Title: BIOLOGY OF PROSOESTUS SCULPTILIS AND PROSOESTUS MINOR (Coleoptera,
Curculionidae),
PESTS OF FEMALE INFLORESCENCES OF THE OIL PALM IN COTE D IVOIRE
Authors: Hala K. A., Aby N.
, Hala N.
, Akpesse A. M.
, Koua K. H.
Abstract: Prosoestus sculptilis and Prosoestus minor are female inflorescences of the oil palm pests.
Integrated management against these insects requires a good knowledge of their biological
cycles. The literature describes the biology of Prosoestus spp. without showing their stages of
development. It is also not clear that the damage observed on the fruit is actually that of
Prosoestus spp. The present work proposes to study the life cycle of P. sculptilis and P. minor by
showing the damage caused by their development. Each of these two species was reared in cages
on young female inflorescences under semi-controlled field conditions. The different stages of
development of these insects have been described. The larvae of P. sculptilis develop by digging
downward galleries inside the flower that will be destroyed at emergence of new adults. Those of
P. minor develop by destroying the base of the stigmas. The development cycle of P. sculptilis is
longer than that of P. minor (31.4 1.82 days compared to 19 1.22 days). These two species of
Prosoestus are harmful to the oil palm, P. sculptilis being the most destructive species
