Morphometrics and reproductive parameters of Rhynchophorus morphotypes(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana

Morphometrics and reproductive parameters of Rhynchophorus morphotypes(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Morphometrics and reproductive parameters of Rhynchophorus morphotypes(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana Jacob Anankware, Shadrack Debrah, Shadrack Asomah, James Egonyu, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4919892/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in International Journal of Tropical Insect Science → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Palm weevils are widely distributed throughout Ghana causing severe economic injuries to palm plantations. However, the description and categorisation of palm weevil species based on the morphology in Ghana are lacking. This study sought to identify and determine the morphometrics and reproductive parameters of different Rhynchophorus morphotypes in Ghana. One thousand and two hundred (1200) larvae each weighing 5 grams were collected by handpicking from infested palm trunks from palm plantation site in the Middle Belt (Kobedi, Diabaa, Asuhyiae, Nsuta, Tanoso, Bomaa, and Akrodie) and Southern Ghana (Fumesua, Kubease, and Donyina). These larvae were allowed to cocoon and pupate, and the adults that emerged were described and categorised into different morphotypes using morphological description keys of Rhynchophorus species. Three Rhynchophorus morphotypes were identified and described; rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). The fecundity and female longevity of morphotypes of BWS (FF = 102.6 ± 38.85, FL = 43.6 ± 12.07) and BW (FF = 100.1 ± 39.45, FL = 43.6 ± 12.10) were superior to mature RRW female morphotype (FF = 39.1 ± 28.33, FL = 38.6 ± 9.21). The RRW morphotype may require more generations to adapt to the conditions in Ghana to improve on its life history parameters. The lowest fecundity of the RRW morphotype could be an advantage to limiting its spread across palm plantation sites in Ghana. Rhynchophorus species fecundity pronotum spots morphotype Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Introduction Rhynchophorus species are major pests of palm across many countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, infesting over twenty palm tree species belonging to sixteen different genera (Egonyu et al. 2024 ). Nine Rhynchophorus species are highly destructive to palm plantations worldwide (Giblin-Davis et al. 2013 ). Among the nine species, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus which is endemic in South-Eastern Asia has spread to North Africa due to the exchange of host planting materials between research institutions during the last two decades (Rugman-Jones et al. 2013 ). According to Rugman-Jones et al. ( 2013 ), R. ferrugineus has been recorded in Egypt, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and several states in Malaysia. In contrast, R. phoenicis and R. palmarum are the dominant species in West Africa and South America, respectively (Egonyu et al. 2024 ). In Ghana, research on Rhynchophorus species is still at the infant stage (; Debrah 2016 ; Anankware et al. 2016 ; Quaye et al. 2018 ; Debrah et al. 2019 ; Anankware et al. 2021 ). Furthermore, studies on diversity among and within Rhynchophorus species in Ghana are lacking because there are insufficient publications describing the pest status of any morphotypes in the last decade (CABI 2021 ). Three Rhynchophorus species; R. phoenicis, R. quadrangulus (Chebbi 2011 ; CABI 2019 ), and R. ferrugineus (Wattanapongsiri 1966 ) have been recorded in Africa. In June 2021, CABI’s participatory rural approach (PRA, number P05557) speculated about the accidental introduction of R. ferrugineus in Ghana with a high degree of infestation to palm plantations in Southern Ghana. Furthermore, identifying Rhynchophorus species using colour characteristics of a rusty red and black body with a high variability in the case of R. ferrugineus and R. phoenicis was inconclusive in the case of R. palmarum in Colombia (Lohr et al. 2015 ). Although previous studies by Rugman-Jones et al. ( 2013 ) found a wide range of phenotypic variations in R. ferrugineus and R. phoenicis , the use of colour without the typologies and morphometrics may not aid the descriptions within or among the species. Several functions have been assigned to insect coloration, including regulation of body temperature (Forsman et al. 2002), mimicry (Turner 2005 ), success in mate choice (Breuker and Brakefield 2002 ), and habitat choice can drive the evolution of body coloration patterns to optimize detection by conspecifics (Théry et al. 2008 ). Morphometrics of the species is highly recommended for efficient morphological descriptions of insects (Leonard et al. 2021). Additionally, it is crucial to differentiate between local species and those that are obtrusive, and this might be done by employing morphological description. Although, R. phoenicis have been observed in Southern Ghana, the detailed fecundity and the life history parameters of the morphotypes within the species have not also been reported in Ghana. This invasive species has over the years threatened the coconut and other palm trees, which are key economic growth drivers in Ghana especially among the rural folks (Egonyu et al. 2022). In the current study, R. phoenicis morphotypes were described using morphometrics, and the life history parameters were assessed on peel sugarcane under laboratory conditions. The study aimed to morphologically describe Rhynchophorus species and assessed the reproductive performance of each group. Materials and Methods Insect sampling The Rhynchophorus species were sampled from the Middle belt (Kobedi, Diabaa, Asuhyiae, Nsuta, Tanoso, Bomaa, and Akrodie) and Southern Ghana (Fumesua, Kubease, and Donyina) (Fig. 1 and Table 1 ). These areas were selected based on the availability of palm weevil host plants; oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.), raffia palm ( Raphia spp .), and coconut palm ( Cocos nucifera L.) (Gries et al. 1994 ; Bong et al. 2008 ). The annual mean temperature of these selected areas ranges from 25 o C to 29 o C throughout the year. These areas lie in the forest vegetation zone with annual rainfall of 2,000 mm ( https://www.fao.org/3/ab567e/AB567E02.htm ). Table 1: Morphotypes of R. phoenicis recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana Study area Locations RRW BWS BW Middle belt No % No % s No % Kobedi 0 0.0 108 90.8 11 9.2 Nsuta 0 0.0 112 92.6 9 7.4 Tanoso 0 0.0 88 85.4 15 14.6 Bomaa 8 11.9 49 73.1 10 14.9 Akrodie 17 28.8 26 44.1 16 27.1 Diabaa 11 12.4 71 79.8 7 7.9 Asuhyiae 9 13.0 29 41.0 31 44.9 Southern Ghana Fumesua 42 37.8 57 51.4 12 10.8 Asotwe 16 22.9 39 55.7 15 21.4 Donyina 21 24.7 40 47.1 24 28.2 Total Average 15.2 66.2 18.7 Rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). (N= 25) (N= 893) Experimental conditions The larvae were inoculated at a constant temperature (28 ± 2°C) and relative humidity RH (70 ± 5%) with a photoperiod of (L: D) 12: 12 h. Larval culturing One thousand and two hundred larvae were sourced from infested palm trunks from palm plantations site in the middle belt and Southern Ghana. The larvae were collected from the field during the major rainy season between June to July 2020 when there was a high incidence of Rhynchophorus species. The larvae were inoculated in plastic containers measuring 8 cm ×5 cm (width × height) with four half pieces of coconut coir measuring (4 cm × 5cm) (width × height). The containers were covered with nylon cloth and tightened with rope and rubber bands. The inoculated containers were tagged with the respective names of the locations where the larvae were sourced. The cocoons were sorted thirteen days after larval inoculation. The sorted cocoons were placed in an airtight black polyethylene bag to provide a stable temperature and humidity to enhance adult emergence. Identification of the morphotypes The adults that emerged were separated based on the colour phenotypes and pronotal marking pattern. They were designated into colour phenotypes as described by, and Wattanapongsiri ( 1966 )’Ditjenbun ( 2010 ) and Monzenga et al. (2017): rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with a red stripe on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW) (Fig. 2 ). The diversity of pronotal marking patterns of all the adults that emerged was observed, and the pattern types were recorded. Percentage incidences of pronotal marking were recorded to determine the diversity of different Rhynchophorus morphotypes in the various locations (Mizzi et al. 2009 ; Tambe et al. 2013 ; Ul Hag et al. 2018). The differences in typologies on the protonum of the identified morphotypes were recorded (Wattanapongsiri 1966 ; Mizzi et al. 2009 ; Tambe et al. 2013 ; Ul Hag et al. 2018). The adults that emerged were sexed into males and females based on the presence of setae on the frontal part of the male’s rostrum, which is absent in the females (Al-ayedh 2008 ). The geographical positioning system (GPS) data were collected from the study sites using Geographical Information System (GIS) software version 10.3 and used to construct the distribution map (Fig. 1 ). Morphometrics Fifty pairs of each identified Rhynchophorus morphotypes were sampled for morphological descriptions. The adults were killed by freezing and were mounted by direct pinning to measure the different body parts. The adults’ body parts were measured in millimetres using Image J software and a rule (Girish and Vijayalakshmi 2004 ). Morphological characteristics included male abdominal length, male abdominal width, female abdominal length, female abdominal width, length of male’s rostrum, length of the female’s rostrum, length of the male’s pronotum, the width of the male’s pronotum, length of the female’s pronotum, the width of the female’s pronotum, and length of the female’s ovipositor of the identified morphotypes were studied for morphometric differences. Evaluation of fecundity of identified morphotypes Twenty-five pairs of each identified Rhynchophorus morphotype were