LIFE HISTORY of CHIONAEMA COCCINAE RECORDED from DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND Parthasasrthy, N., and Sethi, P

644 The Indian Forester [July Indian Forester, 139 (7) : 645-647, 2013 ISSN No. 0019-4816 (Print) http://www.indianforester.co.in ISSN No. 2321-094X (Online) Nilsson, C., and Grelsson, G. (1995). The fragility of ecosystems: a review. Journal of Applied Ecology, 32: 677–692. LIFE HISTORY OF CHIONAEMA COCCINAE RECORDED FROM DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND Parthasasrthy, N., and Sethi, P. (1997). Trees and lianas species diversity and population structure in a tropical dry evergreen forest in south India, Tropical Ecology, 38: 19–30. ABESH KUMAR SANYAL, V.P. UNIYAL* AND KAILASH CHANDRA1 Pauline, R., Sundarapandian, S., Chandrasekaran, S., Swamy, P.S., and Rajan, P. (1996). Vegetation structure and regeneration potential of a deciduous forest at Alagar Hills Madurai, Environmental Ecology, 14: 182–188. Wildlife Institute of India, P.O. Box-18, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248 001, Rai, S.N. (1985). Effect of biotic pressure on regeneration and composition of moist deciduous forests in Karnataka. Van Vigyan, 23: 13–22. Uttarakhand, India ([email protected]) Sabogal, C. and Valerio, L. (1998). Forest composition, structure and regeneration in a dry forest of the Nicaraguan pacific coast. In: Forest *Email: [email protected] Biodiversity in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean: Research and Monitoring. (Dallimeier, F., Comiskey, J.A., Eds.), The Parthenon Publishing Group, New York, pp. 187–212. ABSTRACT Sahu, P.K., Sagar, R., and Singh, J.S. (2008). Tropical forest structure and diversityin relation to altitude and disturbance in a Biosphere Life history stages of the Arctiid moth Chinaema coccinae, Moore, 1878 (Subfamily Lithosiinae) were recorded in reserve in Central India. Applied Vegetation Science, 11: 461-470. Wildlife Institute of India campus, Dehradun. Larva, pupa and cocoon structure along with male female dimorphism Sankar, K. (1994). Painted Spurfowl Galloperdix lunulata Valeciennes Sariska National Park, Rajasthan. Journal of Bombay Natural History were described. The cocoon along with the pupa were kept upto emergence of the adult to confirm species Society, 90(2): 289 identification. Sankar, K., and Qureshi, Q. (2009). Annual Report, Sariska National Park: 48-57 Key Words: Cyana, Larva, Cocoon, Host plant, Moth, Life cycle Sankar, K., Qureshi Q., Nigam, P., Malik, P.K., Sinha, P.R., Mehrotra, R.N., Gopal, R., Bhattacharjee, S., Mondal, K., and Gupta, S. (2010). Monitoring of reintroduced tigers in Sariska National Park, Western India: preliminary findings on home range, prey selection and Introduction as the host-plant, e.g. perhaps many of the records in food habits. Tropical Conservation Science, 3 (3): 301-318. Members of the genus Chionaema Older name: Yunus and Ho (1980) and Zhang (1994). But it is apparent Saravanan, S.S. (2004). Wildlife Techniques Tour Journal, Wildlife Institute of India, pp. 3 -9. Cyana (Order: Lepidoptera, Suborder: Heterocera, (Common, 1990) that feeding on higher plants is rare in Selvan, K.M., (2006). Studies on the patterns of abundance and diversity of the bird community of Southern Western Ghats, Kerela, M. Sc. Family: Arctiidae, Subfamily: Lithosiinae) belong to the the group, but noted particularly in the species C. Dissertation, pp. 44 - 45. tribe Nudariini (Holloway, 2001) and are represented by coccinae where four species of trees are recorded as its’ Shahabuddin, G., and Kumar, R., (2006). Influence of anthropogenic disturbance on bird communities in a tropical dry forest: role of twenty-two species in Indian subregion (Hampson, larval host plants from India (Robinson et al., 2010): vegetation structure, Animal conservation 9, The Zoological Society of London: 404 - 413. 1894). The species C. coccinae Moore, has been recorded Camellia sinensis (Theaceae), Dalbergia sissoo Shi, H. and Singh, A. (2002). An assessment of biodiversity hotspots using Remote Sensing and GIS. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote from Sikkim and Western Himalaya within Indian (Leguminosae), Shorea robusta (Dipterocarpaceae) and Sensing, 30(1 and 2): 105-112. subregion. Outside India, it is recorded from Nepal, Tectona grandis (Verbenaceae), where withered or living Shibuya, M., Yajima, T., Kawai, Y., Watanabe, N. and Nishikawa, K., (1997). Recovery process and dynamics of the number of stems of major China, Thailand and Vietnam. The species is around 53 foliage may be eaten. So far there were no records about tree species in a deciduous broad leaved forest in the 40 years after a large scaledisturbance by a typhoon. Journal of the Japanese mm in size, head and collar ochreous, the latter fringed larval morphology or other life history stages of this Forest Society, 79: 195–201. with crimson; thorax and abdomen crimson; the anal tuft species. Nor this species were recorded in very large scale Simpson, G.G., (1964). Species diversity of North American recent mammals. Systematic Zoology, 13: 57–73. ochreous. Wings are dark crimson; forewing with some from Sal forest elsewhere. In the month of September Singh, K.P., and Misra, R., (1978). Structure and Functioning of Natural, Modified and Silvicultural Ecosystems in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Final black subbasal specks; a broad excurved antemedial and October, 2011 this species was observed in profusion Technical Report (1975–1978). band; an incurved submarginal band with dentate outer around Dehradun, Uttarakhand, emerging from eggs Singh, L., Singh, K.P., and Singh, J.S. (1992). Biomass, productivity and nutrient cycling in four contrasting forest ecosystems in India. In: edge. In the male, presence of some sort of secondary deposited previous year. Tropical Ecosystems: Ecology and Management. (Singh, K.P., Singh, J.S., Eds.), Wiley Eastern Limited, New Delhi, pp. 415–430. sexual feature between the discal part of the cell and the Material and Methods Smith, I.K. and Vankat, J.L., (1992). Dry evergreen forest (Coppice) communities of North Andros Island Bahamas. Bulletin of Torrey Botanical Club, 119: 181–191. costa is perhaps the most consistent feature for the The measurement of larva, pupa and adult moth genus. Strong transverse red, orange or yellow fasciation Yadav, A.S., and Gupta, S.K., (2006). Effect of micro-environment and human disturbance on the diversity of woody species in the Sariska were taken by Vernier callipers with inch and millimetre Tiger Project in India. to the forewings and spotting in the discal area is also graduations. The adult, larval and pupal morphology part of the generic ground plan. In C. coccinae, males are were observed under light microscope (Olympus, Japan). with three black spots in the cell and female with two. Results and Discussion There is also considerable size difference between male and female, with the females slightly larger in size and In the late August, 2011 millions of caterpillar of colour little lighter. The larvae of the genus Cyana have Chionaema coccinae were observed descending to the mostly been recorded as feeding on most groups of lower ground with the aid of some long threads of silk from plants: lichens, algae, mosses and liverworts (Holloway, overhanging tree branches of sal (Shorea robusta). The 2001). They tend to graze on these wherever they are caterpillars were around 22 mm, generally dark or abundant, such as on moist walls, cliffs and rocks, the marbled blackish brown or blackish grey, with groups of trunks and branches of trees and, in very humid biotopes, long black setae on verrucae. Within eight to ten days on leaves. The last locations may frequently have led they underwent some major transformations through them to be associated with the tree or plant concerned, three-four instars, the size tending to increase and also and the identity of this gets propagated in the literature the length of the setae. The final instar (Fig.1a), just

