Emergence Profile of Entomofauna Associated with Lac Insect Kerria Lacca (Kerr) in Western Plains of India
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Indian Journal of Entomology, 80(4): 1395-1400 (2018) DoI No.: 10.5958/0974-8172.2018.00293.6 EMERGENCE PROFILE OF ENTOMOFAUNA ASSOCIATED WITH LAC INSECT KERRIA LACCA (KERR) IN WESTERN PLAINS OF INDIA SUGAN CHAND MEENA* AND KEWAL KRISHAN SHARMA ICAR-Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums, Ranchi 834010, Jharkhand *Email: [email protected] (corresponding author) ABSTRACT Fauna associated with lac insect when analysed revealed that it was represented by the predators- Eublemma amabilis Moore, Pseudohypatopa pulverea Meyrick, Chrysopa zastrowi (Esben-Petersen); primary parasitoids- Tachardiaephagus tachardiae Howard, Aprostocetus purpureus Cameron, Tyndarichus (Parechthrodryinus) clavicornis Mashhood Alam and Erencyrtus dewitzi Mahdihassan; and the hyperparasitoids- Apanteles fakhrulhajiae Mahd., Eupelmus tachardiae Howard, Bracon greeni Ashmead and Brachymeria tachardiae Cameron. Predators emerged up to VIII week during October and up to VI week in July. Parasitoids emerged up to V and IV week in October and July, respectively. ) Hyperparasitoids emerged upto V week in October and IV-V week during July. All these took more Sale time to complete emergence during October- November than June - July. ESI ( Key words: Kerria lacca, predators, primary parasitoids, hyperparasitoids, seasonal occurrence, time for emergence, proportion India org of . Lac, a natural resin, produced by tiny lac insects Lac insect ecosystem is a complex multitrophic commercial mainly Kerria lacca (Kerr) belonging to family web of flora and fauna and representing a rich for Tachardiidae (Homoptera). In India, the major lac biodiversity which includes more than 22 lac predators, producing states are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya 30 primary parasites, 45 secondary parasites, a variety ot Society N Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal, which of pests of lachosts and several microbes (Sharma , contribute around 96% of the total lac production. Lac and Jaiswal, 2011). Predators and parasitoids have entosocindia cultivation is an important source of income for always been a major limiting factor in lac production. copy livelihood of forest and sub-forest dwellers in different Among predators, Eublemma amabilis Moore, states. On an average around 28% of total agriculture Pseudohypatopa pulverea Meyrick and Chrysopa income of households is contributed by lac cultivation madestes Banks are the major predators (Sharma (Jaiswal et al., 2006). Fast depleting forests are a serious et al., 2006) and cause about 35-40% loss (Malhotra Entomological threat to the biodiversity of lac insects. Many lac insects and Katiyar, 1975, Jaiswal et al., 2008). About 30 Members and associated fauna have become endangered where species of parasites had been reported on lac insect lac cultivation has been abandoned or its habitat (Varshney, 1976). Earlier studies indicated a destroyed. Promoting and encouraging lac culture not parasitisation of only 5-10% (Narayanan 1962), but only checks environmental degradation, but also with changing times and climatic scenario, it had conserve associated fauna and flora for posterity increased to about 20-37% (Srivastava and Chauhan, (Sharma et al., 2006). 1984). In the recent past, summer season rangeeni lac crop failure due to parasites had been known Rangeeni and kusmi are the two strains of lac insect (Sharma et al., 2006). that are classified based on their lifecycle and preference for specific host plants. Lac insects can survive on In this study, the different trophic status i.e., more than 400 plant species (Kapur, 1954; Roonwal predators and parasitoids [primary (inimical) and et al., 1958); Varshney and Teotia, 1967); Varshney, secondary (beneficial) parasitoids] associated with K. 1968; Sharma et al., 1997). Of these, the tender twigs lacca in western plains of India are analysed. These of palas (Butea monosperma Lam), ber (Ziziphus are done for duration as well as emergence pattern mauritiana Lamk), kusum (Schleichera oleosa Oken) aspects, and it might help to determine the abundance and semialata (Flemingia semialata Roxb) are exploited of these enemies, and extrapolate it for supporting lac for commercial cultivation. cultivation. 