cultured at the insectary. Peeled sugarcane measuring 5 cm in length was soaked in water for three days to increase the moisture content. The soaked peeled sugarcane pieces were removed from the water and placed in a sieve for excess water to drain. The adults were separated into males and females based on the presence of setae on the frontal part of the male’s rostrum which is absent in the females (Al-ayedh 2008 ). A one-day old adult pair (a male and a female) was placed in different containers (3 cm × 5 cm) (width × height) with well-drained sugarcane measuring 5 cm for oviposition. The eggs were counted by splitting the oviposited sugarcane and removing the eggs using a camel hair brush. New substrates were replaced for the female to continue laying till it died. Pre-oviposition duration, oviposition duration, fecundity, and male and female longevity were recorded for each morphotype. Pre-oviposition was calculated as the days elapsed before the first egg was laid. Oviposition duration was calculated as the days elapsed between pre-oviposition and the last day the female egg was laid. Female fecundity was calculated as the total number of eggs laid whiles male and female longevity was calculated as the days elapsed from emergence to the day the mortality of the adults was recorded. Statistical analysis The statistical analysis of the studied parameters was carried out using Genstat software (version 2018) for the analysis of variance (ANOVA), and general linear model procedure (α = 0.005). Tukey’s test of significance difference was used to separate the means. Results Characteristics of identified Rhynchophorus morphotypes From the total of one thousand and two hundred larvae that were inoculated, eight hundred and ninety-three adults emerged from the cocoons. Using the morphological description keys of Rhynchophorus species; three morphotypes with distinct morphological features were identified in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana: These were black weevil with longitudinal red stripes on the pronotum (BWS; Fig. 2 A), rusty- red weevil with two black spots on the pronotum (RRW; Fig. 2 B) and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe on the pronotum (BW; Fig. 2 C) based on the previous morphological identification of species by Wattanapongsiri ( 1966 ); Ditjenbun ( 2010 ) and Mozenga et al. (2017). Phenotypic colour variation of Rhynchophorus species was recorded in both study areas. The morphotype of RRW populations were recorded in Bomaa, Akrodie, Diabaa, Asuhyiae, Fumesua, Asotwe, and Donyina whilst BWS and BW morphotypes were recorded in all the locations in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana (Table 1 ). Composition of the different Rhynchophoru s morphotypes Of the total of eight hundred and ninety-three adults that emerged comprising three Rhynchophorus morphotypes, 66.2% were categorised as BWS, 15.2% of the population were RRW whilst 18.7% were grouped as BW (Table 1 ). Southern Ghana recorded the highest RRW frequency with a mean of 22.16% whilst 8.14% were captured in the Middle belt. The BWS morphotype was the dominant species in Southern Ghana and Middle Belt with a mean population of 77.2% and 55.2%, respectively. Furthermore, the three morphotypes of Rhynchophorus were found in both sexes. Morphometrics of identified Rhynchophorus morphotypes Tables 2 and 3 indicated eleven morphometric characteristics with means and standard deviation of the identified morphotypes. All the measured body parts of the morphotypes showed significant differences, except the length of the male’s rostrum. The morphometric analyses indicated that ten characteristics could potentially be useful for the separation of the Rhynchophorus morphotypes. Among the morphotypes recorded, there was a variation in the pronotal markings on the pronotum of all morphotypes (Fig. 2 ). Within each lineage, there were no differences between males and females in terms of the pronotal markings recorded on the pronotum of the three morphotypes, Females from lineage BWS and BW were bigger than those from RRW. Table 2 Mean dimensions (mm) of identified male adults of the different morphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana. Species type Male Abdominal length (mm) Male Abdominal width (mm) Length of male’s rostrum (mm) Length of male’s pronotum (mm) Width of male’s pronotum (mm) BWS 14.15 ± 1.76 a 8.97 ± 1.22 a 8.56 ± 0.90 a 9.52 ± 0.88 a 7.18 ± 0.83 a BW 13.70 ± 1.57 a 8.88 ± 1.77 a 8.56 ± 0.91 a 9.44 ± 0.86 a 7.04 ± 0.78 a RRW 11.09 ± 1.09 b 7.07 ± 0.73 b 8.89 ± 0.74 a 8.98 ± 0.88 b 6.64 ± 0.65 b F (2, 98) 97.69 86.59 2.99 7.01 11.39 P value < 0.001 0.055 < 0.001 < 0.001 Rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant ( P < 0.005) difference between the morphotypes ( BWS, RRW, and BW). (N = 50) Table 3 Mean dimensions (mm) of identified female adults of the different morphotypes in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana. Morphotypes Female Abdominal Length (mm) Female Abdominal Width (mm) Length of female rostrum (mm) Length of female’s pronotum (mm) Width of female’s pronotum (mm) Length of female’s ovipositor (mm) BWS 14.70 ± 1.10 a 9.24 ± 1.00 a 10.48 ± 0.87 a 10.28 ± 1.02 a 7.74 ± 0.61 a 5.87 ± 0.42 a BW 14.50 ± 1.09 a 8.98 ± 0.90 a 10.40 ± 0.76 a 10.06 ± 0.81 a 7.54 ± 0.51 a 5.79 ± 0.54 a RRW 12.47 ± 0.81 b 7.46 ± 0.93 b 9.60 ± 0.84 b 9.70 ± 0.75 b 7.24 ± 0.45 b 5.10 ± 0.34 b F (2, 98) 17.66 40.91 8.45 6.91 9.48 55.71 P value < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 Rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant ( P < 0.005) difference between the morphotypes ( BWS, RRW, and BW). (N = 50) Reproductive parameters of the identified morphotypes The pre-oviposition period of BWS (2.50 ± 0.48) and BW (2.70 ± 0.49) was significantly shorter than RRPW (3.60 ± 0.36). However, the oviposition period of BWS (4.10 ± 0.70) and BW (4.30 ± 0.42) was longer than RRPW (5.40 ± 0.34). The fecundity of BWS (102.6 ± 38.85), BW (100.1 ± 39.45), and RRPW (39.1 ± 28.33) and longevity of both sexes of Rhynchophorus were significantly different among the morphotypes (Tables 4 and 5 ). All of the morphometric variables did not correlate with each other, indicating that they are independent (Table 6 ). Table 4 Means weight of identified adult morphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana. Morphotypes Male weight (g) Female weight (g) BWS 1.06 ± 0.50 a 1.07 ± 0.49 a BW 1.04 ± 0.41 a 1.06 ± 0.47 a RRW 0.67 ± 0.39 b 0.88 ± 0.42 b F (2, 98) 20.16 13.42 P value < 0.001 < 0.001 Rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant ( P < 0.005) difference between the morphotypes ( BWS, RRW, and BW). (N = 25) Table 5 Means parameters of identified adult morphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana. Species type Pre oviposition period (days) Oviposition period (days) Female Fecundity (FF) Female Longevity (FL) Male Longevity (ML) BWS 2.50 ± 0.48 a 4.10 ± 0.70 a 102.6 ± 38.85 a 43.6 ± 12.07 a 48.8 ± 12.27 a BW 2.70 ± 0.49 a 4.30 ± 0.42 a 100.1 ± 39.45 a 43.6 ± 12.10 a 48.4 ± 11.69 a RRW 3.60 ± 0.36 b 5.40 ± 0.34 b 39.1 ± 28.33 b 38.6 ± 9.21 b 40.4 ± 10.71 b F (2, 72) 65.59 76.92 24.07 0.24 1.06 P value < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001 Rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant ( P < 0.005) difference between the morphotypes ( BWS, RRW, and BW). (N = 25) Table 6 Correlation Matrix of Morphometric characteristics Based on the correlation matrix on morphometric characteristics, the observable pattern of all the variables did not correlate with each other. Therefore, we can summarise that all the variables are independent of the other. Morphometric characteristics Male abdominal length Male abdominal width Female abdominal length Female abdominal width Length of male rostrum Length of female rostrum Length of male pronotum Width of male pronotum Length of female pronotum Width of female pronotum Length of female ovipositor Female longevity Male longevity Male abdominal length 1 Male abdominal width 0.385 1 Female abdominal length 0.341 0.067 1 Female abdominal width 0.420 0.460 0.047 1 Length of a male rostrum -0.154 -0.101 0.047 -0.134 1 Length of a female rostrum 0.209 0.194 0.278 0.080 0.593 1 Length of male pronotum 0.017 0.219 -0.128 0.331 -0.058 0.075 1 Width of male pronotum 0.064 0.153 0.091 0.230 -0.047 0.066 0.682 1 Length of female pronotum 0.257 0.129 -0.138 0.122 0.107 0.162 0.257 0.056 1 Width of female pronotum 0.108 0.133 -0.025 -0.080 0.041 0.159 0.168 0.241 0.489 1 Length of female ovipositor 0.376 0.417 0.128 0.298 0.153 0.352 0.147 0.185 0.493 0.422 1 Female longevity 0.211 0.159 0.169 0.327 -0.114 0.021 0.022 0.088 0.032 0.042 0.058 1 Male longevity 0.268 0.064 0.146 0.146 0.196 0.194 0.026 0.085 0.272 0.166 0.233 0.249 1 Note. p < 0.00 Discussion Three morphotypes of Rhynchophorus were recorded in the Middle Belt and Southern Ghana with distinct morphological features. Interestingly, 15.2% of the morphotypes that emerged were grouped as RRW. This morphotypes had similar characteristics to R. ferrugineus morphotypes reported in Malta and Indonesia (Mizzi et al. ( 2009 ). Rhynchophorus ferrugineus species was reported in Eastern part of Asia (Wattanapongsiri 1966 ), Northern Africa (CABI 2019 ; Wattanapongsiri 1966 ), and Europe (Ul Hag et al. 2018) and Australia (Ul Hag et al. 2018) and later discovered in Western parts of Northern America in 2010 (Ul Hag et al. 2018). According to Cole ( 2009 ), R. ferrugineus was identified in Malta in 2007 whilst Mizzi et al. ( 2009 ) confirmed that 28% of the population was found in the same country. Despite what preceded in those countries, species such as R. ferrugineus and R. vulneratus are rare in West Africa, whilst Monzenga et al. (2017) reported a 100% incidence of R. phoenicis adults in Tshopo and Lubunga. Although the R. phoenicis reported by Monzenga et al. (2017) had some topologies similar to what was reported on R. vulneratus and R. ferrugineus , Wattanapongsiri ( 1966 ) concluded that the shape of R. vulneratus and R. ferrugineus pronota were more appropriate when differentiating the two species. Compared to R. ferrugineus , which has a pronotum and gular