Distinguishing Male and Female Chinese Rose Beetles, Adoretus sinicus, with an Overview of Adoretus Species of Biosecurity Concern Author(s): Grant T. McQuate and Mary Liz Jameson Source: Journal of Insect Science, 11(64):1-18. 2011. Published By: Entomological Society of America DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1673/031.011.6401 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1673/031.011.6401 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 11 | Article 64 McQuate and Jameson Distinguishing male and female Chinese rose beetles, Adoretus sinicus, with an overview of Adoretus species of biosecurity concern Grant T. McQuate1* and Mary Liz Jameson2 1USDA-ARS, U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) 2Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, 537 Hubbard Hall, Wichita, Kansas 67260 Abstract The Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Adoretini), is a broadly polyphagous scarab beetle that is economically important and causes damage to a wide variety of host plants including agricultural crops and ornamentals in Southeast Asia, China, the Hawaiian Islands and several other Pacific Islands. The species has become established in numerous regions and is of biosecurity concern because importation of this species to other regions poses a threat to agriculture due to its generalist herbivore feeding habits. Field and laboratory research directed towards control of the species is hampered by the lack of characteristics that allow accurate determination of the sexes on live beetles in the field. Here, three recognizable and reliable non-destructive morphological differences between the sexes of A. sinicus are documented: (1) the form of the terminal sternite; (2) the length to width ratio of protarsomere 1, and; 3) the ratio of the combined length of protarsomeres 2-4 to the length of protarsomere 1. Because many Adoretus species are of biosecurity concern, and because tools to identify Adoretus species are lacking, we review the natural history and research on control associated with A. sinicus as well as the genus as a whole. Keywords: Scarabaeidae, invasive species Correspondence: a* [email protected], b [email protected], *Corresponding author Received: 26 March 2010, Accepted: 21 January 2011 Copyright : This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed. ISSN: 1536-2442 | Vol. 11, Number 64 Cite this paper as: McQuate GT, Jameson ML. 2011. Distinguishing male and female Chinese rose beetles, Adoretus sinicus, with an overview of Adoretus species of biosecurity concern. Journal of Insect Science 11:64 available online: insectscience.org/11.64 Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 1 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 11 | Article 64 McQuate and Jameson Introduction Islands” (Muir 1917). In areas where it has been introduced, adults can cause heavy In the Hawaiian Islands, the introduction of damage to crops and ornamental plants. non-native animals and plants has caused Despite much research devoted to control of millions of dollars in crop losses, extinction of the species (including pesticides, parasitoids, native species, destruction of native forests, pathogens, and pheromones) control has been and in excess of $40.8 million in government- largely ineffective (Beardsley 1993). To date, sponsored spending in 2006 for biosecurity A. sinicus remains an abundant pest initiatives (Hawaii Department of Land and throughout the Hawaiian Islands (e.g., Natural Resource 2008). Well over 2,500 Beardsley 1993; Furutani et al. 1995; Siemann arthropod species have been introduced to the and Rogers 2003) and is considered a threat to Hawaiian Islands with continued the west coast of the United States (Ritcher establishment rates at an alarming ten to 1948). The species is included on the USDA- twenty species per year (Asquith 1995). One APHIS Regulated Plant Pest List (USDA- non-native species in the Hawaiian Islands is APHIS 2000) and has been detected on floors the Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus of empty sea cargo containers in storage in Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Australia (Stanaway et al. 2001). Fortunately, Rutelinae: Adoretini) (Figures 1-2). The biosecurity protocols have become more species is native to Japan and Taiwan (Mau efficient in recent years, and A. sinicus has not and Kessing 1991), but its distribution now become established in the mainland United also includes China (including Hong Kong), States. Nevertheless, A. sinicus is considered a Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, species with moderate potential for invasive Vietnam, the Marianas Islands, the Caroline risk in the United States based on factors that Islands and the Hawaiian Islands (CAB include: 1) areas with potentially suitable International 1981). In the Hawaiian Islands, climate exist; 2) entry potential into a new it was first reported on Oahu in 1891 (Riley country based on historical data and and Howard 1893). By 1893, the species was interceptions; 3) potential economic impact if "rapidly becoming a most serious pest” (Riley the species were to become established; and 4) and Howard 1893). Initial identification specific hosts that the species can damage provided the name Adoretus umbrosus L.; (Gregory et al. 2005). Because it has become later, it was referred to as A. tenuimaculatus established in numerous regions, it is clearly a Waterhouse (Pemberton 1964). Nineteen species of concern for biosecurity. years after its noted pest status, the German ruteline systematist Friedrich Ohaus correctly Methods of control are needed for the Chinese identified the beetle as A. sinicus. rose beetle, both to minimize damage caused to agricultural and ornamental crops in Hawaii Adoretus sinicus probably came to Hawaii in as well as to reduce the risk of its introduction the larval stage in soil with imported plants to the U.S. mainland. The lack of reliable, from China, Taiwan, Java, or Timor (Ohaus non-destructive methods for sex determination 1935; Pemberton 1964). By 1898 it was impedes field and laboratory research. established on all major Hawaiian Islands Determination of males and females in most (Koebele 1898), and in 1917 it was referred to species of Adoretus is problematic. Unlike as “one of the worst garden pests of the many genera of leaf chafers (Rutelinae: Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 2 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 11 | Article 64 McQuate and Jameson Scarabaeidae), there is amazingly little is caused by interveinal feeding that creates a external sexual dimorphism. Within the lace-like appearance and greatly reduces Rutelinae, standard sexual determination can photosynthetic capabilities of the plant be made based on a variety of characters, (Furutani et al. 1995). The adult Chinese rose including differences in the form of the beetle has been reported to feed on over 250 protarsal claws, protarsi, metatibial apex, species and approximately 56 families of metatibia, metacoxa, metafemur, plants (Habeck 1964) or on over 500 plant metatrochanter, and abdominal sternites. species (Hession et al. 1994). Host plants However, as stated by Baraud (1985), most include many economically important plants Adoretus species lack noticeable sexual such as broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. dimorphism. Currently, determination of italica Plenck), cabbage (Brassica oleracea sexes in adult A. sinicus requires killing and var. capitata L.), cacao (Theobroma cacao dissection of specimens (e.g., Hession et al. L.), Chinese broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. 1994). Our research sought more readily var. alboglabra), Chinese cabbage (Brassica accessible, external morphological characters rapa L. subsp. chinensis [L.] Hanelt), chiso that would not necessitate destruction of live (Perilla frutescens [L.] Britton), corn (Zea specimens. In support of further research to mays L.), cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.), improve control of the Chinese rose beetle, an cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), eggplant assessment of characteristics that can be used (Solanum melongena L.), ginger (Zingiber for non-destructive differentiation of the sexes officinale Roscoe), grape (Vitis labrusca is provided. Additionally, because background Bailey), green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), literature on Chinese rose beetle is scattered jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), among a number of publications, many of okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.), peanuts which are not readily available, a review of (Arachis hypogaea L.), Oriental persimmon the basic