1396 Indian Journal of Entomology, 80(4), 2018 MATERIALS AND METHODS chujoi as pests of lac insect from Taiwan. Sharma (1993) recorded Bracon greeni, B. hebetor, Intensive surveys were carried out in states of Aphrastobracon flavipennis, A. fakhrulhajiae and A. western plain of India i.e., Gujarat, Haryana and tachardiae as parasitoids of predator (P. pulverea) of Rajasthan during the emergence period of lac insect K. lacca. Sharma et al. (2008) reported two species i.e., June - July and October-November of 2015 and of predators, viz., E.amabilis and P. pulverea, five 2017 under one of the cooperating centers (MPUAT, primary parasitoids, i.e., A. purpureus, E.dewitzi, Udaipur) of the Network Project on Conservation of P.clavicornis, T.tachardiae and T. somervilli and two Lac Insect Genetic Resources (funded by Indian hyperparasitoids, viz., B. greeni and Pristomerus sulci Council of Agricultural Research), being implemented on Kerria sp. from the surveyed areas of Assam, and executed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Natural Jharkhand, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Resins and Gums, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Lac insect samples collected from various parts were caged for Varshney (1976) reported 30 parasitoids and 22 emergence of entomofauna. Documentation of lac predators closely associated with lac insect. E. associated fauna of the region was made after amabilis, P. pulverea and Chrysopa sp. are the major quantification based on identification of predators and predators, causing 35- 40% damage (Malhotra and parasitoids (both inimical and beneficial) emerged. Katiyar, 1975). Sharma and Jaiswal (2011) reported Samples of lac insect encrustation of 1 m length were more than 22 predators, 30 primary parasitoids, 45 ) Sale kept inside the 60-mesh nylon net bags and wet cotton secondary parasitoids. ESI swab (water) were put at both the ends of lac bearing ( twigs to maintain the turbidity of samples and for Emergence profile of fauna maintaining the lac insects. The mouth of net bags Table 1 reveals that the predator E. amabilis India was tied and kept at room temperature for proper emerges till the VIII week after storage; whereas P. org aeration. Fauna that emerged were collected at weekly of pulverea emerged up to VI week of storage. Among . commercial intervals upto eight weeks after sample storage and primary parasitoids of lac insect, T. tachardiae, A. separated with identification done under microscope. for purpureus and E. dewitzi emerged up to V week of sample storage; whereas, there was no emergence of ot Society RESULTS AND DISCUSSION N T. clavicornis after IV week of sample storage. , Fauna associated However, there was gradual decrease in numbers with later weeks of sample storage. Hyperparasitoids, A. entosocindia During the study, eleven species of associated fauna copy fakhrulhajiae and E. tachardiae emerged up to IV week i.e., predators, primary parasitoids, hyperparasitoids after storage, while B. greeni emerged only in IV week were observed on lac insect. These fell under 8 families after storage. and 3 orders. Amongst these, 8 species belong tothe Entomological order Hymenoptera, 2 of Lepidoptera, and 1 of Emergence profile of predators during July 2016 Members Neuroptera. These results corroborate those of Sharma shows that emergence of E. amabilis and P. pulverea et al. (1997) on 14 species. The predators were did not take place after the VI week from the stored represented by Eublemma amabilis Moore, samples; whereas Chrysopa emerged in negligible Pseudohypatopa pulverea Meyrick, Chrysopa zastrowi numbers only in II and III week. Parasitoids, T. (Esben-Petersen); Primary parasitoids of lac insect tachardiae, A.purpureus and E. dewitzi continued viz., Tachardiaephagus tachardiae Howard, emergence till IV week, whereas T. clavicornis Aprostocetus purpureus Cameron, Tyndarichus emerged up to III week from the stored samples. (Parechthrodryinus) clavicornis Mashhood Alam, Hyperparasitoid, A. fakhrulhajiae emerged up to II Erencyrtus dewitzi Mahdihassan; whereas, week only, whereas E. tachardiae and B. greeni hyperparasitoids’ species were represented by emerged up to II and III week, respectively. Data Apanteles fakhrulhajiae Mahd., Eupelmus tachardiae shows the week-wise emergence pattern of associated Howard, Bracon greeni Ashmead and Brachymeria fauna during October 2016. Data obtained demonstrate tachardiae Cameron. Findings of present study gets that E. amabilis and P. pulverea emerged up to VII support from observation of Chiu et al. (1985) who week from the samples. Primary parasitoids, T. recorded E. tachardiae, Parechthrodryinus sp., tachardiae, A. purpureus and T. clavicornis emergence Tachardiaephagus sp., T. tachardiae, T. purpureus, did not take place after IV week, whereas E. dewitzi Chrysopa sp., E. conspersa, E. roseonivea and Telsimia continued emerging till the V week. Emergence of A. ) Sale ESI Table 1. Emergence profile of entomofauna associated with Kerria sp. ( Weeks after storage Trophic level status Total Predators Primary parasitoids Hyperparasitoids India E a Pp T t A p T c Ed A f E t B g org of . commercial October, 2015 for I 8.67 2.00 136.67 98.67 26.67 56.00 1.33 2.00 0.00 266 II 15.33 2.67 136.00 106.67 12.67 171.33 15.33 17.33 0.00 413 ot Society N III 22.67 2.67 98.00 134.00 10.67 164.67 30.00 28.00 0.00 427 , IV 8.00 4.67 47.33 64.67 3.33 22.67 3.33 3.33 9.33