Life cycle of Arctiid moth (Chinaema coccinae) including its larva, pupa and cocoon along with sexual dimorphison has been described.

1Zoological Survey of India, Head Quarter, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, New Alipore, Kolkata-700008 ([email protected]) 646 The Indian Forester [July 2013] Life history of Chionaema coccinae recorded from Dehradun, Uttarakhand 647

females). The specimens were subsequently retained as Outbreak of the species was also recorded from Rajaji voucher specimens and later deposited to the Zoological National Park, Uttarakhand. The species is reported as Survey of India, Head Quarter, Kolkata. serious defoliator of tea plants from Malaysia. It is also The females, right after emerging from the cocoon reported from Northern Thailand to visit flowering teak mated with males and started depositing eggs on the (Tectona grandis L.f.) canopies and thus acting as a vertical wall surface (Fig.1g). The eggs were tiny white, potential pollinator of the teak (Tangmitcharoen, et al., slightly oval in shape (around 0.04 mm in diameter), laid 2006). The subfamily Litosiinae as a whole has acted as a in cluster of around 184-224 in one batch. They were promising candidate as indicator species in response to arranged in 4-5 rows in an inverted club-head shape. mild level of disturbance. The survey of lowland Again after 3-4 days the first instar larva (Fig.1h) started softwood plantations by Chey (1994), Intachat et al. emerging from the eggs. The next day onward they (1997) in Borneo showed that many Cyana/Chionaema started to disperse from their site of emergence and species can persist in these managed systems, some within next two days, around last week of September, becoming quite abundant, they even persisted in areas completely disappeared from the site. Any next instar disturbed by cycles of shifting cultivation. Thus the was never seen again and they went probably in winter species, Chionaema coccinae with well described life hibernating mode. history stages and host plants recorded, is a potential candidate as an indicator in rapid habitat assessment in The remarkable life history of this species was Western Himalayan foothills where all the four species of previously not published from any part of the world. its host-plant were recorded.

nsgjknwu mÙkjk[k.M ls fjdkMZ fd;s x;s pkbukek dksdhukbZ dk thou pØ vcs'k dqekj lU;ky] oh-ih- mfu;ky vkSj dSyk'k pUnz lkjka'k

