Tracking biosecurity threats with publicly available photos: A case of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

The coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, (CRB) is a major pest of coconut and oil palms that causes significant damage in the Asia/Pacific region. Traditional methods for surveillance and detection of CRB involve in-person inspections, but these are expensive to carry out and were made impossible by travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, a method to remotely detect possible CRB incursions and assess damage levels using publicly available photos from the Google search engine is described. The method involves searching for pictures of palms and identifying those with the distinctive V-shaped cuts in fronds characteristic of CRB feeding. The method was validated by examining palm photos from known outbreak areas and those free from the pest. In addition, we found evidence of CRB damage in the previously unreported sites of Timor Leste and Mexico; and possible evidence of CRB in the Solomon Islands even before it was first reported in 2015. Potential limitations and broader applications of this approach are also discussed.