Cane beetle
Encyclopedia
The cane beetle, Dermolepida albohirtum, is a native Australia
n beetle
and a pest of the sugar cane
. Adult beetles eat the leaves of sugar cane but greater damage is the done by their larva
e hatching underground and eating the roots, which either kills or stunts the growth of the plant.
Larvae, which are known as greyback cane grubs, are small white grubs.
Adult beetles are white with speckles of black and often smell like rotten pork.
The beetles are also found in the Philippines and are known by the local name salagubang.
Methods of control include applications of Metarhizium anisopliae
. The greyback cane beetle was, along with the Frenchi cane beetle, Lepidiota frenchi, the reason that the cane toad
(Bufo marinus) was introduced in Australia.
The cane toad was supposed to combat the beetles, to protect the sugar cane. However, it didn't, and became a major pest.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
and a pest of the sugar cane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
. Adult beetles eat the leaves of sugar cane but greater damage is the done by their larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e hatching underground and eating the roots, which either kills or stunts the growth of the plant.
Larvae, which are known as greyback cane grubs, are small white grubs.
Adult beetles are white with speckles of black and often smell like rotten pork.
The beetles are also found in the Philippines and are known by the local name salagubang.
Methods of control include applications of Metarhizium anisopliae
Metarhizium anisopliae
Metarhizium anisopliae, formerly known as Entomophthora anisopliae , is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and causes disease in various insects by acting as a parasite. Ilya I. Mechnikov named it after the insect species it was originally isolated from: the beetle...
. The greyback cane beetle was, along with the Frenchi cane beetle, Lepidiota frenchi, the reason that the cane toad
Cane Toad
The Cane Toad , also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad which is native to Central and South America, but has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean...
(Bufo marinus) was introduced in Australia.
The cane toad was supposed to combat the beetles, to protect the sugar cane. However, it didn't, and became a major pest.