The coconut borer, Pachymerus nucleorum (F.), was found for the first time in the United States at a light trap in Palm Beach, Florida.  This bruchid beetle feeds on numerous palm species within the following genera: Acrocomia, Attalea, Cocos, Elaeis, Orbignya, and Syagrus.  Adults lay their eggs on palm fruits/seeds as seeds are a preferred foodsource and means of protection for the developing larvae.  Feeding by the larvae usually renders the seeds nonviable.  Pachymerus nucleorum has been reported in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguayen, and Sao Tomé e Príncipes.

For more information, see:

CERIS website: http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/states/fl

For biological information on P. nucleorum:

Johnson, C. D., S. Zona, and J. A. Nilsson.  1995.  Bruchid Beetles and Palm Seeds: Recorded Relationships.  Principes, Vol. 39(1): 25-35.

Nilsson, J. A., and C. D. Johnson.  1993.  A Taxonomic Revision of the Palm Bruchids (Pachymerini) and a Description of the World Genera of Pachymerinae.  Memoirs of the American Entomological Society, #41.  Philadelphia, 104pp.