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June 2000. A request from the University of Hawaii for information on taro beetle, particularly literature on the species.
There are eight species of taro beetles in the genus Papuana, as well as Eucopidocaulus tridentipes. They are all pests of taro and other related aroids. They occur in the Pacific, with a majority of them in PNG (7), Solomon Islands (4), Vanuatu (2), Fiji (1), Kiribati (1) and New Caledonia (1). The last three are introductions.
The SPC regional taro beetle project funded by the EU through PRAP is based in Solomon Islands and PNG. It has been conducting research into the biology and ecology of Papuana beetles, and evaluating environmentally safe and sustainable control measures. Integrated control measures comprising pathogens, chemicals and cultivation practices are currently being evaluated in PNG and Solomon Islands.
There is an excellent chapter on the beetle in Waterhouse DF, Norris KR (1987) Biological Control – Pacific Prospects. Inkata Press, Melbourne. 454 pp. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberrra, Australia.
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