Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India Volume : 22 No. : 1 A Systematic Inventory of Scelioninae and A Systematic Inventory of Scelioninae and Teleasinae (Hymenoptera : Platygastridae) Teleasinae (Hymenoptera : Platygastridae) in the Rice Ecosystems of North-central Keralain the Rice Ecosystems of North-central Kerala RAJMOHANA, K. Zoological Survey of India 2014 Volume 22 (No. 1) MEMOIRS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA A Systematic Inventory of Scelioninae and Teleasinae (Hymenoptera : Platygastridae) in the Rice Ecosystems of North-central Kerala RAJMOHANA, K. Zoological Survey of India Western Ghats Regional Centre Calicut Edited by the Director, Zoological Survey of India Zoological Survey of India Kolkata CITATION Rajmohana, K., 2014. Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India, Volume 22 (No. 1) : (Published by the Director, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata) Published : April, 2014 ISBN 978–81–8171–362–9 © Govt. of India, 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, re-sold hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher’s consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page. Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. PRICE India : ó⁄U 850/- Foreign : $ 50; £ 40 Published at the Publication Division by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata- 700 053 and printed at East India Photo Composing Centre, Kolkata-700 006. MEMOIRS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA No. 22(1) 2014 Page 1-72 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 1 2. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY..................................................................................................................... 2 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 2 4. SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................................... 63 5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................. 64 6. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................... 64 7. PLATES INTRODUCTION Rice is the staple diet in almost 39 countries, of hymenopteran parasitoids of rice agroecosystem with the Asian countries being the largest is dominated chiefly by members of Chalcidoidea, consumers (Rathi, 2008). India is the second Ichneumonoidea and Platygastroidea. A major largest producer and consumer of rice globally component of the parasitoid community attacking after China. Rice cultivation is thought to be the the egg stages of many pests and predators in the oldest form of intensive agriculture by man rice ecosystem are the members of the superfamily (Fernando, 1977). Irrigated rice fields, being Platygastroidea (Rajmohana, personal observation). agronomically managed wetland ecosystems with Platygastroidea is the third largest of the parasitic a high degree of environmental heterogeneity superfamilies after Ichneumonoidea and operating on a short temporal scale, harbour a rich Chalcidoidea and represents nearly 4460 described and varied fauna (Heckman, 1979). The species species worldwide (Austin et al., 2005). As per diversity and total number of insect pests as well the earlier classifications (Masner, 1993), the as the natural enemies in tropical rice are quite superfamily is comprised of two families, the high (IRRI, 2009). Insect pests of rice have had Platygastridae and Scelionidae. But Sharkey (2007), for long, close associations with their natural based on the results of a phylogenetic analysis by enemies, allowing stable relationships to develop. Murphy et al. (2007) synonymised Scelionidae In natural ecosystems, a dynamic equilibrium exists under Platygastridae. Of the five subfamilies of between parasitoids, predators and their hosts. Platygastridae viz., Telenominae, Teleasinae, Such an equilibrium is not present in Scelioninae (the three subfamilies of former agroecosystems due to the agronomic practices, Scelionidae) Platygastrinae and Sceliotrachelinae, crops and cultivation cycles (Ketipearachchi, 2002). the subfamily Scelioninae is the largest and the In the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) most diverse (Johnson, 1992). The above programs, biological control by natural enemies mentioned first three subfamilies are exclusively plays a major role in controlling pest populations. egg parasitoids (Austin et al., 2005), utilising the The interactions of predators, parasitoids and insect eggs of a wide group of insects and spiders as pathogens are the key elements of modern their hosts. They also include many species of integrated pest management programs in rice. economic importance as parasitoids of agricultural Hence a knowledge on the indigenous species of insect pests (Polaszek and Förster, 1997). As per natural enemies stay very essential their ground plan biology, they are endoparasitoids (Ketipearachchi, 2002) for a successful of the eggs of insects and also spiders and exhibit implementation of the IPM programs. The diversity very high host specificity at tribal level. Particular and richness of the natural enemy complex of rice tribes of the subfamily are associated with particular in India are far less explored (Rajmohana, personal observation). host groups viz., the Scelionini with Acrididae, Calliscelionini with Gryllidae and Tettigonidae, AIM AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY Embidobiini with Embioptera and Gryonini with Hymenopteran parasitoids are an important Heteroptera. Teleasinae are parasitoids of the eggs component of the natural enemy complex of insect of Carabid beetles (Coleoptera) (Austin and Field, pests and have been the most common type of 1997). natural enemies introduced for biological control The present study had been aimed to assess of insects (Ketipearachchi, 2002). The complex the diversity of the exclusive egg parasitoid 2 MEMOIRS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA subfamilies under Platygastridae, associated with South Western Ghats, while F2 was a lowland area, the rice ecosystems, in north-central Kerala. The near the foothills of the Ghats. study results reflected an extremely rich and Elevation difference was accepted as one of diverse parasitoid assemblage. A preliminary the criteria in selecting the sites in order to increase analysis at the species level indicated the presence the chances of encountering diverse and varied of approximately more than 100 species under 28 fauna as far as possible. genera of Scelioninae, Teleasinae and Telenominae Locality data of the 3 rice fields at the study (Platygastridae, exclusive of Platygastrinae). Since sites : a detailed systematic treatment of all the species Field 1 (F1)-Locality : Kavalamukkatta, collected during the study was too large to include Nilambur, Malappuram District, altitude, 177 ft at under this report, a total of 50 species, under two Lat 11° 15 132 Long 76° 21 174, during August- subfamilies (45 under Scelioninae and 5 under September, 2008 Teleasinae) are dealt here along with dichotomous Field 2 (F2)-Locality : Peruvayal, Calicut keys as identification aids. The species belonging District, altitude 5 ft, at Lat 11° 15.178 and Long to the subfamily Telenominae and a few large 75° 54.237, during December 2008-January 2009 genera like Gryon Haliday and Scelio Latreille under Scelioninae and Trimorus Förster Field 3 (F3)-Locality : Madakkimala, Kalpetta, (Teleasinae) will be dealt in detail separately as Wyanad District, altitude 2419 feet at Lat 11° 39 part II of this volume at a later instance. 651and Long 76° 05 318 , during December 2008- January 2009 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Collection and preservation of specimens Maintaining an inventory of natural enemies is Malaise traps (Fig. 2) were employed as a the first step towards recognising their existence standard specimen collection methodology, since (Ooi and Shepherd, 1994). Such a species inventory the study involved continuous monitoring over a and systematic characterisation of Scelioninae, the long term. At times small samplings were done by egg parasitoids of Hemiptera (Coreidae, aerial sweep nets. Malaise traps are tent-like traps Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae, Gerridae, Nepidae etc) made of fine mesh material and are used primarily and Orthoptera (Gryllidae, Tettigonidae, Acrididae) for the collection of flies (Diptera) and wasps and also that of the araneid and lycosid spiders (Hymenoptera), although they also caught many and Teleasinae, the egg parasitoids of Coleoptera other flying insects. Thus collections were made present in the rice ecosystem of north central continuously for 4 weeks, using two malaise traps Kerala are presented here. The data on the species per field, during August 2008–January 2009 and diversity of indigenous/native parasitoids will serve were attended once a week.