Fig. 1: Different Life History Stages of Chionaema coccinae Moore, 1878; (a) The final instar larva, (b) the final instar larva after shedding nsgjknwu ds Hkkjrh; oU;tho laLFkku ifjlj esa vkdZVkbZM 'kyHk pkbZukek dksdhukbZ] ewj 1878 (mi;qy ykbZFkslhukbZ) ds thou bfrgkl the secondary setae to make the cocoon, (c) the cocoon and the pupa with the bottom emergence hole, (d) the pupa just before the dh fLFkfr;ka fjdkMZ dh xbZA uj&eknk ds lkFk ykjok (Larva)] I;wik rFkk dksuwu lajpuk dk o.kZu fd;k x;kA iztkfr igpku lqfuf'pr djus ds emergence of the adult, (e) the female of the C. coccinae, (f) the male of the C. coccinae, (g) the female laying eggs, (h) the first instar fy, dksdwu dks I;wik ds lkFk o;Ld gksus rd j[kk x;kA larva just after hatching. References before going to pupation, was around 35-42 mm in possibly facilitating disposal of its larval exuvia post- Chey, V.K. (1994). Comparison of biodiversity between rain forest and plantations in Sabah, using moths as indicators. Unpublished D. Phil. length with paler ochreous or red markings on the pupation, while the top (anterior) aperture allows for the thesis, Oxford University: 248 pp. thorax, in the anal area and in rows in each segment, emergent moth to climb out from. Common, I. F. B. (1990). Moths of Australia. Melbourne University Press, Carlton. Victoria. 535 pp. Hampson, G. F. (1894). Fauna of British India, Moths, including Ceylon and Burma-2, Taylor and Francis Ltd., London, 1-528 pp. often incorporating the verrucae. The length of setae After in-situ photography, two-three rd th th sometimes exceeded 45 mm in length, especially in 3 -4 cocoons/pupae were carefully peeled off the substrate Holloway, J.D. ( 2001) The Moths of Borneo. http://www.mothsofborneo.com/ (Accessed: 26 August 2012) and anal segments. After three-four days the final instar to be reared till metamorphosis. After two days, the pupa Intachat J, Holloway J and Speight M. (1997) The effects of different forest management practices on geometroid moth populations and their diversity in peninsular malaysia. J. Trop. For. Sci., 9: 411-430. larva started pupating within a cocoon. The cocoon and became shining glossy black in appearance (Fig.1d) with pupa were oriented vertically (Fig.1b), cocoon measuring an incurved tapering end. On the second night at Robinson, G. S., Ackery, P. R., Kitching, I. J., Beccaloni, G. W. and Hernández, L. M. (2010) HOSTS - A Database of the World’s Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosts. (Accessed: 25 Aug.2012). 40 × 28 mm, while the pupa was 20 × 6 mm, with the head 10.30pm one female and two males emerged from three region directed upwards. The colour of the pupa was a Yunus, A. and Ho., T.H. (1980) List of economic pests, host-plants, parasites and predators in WestMalaysia (1920-1978). Ministry of cocoons, all well-developed in adult form. The attractive Agriculture, Malaysia, Bulletin, 152: 538 pp. striking combination of brownish-orange with red-and-black patterns over its overall white background Zhang, B., C. (1994) Index of Economically Important Lepidoptera. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 599 pp. symmetrical black stripes and patches. The spiracles were consistent with a published illustration for this along its abdomen were also highlighted in black. Its Tangmitcharoen, S., Takaso, T., Siripatanadilox, S., Tasen, W. and Owens, J.N. (2006) Insect biodiversity in flowering teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) species. Upon careful comparison between males and canopies: Comparison of wild and plantation stands. Forest Ecology and Management, 222: 99-107. ventral surface was parallel with the rock face and females of Chionaema coccinae, the inherent sexual securely attached via a sparse network of silk. The dimorphism soon became apparent. A majority of these cocoon was much larger than the pupa, ovate, morphological differences resided in the forewing suspended from a vertical surface, consisting of a very design/pattern. In males (Fig.1e), the black discal spots widely spaced but regular net of silk, including the were more elliptical and three in number, while more secondary setae of the final instar larva, through which roundish in females (Fig.1f) and two in number, the red the pupa, suspended vertically in the centre, can be seen markings on the apex are more extensive in males (less so clearly. The cocoon structure resembled a cage, with in females), the tornus is more angular (broadly rounded quadrangles formed by the intersecting setae. At both in females). Examination of the underside of the male’s apices of the cocoon, the setae converged over two forewings reveals the presence of prominent pinkish apertures (Fig.1c): the bottom (posterior) aperture androconial patches at the anterior margin (absent in 646 The Indian Forester [July 2013] Life history of Chionaema coccinae recorded from Dehradun, Uttarakhand 647

nsgjknwu mÙkjk[k.M ls fjdkMZ fd;s x;s pkbukek dksdhukbZ dk thou pØ vcs'k dqekj lU;ky] oh-ih- mfu;ky vkSj dSyk'k pUnz lkjka'k