suture that is curved at the sides and has a more uniform anterior curve, R. vulneratus has a pronotum that is firm and narrowly curved anteriorly (Wattanapongsiri 1966 ). Furthermore, Monzenga et al. (2017) described R. phoenicis as having black body with two longitudinal stripes on the pronotum whilst Wattanapongsiri ( 1966 ) described R. vulneratus as a species having a black body without a longitudinal stripe on the pronotum. Mizzi et al. ( 2009 ) and Longo ( 2006 ) reported that R. ferrugineus has a reddish body with black spots on the pronotum, However, the description provided by Wattanapongsiri (1996), Monzenga et al. (2017), and Mizzi et al. ( 2009 ) and Longo ( 2006 ) were insufficient because Rhynchophorus species displayed high levels of polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity over a wide geographic range which resulted in taxonomic ambiguity (Lannino et al. 2016 ). According to the study on the taxonomy of Rhynchophorus species (Wattanapongsiri 1966 ), three species were recorded in Indonesia. Santosa (2016) and Sukirno et al. ( 2018 ) reported that there has been ambiguity regarding the identification of R. vulneratus in Indonesia and surrounding countries. For instance, in Malaysia, this taxon has occasionally been mistaken for R. ferrugineus and R. palmarum (Wattanapongsiri 1966 ). According to Whitman and Ananthrakrishnan (2009), this phenotypic plasticity describes changes in phenotypes and morphology caused by various environmental factors. The morphometrics of the pronotum, abdominal length, and width of both sexes of all morphotypes were significantly different. Contrarily, Monzenga et al. (2017) reported an insignificant difference between both sexes using the abdominal length and width of R. phoenicis. This could be attributed to the variations in the experimental population used for the study. The ovipositor of the morphotypes was significantly different ( P < 0.005 ) among morphotypes. The ovipositor of BWS and BW was longer than RRW. This could affect egg survivability as shorter ovipositors cannot bury eggs deeper into the substrates exposing them to external factors that may hamper their hatchability. The fecundity of BWS and BW morphotypes was superior to RRW, maturing and laying significant number of eggs within the duration of its life span under the same experimental conditions. This could be attributed to the fact that the BWS female morphotype were bigger than the females of RRW. This corroborates with the findings of Kaakeh ( 2005 ) who reported that bigger females with significant weight mature and lay more eggs than smaller females, irrespective of the experimental conditions. However, the longevity of females did not affect the fecundity of the identified species, buttressing the hypothesis by Kaakeh ( 2005 ) that a physiologically mature adult may not require several days to deposit all its eggs within its life cycle. Generally, morphometrics can be integrated into pest management a tool for monitoring and assessing the fecundity of the individual species in the field. The RRW and BW morphotypes differed from those reported by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana. The sector can take advantage of the lower fecundity of the RRW to manage and control the species to limit its infestation in Ghana. Morphometrics can be used as a continuous tool to identify genetic divergence among Rhynchophorus populations and provide evidence of adaptations and phenotypic variance in relation to environment and genetics. Furthermore, developing comprehensive predictive frameworks is a crucial and proactive approach to answering questions regarding the evolutionary outcomes of these morphotypes in agricultural environments. By putting such frameworks in place, we might be better equipped to predict and manage the effects of human interventions in agroecosystems that may lead to the evolution of new species. Declarations Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report that they have no conflict of interest. Authors Contribution JPA conceptualisation, writing first draft, and funding. SKD (formal analysis, conceptualised, methodology, and project management), AS (writing seconding draft and visualization), and DOO (writing second draft and visualization). Acknowledgment This research was financially supported by HEALTHYNSECT Project (DFC File No. 19-08-KU), DANIDA, and the University of Copenhagen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports Science. We are thankful to all who provided expertise that greatly assisted the research and improved the manuscript significantly. We thank Raphael Mongare for producing the distribution map of the sampling sites. Data availability Data will be available upon request References Abad RG, Bastian JSA, Catiempo RL, Salamanes ML, Nemenzo-Calica P, Rivera WL (2014) Molecular profiling of different morphotypes under the genus Rhynchophorus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Central and Southern Philippines. J. Entomol. Nematol (6): 122-133. Al-Ayedh H (2008) Evaluation of date palm cultivars for rearing the red date palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Fla Entomol 91: 353-358. 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Giblin-Davis RM, Faleiro JR, Jacas JA, Peña JE, Vidyasagar PSPV (2013) Biology and management of the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus In: Potential invasive pests of agricultural crops (eds Peña J. E.) CAB International, UFL, USA. 1-34. Girish V, Vijayalakshmi A (2004) Affordable image analysis using NIH Image/ImageJ. Indian J Cancer 41:1-47. Goolsby JA, DeBarro PJ, Makinson JR, Pemberton RW, Hartley DM, Frohlich DR (2006) Matching the origin of an invasive weed for selection of an herbivore haplotype for a biological control programme. Mol Ecol 15: 287-297. Gries G, Gries R, Perez AL, Gonzales LM, Pierce HD, Cameron Oehlschlager A, Kouame B (1994) Ethyl propionate: synergistic kairomone for African palm weevil, Rhynchophorus phoenicis F. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J Chem Ecol20:889-897. Hajibabaei M, Janzen DH, Burns JM, Hallwachs W, Hebert PD (2006) DNA barcodes distinguish species of tropical Lepidoptera. Proc Natl Acad Sci 103:968-971. Hallett RH, Crespi BJ, Borden JH (2004) Synonymy of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), 1790 and R. vulneratus (Panzer), 1798 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). J Nat Hist 38:2863-2882. Hoddle MS, Hoddle, CD (2011) Evaluation of three trapping strategies for red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Philippines. Pakistan Entomol 33: 77-80. Hodel DR, Marika MA, Ohara LM (2016) The South American palm weevil, a new threat to palms in California and the southwest. Palm Arboretum 3: 1-27. Kaakeh W (2005) Longevity, fecundity, and fertility of the red palm weevil, Rynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on natural and artificial diets. Emir J Food and Agric23-33. Kearse M, Moir R, Wilson A, Stones-Havas S, Cheung M, Sturrock S, Buxton S, Cooper A, Markowitz S, Duran C, Thierer T, Ashton B, Mentjies P, Drummond A (2012) Geneious Basic: an integrated and extendable desktop software platform for the organization and analysis of sequence data. Bioinform28:1647-1649. Lannino A, Sineo L, Bianco SL, Arizza V, Manachini B (2016) Chromosome studies in North-Western Sicily males of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus . Bulletin Insectol69: 239-247. Leonard A, Khamis FM, Egonyu JP, Kyamanywa S, Ekesi S, Tanga CM, Copeland RS, Subramanian S (2020) Identification of edible short-and long-horned grasshoppers and their host plants in East Africa. J Econ Entomol 113:2150-2162. Lohr B, Vásquez-Ordóñez AA, Lopez-Lavalle LAB (2015) Rhynchophorus palmarum in disguise: Undescribed polymorphism in the “black” palm weevil. PloS One 10: 1-14 . Longo S (2006) The Asian red palm weevil, a serious pest of Canary palm in Sicily. Informatore Fitopatol 56: 40-44. Martemyanov V, Bykov R, Demenkova M, Gninenko Y, Romancev S, Bolonin I, Ilinsky Y (2019) Genetic evidence of broad spreading of Lymantria dispar in the West Siberian Plain. PloS One 14: e0220954. Mizzi S, Dandria D, Mifsud D, Longo S (2009) The Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) in Malta (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea). Bull Entomol Soc Malta 2:111-121 Monzenga Lokela JC, Le Goff G, Bundo K, Hance T (2017) Influence of substrates on the rearing success of Rhynchophorus phoenicis (Fabricius). African J Food Sci 81-7. Quaye B, Atuahene CC, Opoku O, Adjei MB, Adu MA (2018) Preliminary study to evaluate the rate of emergence of adult African palm weevils ( Rhynchophorus phoenicis ) on different substrates. Ghana J Anim Sci 9 Rugman-Jones PF, Hoddle CD, Hoddle MS, Stouthamer R (2013) The lesser of two weevils: molecular genetics of pest palm weevil populations confirm Rhynchophorus vulneratus (Panzer 1798) as a valid species distinct from R. ferrugineus (Olivier 1790) and reveal the global extent of both. PloS one 8: e78379. Sukirno S, Tufail M, Rasool KG, Aldawood AS (2018) Palm weevil diversity in Indonesia: description of phenotypic variability in asiatic palm weevil, Rhynchophorus vulneratus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J Entomol Res Soc 20(3): 01-22. Tambe JT, Riolo P, Okolle JN, Isidoro N, Fanciulli PP, Dallai R (2013) Sexual size differences and colour polymorphism of Rhynchophorus phoenicis in the south west region of Cameroon. Bull Insectol66: 153-159. Théry M, Pincebourde S, Feer F (2008) Dusk light environment optimizes visual perception of conspecifics in a crepuscular horned beetle. Behav Ecol 19: 627-634 . Turner JRG (2005) Encyclopedia of life sciences (JANSSON R., Ed . ) . John Wiley and Sons Ltd., Chichester, UK Ul Haq I, Shams S, Khan S, Khan A, Hameed A (2018) A novel report on morphological study of red palm weevil ( Rhynchophorus ferrugineus ) from district Bannu KPK, Pakistan, Cogent food agric 4: 1425117. van Huis A (2021) Cultural significance of beetles in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Insects 12 - 368 Vyacheslav M, Roman B, Marya D, Yuri G, Sergei R, Ivan B, Yury I (2019) Genetic evidence of broad spreading of Lymantria dispar in the West Siberian Plain. PLoS One 14(8): e0220954. Wattanapongsiri A (1966) A revision to the genera Rhynchophorus and Dynamis ( Coleoptera:Curculionidae). PhD, Oregon State University. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in International Journal of Tropical Insect Science → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revisions 21 Oct, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Sep, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 31 Aug, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 20 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 17 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4919892","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":347794948,"identity":"acf29b32-e383-4530-99bf-30e88e047136","order_by":0,"name":"Jacob Anankware","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Energy and Natural Resources School of Natural Resources","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jacob","middleName":"","lastName":"Anankware","suffix":""},{"id":347794949,"identity":"86823a90-e744-4742-af46-ea81e73a57bc","order_by":1,"name":"Shadrack Debrah","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCTBiMGA4wMPAwNhgA2QzNh4gRUsaSEsDSVoOgwXxapGf3fzwdkWNnTHf8d5jH37uOG+3tv0w0JYam2hcWgzuHDO2PHMs2UzyzLnkmb1nbidvO5MI1HIsLbcBlxaJBDPJBrYDNgY3cowZeNtuJ5sdAGoBuhCnFvkZ6d8kG/4Btdx/Y8z4t+1cstn5h/i1MNzIMZNsbDtgZnCDx5iZt+2AndkNArYA3VNs2diXbCx5Ji+ZWbYtOcHsBtCWBDx+ATps482Gb3aGfcfPHmZ822Znb3Y+/eGDDzU2uB2GDhLBKhOIVQ4C9qQoHgWjYBSMgpEBAPxYaS9NTRkMAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7244-9825","institution":"University of Energy and Natural Resources","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shadrack","middleName":"","lastName":"Debrah","suffix":""},{"id":347794950,"identity":"f4fbfa5a-3d46-426e-b1d8-b0944251793b","order_by":2,"name":"Shadrack Asomah","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Energy and Natural Resources School of Natural Resources","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shadrack","middleName":"","lastName":"Asomah","suffix":""},{"id":347794951,"identity":"b35dc894-224b-4c57-b763-da0b617485a1","order_by":3,"name":"James Egonyu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ICIPE: International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"James","middleName":"","lastName":"Egonyu","suffix":""},{"id":347794952,"identity":"d6dbf1d6-1655-4490-a4c8-84edb2fdd445","order_by":4,"name":"Daniel Obeng-Ofori","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Catholic University of Taegu-Hyosung: Daegu Catholic University","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Daniel","middleName":"","lastName":"Obeng-Ofori","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-08-15 14:29:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4919892/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4919892/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-025-01458-y","type":"published","date":"2025-03-06T15:57:12+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":65677719,"identity":"31082b16-44ee-41a4-a5da-8738243a4f26","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 08:18:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":95945,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAreas where the different \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis \u003c/em\u003emorphotypeswere sampled in Ghana. BW and BWS were present in all sampling sites; whereas RRW was detected in all sampling sites except Kobedi, Nsuta and Tanoso in Middle Belt.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4919892/v1/f487218793e6ab557a6df9b0.jpg"},{"id":65677718,"identity":"2ef6db04-5f25-4adb-9819-b520fafa24a5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 08:18:45","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":19482,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of the three \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis \u003c/em\u003emorphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana. A– BWS black with two longitudinal red stripes on the pronotum, B – RRW rusty red with two black spots on the pronotum. C- BW black without longitudinal red stripes on the pronotum.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4919892/v1/5b6a1fe5f371b0e06ca29169.jpg"},{"id":78183772,"identity":"698f79e4-16b4-48fd-be2d-83839373cfd7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-10 18:18:22","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1400133,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4919892/v1/35e456c7-db57-4341-af9e-b4810a39ae4c.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Morphometrics and reproductive parameters of Rhynchophorus morphotypes(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species are major pests of palm across many countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, infesting over twenty palm tree species belonging to sixteen different genera (Egonyu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Nine \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species are highly destructive to palm plantations worldwide (Giblin-Davis et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Among the nine species, \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e which is endemic in South-Eastern Asia has spread to North Africa due to the exchange of host planting materials between research institutions during the last two decades (Rugman-Jones et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to Rugman-Jones et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), R. \u003cem\u003eferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e has been recorded in Egypt, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and several states in Malaysia. In contrast, \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. palmarum\u003c/em\u003e are the dominant species in West Africa and South America, respectively (Egonyu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). In Ghana, research on \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species is still at the infant stage (; Debrah \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Anankware et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Quaye et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Debrah et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Anankware et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, studies on diversity among and within \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species in Ghana are lacking because there are insufficient publications describing the pest status of any morphotypes in the last decade (CABI \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Three \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species; \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis, R. quadrangulus\u003c/em\u003e (Chebbi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; CABI \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), and \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e (Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e) have been recorded in Africa. In June 2021, CABI\u0026rsquo;s participatory rural approach (PRA, number P05557) speculated about the accidental introduction of \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e in Ghana with a high degree of infestation to palm plantations in Southern Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, identifying \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species using colour characteristics of a rusty red and black body with a high variability in the case of \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e was inconclusive in the case of \u003cem\u003eR. palmarum\u003c/em\u003e in Colombia (Lohr et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Although previous studies by Rugman-Jones et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) found a wide range of phenotypic variations in \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e, the use of colour without the typologies and morphometrics may not aid the descriptions within or among the species. Several functions have been assigned to insect coloration, including regulation of body temperature (Forsman et al. 2002), mimicry (Turner \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e), success in mate choice (Breuker and Brakefield \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e), and habitat choice can drive the evolution of body coloration patterns to optimize detection by conspecifics (Th\u0026eacute;ry et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMorphometrics of the species is highly recommended for efficient morphological descriptions of insects (Leonard et al. 2021). Additionally, it is crucial to differentiate between local species and those that are obtrusive, and this might be done by employing morphological description. Although, \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e have been observed in Southern Ghana, the detailed fecundity and the life history parameters of the morphotypes within the species have not also been reported in Ghana. This invasive species has over the years threatened the coconut and other palm trees, which are key economic growth drivers in Ghana especially among the rural folks (Egonyu et al. 2022). In the current study, \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes were described using morphometrics, and the life history parameters were assessed on peel sugarcane under laboratory conditions. The study aimed to morphologically describe \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species and assessed the reproductive performance of each group.