JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 ASSESSMENT OF LONGICORN BEETLE FAUNA OF SINDHUDURG DISTRICT (MS), INDIA N. R. Hedulkar D. L. Bharamal Department of Zoology, Anandibai Raorane P. G. Department of Zoology, SPK Arts, Commerce and Science College Mahavidyalay, Sawantwadi, Sindhudrg (MS) Vaibhavwadi, Sindhudurg (MS) Abstract : Longhorns, popularly known as Longicorn are beetles that belong to the family Cerambycidae (Coleoptera). They are specially recognized with their long antennae and are the main pests of the forest ecosystem. So far 59 species from Maharashtra have been listed. This is the first record of longicorn beetles in the Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra. The previous record showed 6 species of longhorn beetles in some parts of the district. Overall five species were recorded during the study period 2016 to 2018 viz. Acanthophorus serraticornis Olivier, 1795, Celosterna scabrator Fabricius, 1781, Prionomma atratum Gmelin, 1790, Batocera rubus Blackwelder, 1946 and Rhaphipodus subopacus Gahan, 1890. Key words: Longicorn, Sindhudurg, Cerambycidae, Coleoptera Introduction Coleoptera is not only the largest order of class insecta but of the entire animal kingdom. They are abundant and highly diverse of all groups and play a major role in the forest ecosystem, in that both larvae and adults are serious pests Ghate, (2012). The family Cerambycidae comprises a large and diverse family of beetles with more than 36,000 species recognized worldwide Haack et al., (2017). Longhorn beetles are phytophagous and are mainly xylophagous borers of living, decaying, or dead wood. Some species may also prey on small twigs, roots, or fruit endocarps. They usually have a long period of larval development, and thus cause the death of the host tree Cocquempot, (2010). The main factors governing long-horned beetle distribution are the climatic and availability of suitable host plants. Ceramiycid beetles have a highly positive response to herbs and understory trees and can be used to infer the integrity of forest management intermediate felling. They prefer specific habitat. larvae usually rely on wood under various conditions. Adults are plant feeders and occasionally pollinators in different forest ecosystems. Thus they may serve as bioindicators Maleque et al., (2009). Disturbances to the ecosystems and, as a result, to the disappearance of many vulnerable species. In this context, the study of the diversity and distribution of longhorn beetles becomes necessary. Materials and methods: The survey for the study was carried out at selected localities. Beetles were collected from different villages of the district between 2016 and 2018. For collection, the handpicking method was preferred. Besides, beetles that attracted towards normal incandescent light were also collected during night time approximately between 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm. Some were collected during day time. Collected specimens were killed with ethyl acetate and then preserved in 70% alcohol. These were then taken to the laboratory for further study. Morphological identification was done with standard material. Study area: The study sites selected for longhorn beetle collection belong to different locations of the Sindhudurg district (Fig. 1). It lies between 15o37` North to 16o40` North latitude and 73o19` east to 74o13` East longitude. The district is very adjacent to the Western Ghats and lies along the west coast of India that forms the main part of the Konkan. Sahyadri ranges in the east and the Arabian Sea on Volume XII, Issue XII, DECEMBER 2019 Page No: 1596 JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 the west have determined the physical structure of this district. The climate of the district is monsoonal type. The forests in the district cover an area of about 519.24 sq. km. The forest area is nearly 10 percent of the total geographical area of the district. Forest is semi- evergreen and is scattered. For the study, some random village locations were selected. Results and Discussion: The previous record showed six species of longhorn beetles in the district. Overall five species were recorded during the study period 2016 to 2018 viz. Acanthophorus serraticornis Olivier, 1795, Celosterna scabrator Fabricius, 1781, Prionomma atratum Gmelin, 1790, Batocera rubus Blackwelder, 1946 and Rhaphipodus subopacus Gahan, 1890. Cerambycids are