Oryctes monoceros

Oryctes monoceros, commonly known as African rhinoceros beetle, is a species of rhinoceros beetles from the subfamily Dynastinae (family: Scarabaeidae) which is common in sub-Saharan Africa. Its distribution extends from Senegal and Chad in the North to South Africa in the South and includes the islands of Madagascar, Seychelles and Réunion in the East. O. monoceros is similar in size (~ 4 cm long) and biology to O. rhinoceros found in tropical parts of Asia and the Pacific. Both species are serious pests of coconut and oil palms and attack these by boring into the crown of the palms and feeding on the young developing fronds. Taxonomically, O. monoceros and O. rhinoceros belong to different subgenera of Oryctes, the main differences between both species are: Oryctes monoceros (subgenus Rykanoryctes) has 3 immovable spikes at the tip of the hindtibia and on average males have a shorter horn than O. rhinoceros which is more strongly curved backwards. Oryctes rhinoceros (subgenus Rykanes) has 2 immovable spikes at the tip of the hindtibia and on average males have a longer horn than in O. monoceros which is only slightly curved backwards.

Distribution

The type locality of Oryctes monoceros is Senegal, but this is the northern (and western) limit of its distribution range which extends in the South up to South Africa and includes most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is especially common in tropical western Africa like the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. In central and eastern Africa, the northern limits are the southern parts of Chad and Ethiopia. O. monoceros has been also frequently reported from the coastal areas of eastern Africa, like those of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.