Abstract
The viral pathogen Rhabdionvirus oryctes [ROV] was found to be widespread in the population of Oryctes rhinoceros in Western Samoa. About 3% of the larvae and 35% of the adults were infected with ROV. Larval breeding sites more frequently contained ROV-infected insects if the sites were occupied by two broods instead of one and if there was a high density of breeding in the area. Females infected with ROV visited the breeding sites less frequently for egg-laying than healthy females. The male adults, as they increased in age, were found to be more frequently infected with ROV, but the young female adults were more frequently infected than very young or old females. The ROV-infections in adults apparently play a more important role in suppressing the O. rhinoceros population than those of larvae.
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