International Journal of Entomology Research ISSN: 2455-4758; Impact Factor: RJIF 5.24 Received: 17-11-2020; Accepted: 23-11-2020; Published: 12-12-2020 www.entomologyjournals.com Volume 5; Issue 6; 2020; Page No. 183-188 Record of insect pollinators, their diversity, richness and abundance on Calotropis procera (AIT.) R. Br., in the desert of Thar in Rajasthan, India Santosh Kumar Charan1, Ghanshyam Kachhawa2*, Suresh Kumar Naval3 1, 2 Bee Biodiversity Laboratory Lab. No. 29, Department of Zoology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India 3 Wild Bee Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India Abstract Pollination is a major phenomenon in flowering plants which determines production efficiency. The present paper is a first attempt to provide collective information on the diversity of Insect fauna, engaged in foraging activity and pollination of Calotropis procera (AIT.) R. Br., in the desert of Thar. This xerophytic perennial shrub is widely distributed in the Great Indian Desert and is well known for its variety of medicinal properties. The collected 27 species of Insect pollinators were identified, which belongs to 3 orders (Hymenoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera), 11 families (Apidae, Formicidae, Scoliidae, Colletidae, Megachilidae, Halictidae, Vespidae, Dolichopodidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Lygaeidae) and 14 Tribes (Anthophorini, Apini, Camponotini, Campsomerini, Hylaeinae, Anthidiini, Megachilini, Ropalidiini, Meliponini, Xylocopini, Chrysosomatini, Lucilian, Muscini, Lygaeini). The abundance of insect pollinators has been observed, significantly different in the different time intervals of the day (P<0.05) but t-test analysis [t-stat: -0.3527, P (T≤t: 0.3635)] suggesting, there is no significant difference in the abundance of insect pollinators in the summer and winter season. Simpson index of diversity (1-D) indicating high diversity in the study area with estimated Margalef’s richness index (M-summer 3.503 & M-winter 3.555) in both seasons. Value of Shannon index in both the seasons, representing every species in the sample. Keywords: Diversity, Calotropis procera, insects, pollination 1. Introduction percent of rains occurs during the monsoon season, from Insect pollination for most of the crops is essential and is July to September. It is followed by a diverse period of cold regarded as a valuable ecosystem service [11]. The majority (November - February) and dry (September - July) weather. of plants for their sexual reproduction need insect Biodiversity is low however endemic flora of great pollination which involves the transfer of genetic economic importance grows here [2]. The present study information through pollen. A wide range of flowering recorded insect-bearing pollinaria which visited the flowers plants required insect pollination which increases their of Calotropis procera. These insects were classified as yields significantly [7, 10, 12]. In other words, human for their pollinators thereby helping in the pollination ecology of the livelihood and food production relies on this critical plant [4]. Few similar studies from the Great Thar desert were ecosystem service of insect pollination [8]. Calotropis reported on different vegetations of Prosopis cineraria [6] procera (AIT) R. Br (Asclepiadaceae) locally known as and Acacia nilotica [16]. Aak, Akra, Madar, or milk weed is a perennial wild shrub and distributed throughout the Great Indian Desert. It is a 2. Material and Methods native species to North Africa, tropical Africa, South Asia, Observation and collection were made to find out the and Indochina [16]. It is well known for its pharmacological diversity of Insect pollinators on this plant at five different importance for centuries. In the traditional system of adjoining districts of Rajasthan (Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, medicine, all the parts of this plant including stem, flower, Jalore, and Bikaner) from March 2015 to March 2020. leaf, root, etc. are commonly used. A wide range of Insect pollinators were collected by stratified random pharmacological activities it possesses such as cytotoxic, sampling method in summer and winter season, by using antidiabetic, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, standard 38 cm sweep nets (SN). The experimental antiarthritic, anthelmintic, antimicrobial, wound healing, collection sites were regularly visited and Samples were anticonvulsant, hepatoprotective, myocardial infarction, and collected by using a hand sweeping net from 6 am to 6 pm immune responses [3, 13, 14, 15]. In many therapeutic on every field visit day. Samples were preserved in the applications, this plant is considered immensely useful for killing bottles with ethyl acetate and brought into the humankind containing amyrin, amyrin