agricultural importance, techniques to construct keys, use of e-resources in insect identification, molecular characterisation and DNA barcoding, apart from methods of collection, curation and preservation of arthropods. Twenty- three participants from across the country attended the NBAII course. Newsletter Training programme on computational biology National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects A training programme entitled “Application of Computational Biology for Studying Abiotic Stresses in Bangalore, India Insects” under the NAIP-NABG project was conducted by Vol. IV (1) March 2012 NBAII during 5–17 March 2012. The focus of the programme Fig. 9: Screenshot of the home page of Insect was on some major areas of bioinformatics, including Barcode Informática computational biology, biological databases, genomics, We are growing! proteomics, gene expression, DNA barcoding, NGS, Selected Publications It has been an eventful first quarter research. Mr Henri Oosthoek, Director, Koppert, delivered insecticide resistance management and RNA secondary Ankita Gupta & Pereira, B. 2012. One new species of of the New Year. We started off a talk on their products and services, and interacted with structure prediction. Several of the topics were covered by G l y p t a p a n t e l e s ( H y m e n o p t e r a : B r a c o n i d a e : with the Institute Research Council our scientists on the opportunities for collaborative research experts from Mysore University, Pondicherry University, Microgastrinae) as a larval parasitoid of Elymnias Meeting that lasted four days — and development on biological control. University of Agricultural Sciences (Bangalore), MVIT, hypermnestra (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) three in January (10th, 11th and 13th) I am happy to share that Prof. G.K. Veeresh, former Vice- National Centre for Biological Sciences and Genotypic th Technology. Pre- and post-evaluation tests for the trainees along with some new host records of parasitoids from and one (7 ) in February — to Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences indicated a 60% improvement in their knowledge on the Peninsular India. Zootaxa, 3227: 54–63. complete due to the extensive (Bangalore) is nominated as the Chairman of the reworking of our research Quinquennial Review Committee to review the research subject. Ten participants from across India participated in the Prashanth Mohanraj & Veenakumari, K. 2011. Butterflies of the programme, which was overseen by Dr S.K. Jalali (Fig. 8). priorities keeping in view the work of the All-India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) Andaman and Nicobar Islands: History of collection and changed mandate, national priorities and recommendations on Biological Control of Crop Pests and Weeds. I am sure checklist. Zootaxa, 3050 : 1–36. of the National Meeting on Agricultural Entomology held Pr of. V eer esh, a distinguished entomologist and advocate Sreerama Kumar, P. & Leena Singh. 2012. A simple method of last year. of organic farming, will guide the AICRP as well as NBAII storing nonsynnematous and synnematous isolates of It was decided to bring in previously unaddressed areas of in taking biological control and entomological research to Hirsutella thompsonii while conserving their pleomorphism, entomological research into our focus. New projects will greater heights. pathogenicity and genetic purity. Folia Microbiologica, now address issues such as virus-vector relationships, insect Our Science Club has lined up a number of entomologists, 57(1): 15–19. transmission of phytoplasmas, leafhopper resistance and pathologists, biotechnologists, etc. of distinction for pollinators, besides the already established thrust areas like delivering talks on their chosen subject. Srinivasa Murthy, K., Rajeshwari, R., Jalali, S.K. & Venkatesan, T. insect systematics, parasitoids, predators, biotechnology and NBAII plans to celebrate the successful biological control of 2011. Host searching efficiency of Cotesia flavipes Cameron insect behavioural studies. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) an important parasitoid of the papaya mealybug and eucalyptus gall wasp. Besides, it is the maize stemborer Chilo partellus Swinhoe. W e ar e planning to organise a series of brainstorming also intended to establish a National Agricultural Biosecurity sessions throughout the year. The identified topics include Network (NABM) at our Bureau. Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences, Fig. 8: Participants of the training programme fruit flies; coccids and mealybugs; insect diversity; on computational biology 1(3): 71–74. As committed in the Vision 2030 document, we will have pheromones; invasive pests and biosecurity; and vector three Divisions from April onwards: Insect Systematics, Insect Barcode Informática (IBIn) developed by Srinivasa Murthy, K., Rajeshwari, R., Venkatesan, T. & Nesil Liz dynamics in phytoplasma transmission. Of course, the Molecular Entomology and Insect Ecology. Once the new NBAII Baby. 2011. Detection and characterization of Wolbachia meeting on entomopathogenic nematodes is round the laboratory building at our Attur campus is ready, more corner. Insect Barcode Informática (IBIn) (Fig. 9) is an online database in Cotesia plutellae Kurdjumov (Braconidae: Hymenoptera), scientists will function from there. a parasitoid of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella resource developed on insect domain by NBAII. IBIn furnishes On 21 March, representatives from the Dutch firm, Koppert In all, NBAII is vibrant with an atmosphere of research in the (Linn.). Journal of Biological Control, 25(3): 213–216. Biological Systems, an international leader in the fields of support on acquisition, storage, analysis and publication of air. Let us keep up the spirit! biological crop protection and natural pollination, visited DNA barcode records of agriculturally important insects to Veenakumari, K. Prashanth Mohanraj & Peigler, R. 2011. First N.K. Krishna Kumar researchers in India. A wealth of information on the diversity NBAII to seek prospective collaboration in biocontrol description of a female of Antheraea meisteri Brechlin and Director of insect species in India and the world, the number of insects notes on some pre-imagines of three recently described barcoded thus far and the related statistics. Besides, researchers also have access to submit new barcodes, species of Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) from the tropical perform BLAST, create barcode image and so on. Barcodes moist forests of the Andaman Islands. Journal of the can be submitted at http ://202.141.78.173/barcode/. Lepidopterists' Society, 65(2): 94–100. Compiled and edited by: P. Sreerama Kumar & N.K. Krishna Kumar Published by: Director, National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects, Hebbal, Bangalore 560 024, India Koppert representatives at NBAII New laboratory building coming up at Attur Phone: +91 80 2341 4220 n Fax: +91 80 2341 1961 n Website: www.nbaii.res.in 4 1 New Research First reports for southern India Other Activities Three genera, viz. Eumicrosoma, which was hitherto reported New hymenopteran described only from Delhi and Haryana; Dyscritobaeus and Palpoteleia, NBAII commercialises Bt formulation A new hymenopteran species, Glyptapanteles hypermnestrae both of which were earlier recorded only from Uttarakhand; technology Gupta and Pereira (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) (Fig. 1), has and Encyrtoscelio, which was till now reported only from A low-cost liquid formulation technology for Bacillus been described from Maharashtra. The new species of Delhi, have been found for the first time in southern India. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (PDBC-BT1), with one-year shelf- parasitoid was bred from parasitised larvae of the common Endosymbionts of Trichogramma species life, was sold to Kottayam-based M/s Agro Bio-Tech Research palmfly, Elymnias hypermnestra (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Centre Ltd, a commercial producer of various biocontrol on coconut (Fig. 2). Endosymbionts are beneficial organisms living within the body agents. The company came forward to purchase the of another organism, which may be an insect. In a parasitoid, technology from NBAII after it was showcased to they may enhance the host's biological fitness and ability to prospective entrepreneurs through the Zonal Technology tolerate abiotic stress. Recently, NBAII scientists isolated Management Unit at Kochi. The deal fetched a revenue of several endosymbionts, including Metschnikowia reukaufii, Rs 2,20,600 to NBAII with the signing of an MoU on Pichia ohmeri, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Candida apicola and 25 February 2012 (Figs 6 & 7). Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, from Trichogramma spp. These Fig. 4: Pr esence of yeasts in the diverticulum fold of were fed to the laboratory population of T. japonicum and Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi adult T. chilonis for 15 generations. Studies indicated that these microbes have a definite role in Entomopathogenic nematodes from hot areas enhancing the biological fitness of laboratory-reared Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are known to be T. japonicum. Nucleotide sequences of symbionts were ada pted to most climatic conditions. Soil samples from high- aligned with the CLUSTAL W algorithm, and phylogenetic temperature areas of Kadapa and Chittoor districts of and molecular evolutionary analyses were performed using Andhra Pradesh were found to harbour EPN, especially the software MEGA 4.0. The tree was constructed by the Heterorhabditis spp., when baited through the greater wax neighbour-joining method using the distance matrix from the moth, Galleria mellonella.