serious important pests of forest trees, various agricultural and horticultural crops. Damage to crops is usually caused by feeding or laying eggs by larvae and adults Wang, (2017). Figure 1 Map of study site; Sindhudurg District Kariyanna, et al., (2017) has produced a complete list of long-horned beetles, including 1,555 effective species that have been recorded so far from India. He cited a list of important longhorn beetles of horticulture crops in India with their host plants and distribution. Mitra, et al., (2017) first time made an updated consolidated list of cerambycid beetles from the state of Assam which included 95 species under 64 genera of 32 tribes belonging to 3 subfamilies along with their distribution. Mitra et al., (2016) for the first time published a comprehensive list of 50 species under 40 genera of 24 tribes in Manipur State, from 5 subfamilies. Mitra et al., (2016) have studied overall 19 species of 17 genera belonging to 13 tribes under 3 subfamilies were documented from Nagaland and Mitra et al., (2016) also documented a revised consolidated checklist of the family Cerambycidae of Meghalaya and recorded 81 species under 53 genera of 28 tribes under 3 subfamilies from the state of Meghalaya among which eight species were reported for the first time from this North- eastern state. Mitra, et al., (2017) provided an updated list of 562 species under 211 genera of 56 tribes from 5 subfamilies from 8 states of North-East India. Aland et al., (2012) mentioned 18 species while studying the diversity of beetles in and around Amba reserve forest of Western Ghats, Kolhapur whereas Bharamal et al., (2014) recorded six different longhorn species from Sindhudurg district. Chandgadkar et al., (2017) have provided important information about the diversity of long-horned beetles from the Tilari forest Chandgad, Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Volume XII, Issue XII, DECEMBER 2019 Page No: 1597 JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 An increase in the number of longhorn beetle species within the study site is a good indication of insect diversity specially longhorn beetles and proves a diverse forest ecosystem in the study site Sindhudurg District. In Sindhudurg District total of eleven species were observed as indicated in table no.1. Table 1 Updated List of Cerambycid beetles at the selected study localities Sr. Species Subfamily No. 1 Acanthophorus Prioninae serraticornis Olivier, 1795 2 Aeolesthes Cerambycinae holosericea Fabricius, 1787 3 Stromatium barbatum Cerambycinae Fabricius, 1775 4 Celosterna scabrator Lamiinae Fabricius, 1781 5 Batocera numitor, Cerambycinae Newman 6 Batocera Cerambycinae rufomaculata De Geer, 1775 7 Xystocera globosa Cerambycinae Olivier, 1795 8 Glenea multiguttata Cerambycinae Guerin-Meneville, 1843 9 Prionomma Prioninae atratum Gmelin, 1790 10 Batocera rubus Lamiinae Blackwelder, 1946 11 Rhaphipodus Prioninae subopacus Gahan, 1890 Acknowledgement: Author 1 is thankful to the PG students of the Department of Zoology , SPK Mahavidyalay, Sawantwadi for helping in the collection, and Principal SPK Mahavidyalay, Sawantwadi for providing laboratory facility. Volume XII, Issue XII, DECEMBER 2019 Page No: 1598 JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 References 1. Aland, S. R., Mamlayya, A. B., & Bhawane, G. P. (2012). Diversity of Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) in and Around Amba Reserve Forest, Western Ghat, Kolhapur. Avishkar- Solapur University Research Journal, 2(January), 31–41. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 261296117 2. Bharamal, D. L., Koli, Y. J., and Bhawane, G. P. (2014). An inventory of the Coleopteran fauna of Sindhudurg district , Maharashtra , India. 3(12), 189–193. 3. Mitra, B., Das, P., Chakraborti, U., Mallick K.,. and Chakraborty K. (2016). Long Horn Beetles (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera) Of Nagaland, India. 4. Chandgadkar, A., Surve, J., More, S. V, and Prashant, M. S. (2017). Fauna of long horned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from Tilari forest, Chandgad, Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, a region of Western Ghats. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 5(6), 1684–1688. 5. Cocquempot C, Lindelöw Å (2010) Longhorn beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Chapter 8.1. In: Roques A et al. 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