esters, calotropin, laboratory for spreading the insects, identification, and coroglaucigenin, calactin, uscharidin, corotoxigenin, photography. Diversity of insect pollinators has been frugoside, calotropagenin, voruscharine, calotoxin, uscharin. estimated by calculating Simpson index, Simpson index of Further for centuries, numerous compounds like cysteine diversity, Shannon index and Margalef's index. The protease, sterols, alkaloids, organic carbonates, flavonoids, abundance of insect pollinators in the three-time periods cardenolides, and norditerpenic esters made this plant of (morning, noon and afternoon) has been analyzed by single- scientific attraction [17]. Thar desert of Rajasthan is a typical factor ANOVA by using MS Excel-2019. Comparative hot and arid ecosystem and is known for its intense xeric study of abundance of insect pollinators in summer and conditions. The rainfall is quite low and erratic with ninety winter seasons of Thar Desert was carried out by analyzing 183 International Journal of Entomology Research www.entomologyjournals.com students t-test by MS Excel-2019. p.m. while least abundance was noted in the evening. In the Shannon-Weiner entropy (H) = - winter season, peak foraging also has been observed in the Simpson Index (D) = noon around 10 a.m.-2 p.m. but least abundance was Simpson Index of Diversity= 1-D reported in the morning (Table 2). All the insect visitors Richness Index of species by Margalef = S-1/ lnN showed a significant difference in the abundance as per the n= Number of insects species time of the day (morning, noon and afternoon). ANOVA N=Total number of insects in sample analysis estimated less P-value as compared to the level of Pi’= (n/N), ln=natural log significance (α 0.05) in the summer and winter season both. S= Total number of species F-crit value has been estimated less than F-value, suggesting the Null Hypothesis cannot be accepted (Table 3). A total of 3. Result 19 insect visitors were reported in the summer season and A total of 27 different species of insect foragers were 18 insect visitors were observed in the winter season. identified, belonging to 3 orders Hymenoptera, Diptera and Student t-test has been conducted to examine the significant Hemiptera. Insect pollinators have been reported from difference in abundance of insect pollinators from summer 11different families (Apidae, Formicidae, Scoliidae, and winter season (Table 4). It has been estimated that there Colletidae, Megachilidae, Halictidae, Vespidae, is no significant difference in the abundance (Fig. 2) but Dolichopodidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Lygaeidae) and insect pollinators showed variation in insect species. 14 Tribes (Anthophorini, Apini, Camponotini, Diversity of insect pollinators has been estimated by Campsomerini, Hylaeinae, Anthidiini, Megachilini, calculating Simpson index (D) and Shannon index (H). In Ropalidiini, Meliponini, Xylocopini, Chrysosomatini, the summer season, the value of the Simpson index and Luciliini, Muscini, Lygaeini) (Table 1). Hymenoptera has Simpson index of diversity (1-D) have been estimated 0.069 been observed as the most abundant order while Apidae as and 0.93 respectively, showing a high abundance in the the most abundant family in both summer and winter season study area (Table 5). Value of Simpson index (D) and (Fig. 1). It has been found that Trigona iridipennis showed Simpson index of diversity (1-D) has been calculated 0.073 maximum abundance (18.85 / m2/ 5 minutes) and and 0.92 respectively in the winter season also showing high Chrysosoma spp (1.44 / m2/ 5 minutes) as the least abundant diversity of insect pollinators (Table 6). Species richness visitor in the summer while it has been also reported that was estimated by calculating Margalef’s index that was Apis florea was the most abundant (14.70 /m2/ 5 minutes) found 3.503 and3.555 respectively in the summer and pollinator in the winter season and Lucilia sericata (1.51/ winter seasons. Some of the major insect pollinators have m2/ 5 minutes) as the least one. In the summer season, peak been shown in Fig. 3. foraging activity was reported in the noon around 10 a.m.-2 Table 1: Record of Insect pollinators on Calotropis procera (AIT.) R. BR Sr. Foraging Name of Insect Pollinator Division/Group No. purpose 1 Amegilla cingulata Fabricius (1775) Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Apidae, Subfamily: Apinae, Tribe: Anthophorini Nectar + pollen 2 Amegilla fallax Smith (1879) Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Apidae, Subfamily: Apinae, Tribe: Anthophorini Nectar + pollen 3 Amegilla zonata Linnaeus (1758) Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Apidae, Subfamily: Apinae, Tribe: Anthophorini Nectar + pollen 4 Apis dorsata Fabricius (1793) Order: Hymenoptera, Family: Apidae, Subfamily: Apinae, Tribe: Apini Nectar + pollen