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eInsect sampling\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species were sampled from the Middle belt (Kobedi, Diabaa, Asuhyiae, Nsuta, Tanoso, Bomaa, and Akrodie) and Southern Ghana (Fumesua, Kubease, and Donyina) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e and Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). These areas were selected based on the availability of palm weevil host plants; oil palm (\u003cem\u003eElaeis guineensis\u003c/em\u003e Jacq.), date palm (\u003cem\u003ePhoenix dactylifera\u003c/em\u003e L.), raffia palm (\u003cem\u003eRaphia spp\u003c/em\u003e.), and coconut palm (\u003cem\u003eCocos nucifera\u003c/em\u003e L.) (Gries et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e; Bong et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). The annual mean temperature of these selected areas ranges from 25 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC to 29 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC throughout the year. These areas lie in the forest vegetation zone with annual rainfall of 2,000 mm (\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.fao.org/3/ab567e/AB567E02.htm\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.fao.org/3/ab567e/AB567E02.htm\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1: Morphotypes of \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"594\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudy area\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLocations\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRRW\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 150px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBWS\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 144px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBW\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"8\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMiddle belt\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e%\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e% s\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e%\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eKobedi\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e108\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNsuta\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e112\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTanoso\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e85.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBomaa\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e73.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAkrodie\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDiabaa\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Asuhyiae\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSouthern Ghana\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Fumesua\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Asotwe\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDonyina\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 168px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal Average\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e15.2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e66.2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;18.7\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). (N= 25) (N= 893)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eExperimental conditions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe larvae were inoculated at a constant temperature (28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2\u0026deg;C) and relative humidity RH (70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5%) with a photoperiod of (L: D) 12: 12 h.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLarval culturing\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne thousand and two hundred larvae were sourced from infested palm trunks from palm plantations site in the middle belt and Southern Ghana. The larvae were collected from the field during the major rainy season between June to July 2020 when there was a high incidence of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species. The larvae were inoculated in plastic containers measuring 8 cm \u0026times;5 cm (width \u0026times; height) with four half pieces of coconut coir measuring (4 cm \u0026times; 5cm) (width \u0026times; height). The containers were covered with nylon cloth and tightened with rope and rubber bands. The inoculated containers were tagged with the respective names of the locations where the larvae were sourced. The cocoons were sorted thirteen days after larval inoculation. The sorted cocoons were placed in an airtight black polyethylene bag to provide a stable temperature and humidity to enhance adult emergence.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eIdentification of the morphotypes\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe adults that emerged were separated based on the colour phenotypes and pronotal marking pattern. They were designated into colour phenotypes as described by, and Wattanapongsiri (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e)\u0026rsquo;Ditjenbun (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) and Monzenga et al. (2017): rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with a red stripe on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The diversity of pronotal marking patterns of all the adults that emerged was observed, and the pattern types were recorded. Percentage incidences of pronotal marking were recorded to determine the diversity of different \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes in the various locations (Mizzi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Tambe et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Ul Hag et al. 2018). The differences in typologies on the protonum of the identified morphotypes were recorded (Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e; Mizzi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Tambe et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Ul Hag et al. 2018). The adults that emerged were sexed into males and females based on the presence of setae on the frontal part of the male\u0026rsquo;s rostrum, which is absent in the females (Al-ayedh \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). The geographical positioning system (GPS) data were collected from the study sites using Geographical Information System (GIS) software version 10.3 and used to construct the distribution map (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMorphometrics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFifty pairs of each identified \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes were sampled for morphological descriptions. The adults were killed by freezing and were mounted by direct pinning to measure the different body parts. The adults\u0026rsquo; body parts were measured in millimetres using Image J software and a rule (Girish and Vijayalakshmi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). Morphological characteristics included male abdominal length, male abdominal width, female abdominal length, female abdominal width, length of male\u0026rsquo;s rostrum, length of the female\u0026rsquo;s rostrum, length of the male\u0026rsquo;s pronotum, the width of the male\u0026rsquo;s pronotum, length of the female\u0026rsquo;s pronotum, the width of the female\u0026rsquo;s pronotum, and length of the female\u0026rsquo;s ovipositor of the identified morphotypes were studied for morphometric differences.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvaluation of fecundity of identified morphotypes\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwenty-five pairs of each identified \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotype were cultured at the insectary. Peeled sugarcane measuring 5 cm in length was soaked in water for three days to increase the moisture content. The soaked peeled sugarcane pieces were removed from the water and placed in a sieve for excess water to drain. The adults were separated into males and females based on the presence of setae on the frontal part of the male\u0026rsquo;s rostrum which is absent in the females (Al-ayedh \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). A one-day old adult pair (a male and a female) was placed in different containers (3 cm \u0026times; 5 cm) (width \u0026times; height) with well-drained sugarcane measuring 5 cm for oviposition. The eggs were counted by splitting the oviposited sugarcane and removing the eggs using a camel hair brush. New substrates were replaced for the female to continue laying till it died. Pre-oviposition duration, oviposition duration, fecundity, and male and female longevity were recorded for each morphotype. Pre-oviposition was calculated as the days elapsed before the first egg was laid. Oviposition duration was calculated as the days elapsed between pre-oviposition and the last day the female egg was laid. Female fecundity was calculated as the total number of eggs laid whiles male and female longevity was calculated as the days elapsed from emergence to the day the mortality of the adults was recorded.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe statistical analysis of the studied parameters was carried out using Genstat software (version 2018) for the analysis of variance (ANOVA), and general linear model procedure (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.005). Tukey\u0026rsquo;s test of significance difference was used to separate the means.