in the Middle East and North Africa as part of the date palm horticultural complex, the distribution range of the species has seen a remarkable increase during the nineteenth century, mainly due to the trade in dates as fruit for human consumption; the distribution of palm seeds for horticultural endeavours; and in the form of vegetable ivory for button manufacture
Summary
The date stone beetle, Coccotrypes dactyliperda (Fabricius, 1801), is a cryptic spermatophagus beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Dryocoetini), with females measuring 1.9– 2.2 mm in length and about 0.7 to 1 mm in width. Distributed in the Middle East and North Africa as part of the date palm horticultural complex, the distribution range of the species has seen a remarkable increase during the nineteenth century, mainly due to the trade in dates as fruit for human consumption; the distribution of palm seeds (in particular P. canariensis) for horticultural endeavours; and in the form of vegetable ivory for button manufacture. The beetle attacks the green drupes of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), causing the bulk of these to abscise one to two days later (Blumberg, 2008) with production losses between 20 and 40% (Hussein, 1990, Kehat et al, 1976). Coccotrypes dactyliperda attack other palms, in particular the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis Chabaud, 1882) (for review of the beetle species see Spennemann, 2019a)
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