Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds

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Summary

• Unknown distribution. Recorded only from Fiji on two weeds: crowsfoot and barnyard grasses. The Oulema species unknown. Another species, Oulema melanopus, is recorded from Asia, Africa (north), North America, Europe, as a major pest of cereals.
• Eggs laid on leaf mid-vein; larvae hump-backed, covering themselves in faecal matter. Pupate on soil. Adults with red heads and thorax and black wing cases; often seen 'mate-guarding'.
• Larvae feed on the surface of leaves setting back plant growth so that the grasses are overgrown by other weed species. Damage greatest on crowsfoot grass.
• No control measure required. Whether or not the beetles will move to other grasses, i.e., those of the grasslands of western Viti Levu, Fiji, is unknown.
• Alternatively, the Fiji Oulema species may have potential as a biocontrol organism attacking  particular weed grasses.