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eCharacteristics of identified\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003emorphotypes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the total of one thousand and two hundred larvae that were inoculated, eight hundred and ninety-three adults emerged from the cocoons. Using the morphological description keys of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species; three morphotypes with distinct morphological features were identified in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana: These were black weevil with longitudinal red stripes on the pronotum (BWS; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA), rusty- red weevil with two black spots on the pronotum (RRW; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eB) and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe on the pronotum (BW; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC) based on the previous morphological identification of species by Wattanapongsiri (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e); Ditjenbun (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) and Mozenga et al. (2017). Phenotypic colour variation of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species was recorded in both study areas. The morphotype of RRW populations were recorded in Bomaa, Akrodie, Diabaa, Asuhyiae, Fumesua, Asotwe, and Donyina whilst BWS and BW morphotypes were recorded in all the locations in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eComposition of the different\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eRhynchophoru\u003c/b\u003e\u003cem\u003es\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003emorphotypes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf the total of eight hundred and ninety-three adults that emerged comprising three \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes, 66.2% were categorised as BWS, 15.2% of the population were RRW whilst 18.7% were grouped as BW (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Southern Ghana recorded the highest RRW frequency with a mean of 22.16% whilst 8.14% were captured in the Middle belt. The BWS morphotype was the dominant species in Southern Ghana and Middle Belt with a mean population of 77.2% and 55.2%, respectively. Furthermore, the three morphotypes of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e were found in both sexes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorphometrics of identified\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003emorphotypes\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTables\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e indicated eleven morphometric characteristics with means and standard deviation of the identified morphotypes. All the measured body parts of the morphotypes showed significant differences, except the length of the male\u0026rsquo;s rostrum. The morphometric analyses indicated that ten characteristics could potentially be useful for the separation of the \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes. Among the morphotypes recorded, there was a variation in the pronotal markings on the pronotum of all morphotypes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Within each lineage, there were no differences between males and females in terms of the pronotal markings recorded on the pronotum of the three morphotypes, Females from lineage BWS and BW were bigger than those from RRW.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean dimensions (mm) of identified male adults of the different morphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies type\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale Abdominal length\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale Abdominal width\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of male\u0026rsquo;s rostrum\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of male\u0026rsquo;s pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth of male\u0026rsquo;s pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBWS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.76\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.22\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.90\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.88\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.83\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.57\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.77\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.91\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.86\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.78\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRRW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.09\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.73\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.88\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.65\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003csub\u003e(2, 98)\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e97.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.055\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eRusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.005) difference between the morphotypes \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eBWS, RRW, and BW). (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;50)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean dimensions (mm) of identified female adults of the different morphotypes in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMorphotypes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale Abdominal\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAbdominal\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003erostrum\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female\u0026rsquo;s pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth of female\u0026rsquo;s pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female\u0026rsquo;s ovipositor\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(mm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBWS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.10\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.87\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.61\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.09\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.90\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.76\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.81\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.54\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRRW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.81\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.93\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.84\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.75\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.45\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.34\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003csub\u003e(2, 98)\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003eRusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.005) difference between the morphotypes \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eBWS, RRW, and BW). (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;50)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eReproductive parameters of the identified morphotypes\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pre-oviposition period of BWS (2.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.48) and BW (2.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49) was significantly shorter than RRPW (3.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36). However, the oviposition period of BWS (4.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.70) and BW (4.30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42) was longer than RRPW (5.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.34). The fecundity of BWS (102.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;38.85), BW (100.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;39.45), and RRPW (39.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;28.33) and longevity of both sexes of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e were significantly different among the morphotypes (Tables\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). All of the morphometric variables did not correlate with each other, indicating that they are independent (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeans weight of identified adult morphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMorphotypes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale weight\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(g)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale weight\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(g)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBWS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.50\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.41\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.47\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRRW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.39\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003csub\u003e(2, 98)\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eRusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.005) difference between the morphotypes \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eBWS, RRW, and BW). (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;25)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeans parameters of identified adult morphotypes recorded in the Middle belt and Southern Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies type\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePre oviposition period (days)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOviposition period (days)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFecundity (FF)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale Longevity\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(FL)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale Longevity\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(ML)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBWS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.48\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.70\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e102.