Variation in body size and morphometric trait of Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cameroon
Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust. is an insect pollinator introduced from Africa and has become the main pollinator of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) in Indonesia. The presence of E. kamerunicus in Indonesia is reported to increase the fruit set of oil palm. However, the success of pollination shown by the proportion of normal fruit fluctuates under field conditions and tends to decline from year to year. The ineffectiveness of this pollination is caused by the reduced visitation activity of E. kamerunicus to female inflorescences. The performance of pollinator, including the issue of body size is thought to be one of the factors that cause a decrease in efficiency and effectiveness of pollination. This study aimed to determine the differences in body size of E. kamerunicus from Indonesia, Malaysia and Cameroon specifically. The studies were carried out from October 2018 to May 2019. Adults of E. kamerunicus were taken from male anthesising flowers, ten parts of the body were measured. This study showed that there were variations in the body size of E. kamerunicus among Indonesia, Malaysia and Cameroon. The largest body size was found in E. kamerunicus from Cameroon, whilst the smallest body size was observed in Malaysian populations for both male and female. The difference in body length (BL) between native and introduced populations reached 0.22 mm (males) and 0.32 mm (females). These findings indicate that introduced populations exhibit smaller body sizes compared to native populations. Information on the variation in the body size in this study might be valuable for developing management strategies to increase oil palm fruit set in Indonesia.
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