General Information

COMMON NAMES: Jepson's Beetle GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE se.Asia - Indonesia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, horticultural SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Biocontrol - released 1937 onwards KEY FEATURES: Glossy black beetle to 14mmBL. Jaws long and curved; frontlegs thin and expanded laterally. Wingcovers with 4-6 longitudinal grooves long laterally and shortening posteriodorsally. SIMILAR SPECIES: Platysoma urvillei is smaller to 6mmBL (vs 15mm); wingcovers with 2 long grooves and ±1 rudimentary (vs 1-2 long, 3-4 short).

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Plaesius javanus Erichson, 1834
SYNONYMS: Plaesius (Plaesius) javanus Erichson, 1834

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Coleoptera; HISTERIDAE. COMMENT: Subfamily subf. Histerinae, Tribe Platysomatini

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Biocontrol - released 1937 onwards. Comments: First introduced from Fiji to the Southern Cook Islands 1937; first introduced from Java to the Cook Islands 1938; both introductions for the control of the Banana Weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), however is not considered to exhibit effective control despite being well established. A 1940 shipment from Suva, Fiji actually consisted of this and a second species Hyposolenus laevigatus. (W&D79)

IDENTIFICATION: Glossy black beetle to 15mmBL. HEAD long curved jaws, antennae short. THORAX with rounded anterolateral projections. LEGS foreleg second segment thin and expanded with groove to infold outer segments. WINGCOVERS ~5 longitudinal grooves, laterally 1-2 very long, dorsoposteriorly 3-4 short; abdominal 2 rear segments exposed.

GENERAL NOTE: Predator on the Banana weevil borer.

Vouchers:
Cooks: DSIR40; DSIR70s;

References:
Special Reference: PM79, W&D79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM05b, zD02

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