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;38.85\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.07\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.27\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;39.45\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.10\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.69\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRRW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.34\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;28.33\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.21\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.71\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003csub\u003e(2, 72)\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eRusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). Means with different superscripts in the column showed a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.005) difference between the morphotypes \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eBWS, RRW, and BW). (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;25)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorrelation Matrix of Morphometric characteristics\u003c/b\u003e Based on the correlation matrix on morphometric characteristics, the observable pattern of all the variables did not correlate with each other. Therefore, we can summarise that all the variables are independent of the other.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"14\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c13\" colnum=\"13\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c14\" colnum=\"14\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMorphometric characteristics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale abdominal length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale abdominal width\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale abdominal length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale abdominal width\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of male rostrum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female rostrum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of male pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth of male pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth of female pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female ovipositor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale longevity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale longevity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale abdominal length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale abdominal width\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.385\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale abdominal length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.341\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.067\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale abdominal width\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.420\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.460\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of a male rostrum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.154\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.101\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.134\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of a female rostrum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.209\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.194\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.278\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.080\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.593\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of male pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.017\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.219\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.128\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.331\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.058\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.075\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth of male pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.153\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.091\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.230\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.066\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.682\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.257\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.138\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.122\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.107\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.162\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.257\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.056\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidth of female pronotum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.108\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.133\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.080\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.159\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.168\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.241\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.489\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLength of female ovipositor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.376\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.417\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.128\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.298\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.153\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.352\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.147\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.185\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.493\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.422\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale longevity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.211\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.159\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.169\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.327\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.088\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.058\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale longevity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.268\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.146\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.146\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.196\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.194\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.085\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.272\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.166\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.233\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.249\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c14\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"14\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote. p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThree morphotypes of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e were recorded in the Middle Belt and Southern Ghana with distinct morphological features. Interestingly, 15.2% of the morphotypes that emerged were grouped as RRW. This morphotypes had similar characteristics to \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes reported in Malta and Indonesia (Mizzi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e species was reported in Eastern part of Asia (Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e), Northern Africa (CABI \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e), and Europe (Ul Hag et al. 2018) and Australia (Ul Hag et al. 2018) and later discovered in Western parts of Northern America in 2010 (Ul Hag et al. 2018). According to Cole (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e), \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e was identified in Malta in 2007 whilst Mizzi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) confirmed that 28% of the population was found in the same country. Despite what preceded in those countries, species such as \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. vulneratus\u003c/em\u003e are rare in West Africa, whilst Monzenga et al. (2017) reported a 100% incidence of \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e adults in Tshopo and Lubunga. Although the \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e reported by Monzenga et al. (2017) had some topologies similar to what was reported on \u003cem\u003eR. vulneratus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e, Wattanapongsiri (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e) concluded that the shape of \u003cem\u003eR. vulneratus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e pronota were more appropriate when differentiating the two species. Compared to \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e, which has a pronotum and gular suture that is curved at the sides and has a more uniform anterior curve, \u003cem\u003eR. vulneratus\u003c/em\u003e has a pronotum that is firm and narrowly curved anteriorly (Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, Monzenga et al. (2017) described \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis\u003c/em\u003e as having black body with two longitudinal stripes on the pronotum whilst Wattanapongsiri (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e) described \u003cem\u003eR. vulneratus\u003c/em\u003e as a species having a black body without a longitudinal stripe on the pronotum. Mizzi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) and Longo (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e) reported that \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e has a reddish body with black spots on the pronotum, However, the description provided by Wattanapongsiri (1996), Monzenga et al. (2017), and Mizzi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) and Longo (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e) were insufficient because \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species displayed high levels of polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity over a wide geographic range which resulted in taxonomic ambiguity (Lannino et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the study on the taxonomy of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species (Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e), three species were recorded in Indonesia. Santosa (2016) and Sukirno et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) reported that there has been ambiguity regarding the identification of \u003cem\u003eR. vulneratus\u003c/em\u003e in Indonesia and surrounding countries. For instance, in Malaysia, this taxon has occasionally been mistaken for \u003cem\u003eR. ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eR. palmarum\u003c/em\u003e (Wattanapongsiri \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1966\u003c/span\u003e). According to Whitman and Ananthrakrishnan (2009), this phenotypic plasticity describes changes in phenotypes and morphology caused by various environmental factors.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe morphometrics of the pronotum, abdominal length, and width of both sexes of all morphotypes were significantly different. Contrarily, Monzenga et al. (2017) reported an insignificant difference between both sexes using the abdominal length and width of \u003cem\u003eR. phoenicis.\u003c/em\u003e This could be attributed to the variations in the experimental population used for the study. The ovipositor of the morphotypes was significantly different (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.005\u003c/em\u003e) among morphotypes. The ovipositor of BWS and BW was longer than RRW. This could affect egg survivability as shorter ovipositors cannot bury eggs deeper into the substrates exposing them to external factors that may hamper their hatchability. The fecundity of BWS and BW morphotypes was superior to RRW, maturing and laying significant number of eggs within the duration of its life span under the same experimental conditions. This could be attributed to the fact that the BWS female morphotype were bigger than the females of RRW. This corroborates with the findings of Kaakeh (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e) who reported that bigger females with significant weight mature and lay more eggs than smaller females, irrespective of the experimental conditions. However, the longevity of females did not affect the fecundity of the identified species, buttressing the hypothesis by Kaakeh (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e) that a physiologically mature adult may not require several days to deposit all its eggs within its life cycle.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGenerally, morphometrics can be integrated into pest management a tool for monitoring and assessing the fecundity of the individual species in the field. The RRW and BW morphotypes differed from those reported by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana. The sector can take advantage of the lower fecundity of the RRW to manage and control the species to limit its infestation in Ghana. Morphometrics can be used as a continuous tool to identify genetic divergence among \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e populations and provide evidence of adaptations and phenotypic variance in relation to environment and genetics. Furthermore, developing comprehensive predictive frameworks is a crucial and proactive approach to answering questions regarding the evolutionary outcomes of these morphotypes in agricultural environments. By putting such frameworks in place, we might be better equipped to predict and manage the effects of human interventions in agroecosystems that may lead to the evolution of new species.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDeclaration of Competing Interest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors report that they have no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthors Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eJPA conceptualisation, writing first draft, and funding. SKD (formal analysis, conceptualised, methodology, and project management), AS (writing seconding draft and visualization), and DOO (writing second draft and visualization).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis research was financially supported by HEALTHYNSECT Project (DFC File No. 19-08-KU), DANIDA, and the University of Copenhagen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports Science. We are thankful to all who provided expertise that greatly assisted the research and improved the manuscript significantly. We thank Raphael Mongare for producing the distribution map of the sampling sites.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData availability\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData will be available upon request\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbad RG, Bastian JSA, Catiempo RL, Salamanes ML, Nemenzo-Calica P, Rivera WL (2014) Molecular profiling of different morphotypes under the genus \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Central and Southern Philippines. J. Entomol. Nematol (6): 122-133.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAl-Ayedh H (2008) Evaluation of date palm cultivars for rearing the red date palm weevil, \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus ferrugineus\u003c/em\u003e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). 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PLoS One 14(8): e0220954.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWattanapongsiri A (1966) A revision to the genera\u003cem\u003e Rhynchophorus \u003c/em\u003eand Dynamis\u003cem\u003e (\u003c/em\u003eColeoptera:Curculionidae). PhD, Oregon State University.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jtis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Tropical Insect Science](http://link.springer.com/journal/42690)","snPcode":"42690","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jtis/default2.aspx","title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Rhynchophorus species, fecundity, pronotum spots, morphotype","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4919892/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4919892/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePalm weevils are widely distributed throughout Ghana causing severe economic injuries to palm plantations. However, the description and categorisation of palm weevil species based on the morphology in Ghana are lacking. This study sought to identify and determine the morphometrics and reproductive parameters of different \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes in Ghana. One thousand and two hundred (1200) larvae each weighing 5 grams were collected by handpicking from infested palm trunks from palm plantation site in the Middle Belt (Kobedi, Diabaa, Asuhyiae, Nsuta, Tanoso, Bomaa, and Akrodie) and Southern Ghana (Fumesua, Kubease, and Donyina). These larvae were allowed to cocoon and pupate, and the adults that emerged were described and categorised into different morphotypes using morphological description keys of \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e species. Three \u003cem\u003eRhynchophorus\u003c/em\u003e morphotypes were identified and described; rusty red weevil with black spots on the pronotum (RRW), black weevil with two red stripes on the pronotum (BWS), and black weevil without a longitudinal stripe pronotum (BW). The fecundity and female longevity of morphotypes of BWS (FF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;102.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;38.85, FL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;43.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.07) and BW (FF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;100.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;39.45, FL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;43.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.10) were superior to mature RRW female morphotype (FF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;39.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;28.33, FL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;38.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.21). The RRW morphotype may require more generations to adapt to the conditions in Ghana to improve on its life history parameters. The lowest fecundity of the RRW morphotype could be an advantage to limiting its spread across palm plantation sites in Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Morphometrics and reproductive parameters of Rhynchophorus morphotypes(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-10-01 08:18:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4919892/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major revisions","date":"2024-10-21T17:01:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2024-09-03T01:00:56+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-08-31T20:41:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-08-20T07:03:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","date":"2024-08-17T09:20:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jtis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Tropical Insect Science](http://link.springer.com/journal/42690)","snPcode":"42690","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jtis/default2.aspx","title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"68cd79c7-f072-4300-b759-dd64b2384925","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 1st, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-03-10T17:46:46+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4919892","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-025-01458-y","journal":{"identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isVorOnly":false,"title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science"},"publishedOn":"2025-03-06 15:57:12","publishedOnDateReadable":"March 6th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-10-01 08:18:41","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s42690-025-01458-y","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-025-01458-y","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4919892","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4919892","identity":"rs-4919892","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"cTy_lsJlmDsVRNrSptgXS","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}