Members of the Old World hispine tribe, Coelaenomenoderini, are documented on host plants of Arecaceae, Cyperaceae, and Zingiberales. A few species are renowned pests of oil palm, especially in Africa. The host plants and natural history of Javeta
pallida Baly, 1858, the only Indian species of the tribe, is reported for the first time. These beetles can densely infest indigenous wild date palms, Phoenix
sylvestris (L.) Roxb. (Arecaceae), and also use the introduced date palm, Phoenix
dactylifera L., which is an expanding crop in India. Javeta females lay single eggs and cover each with an ootheca. All larval stages mine the leaves and pupation occurs within the larval mine. Adults are exophagous, leaving linear feeding trenches. Natural and induced infestations of Javeta
pallida on these two palms were observed and the potential of Javeta
pallida as a pest of date palm in India is discussed. Javeta
pallida completed development on Phoenix palms in 52–88 days (mean 66.38 days) with egg period 11–15 days (mean 12.8 days), larval period 21–54 days (mean 33.02 days) and pupal period 17–23 days (mean 20.52 days). Elasmus
longiventris Verma and Hayat and Pediobius
imbreus Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitize the larva and pupa of Javeta
pallida.