Taxonomy of predatory coccinellid beetles (Coccinellidae:coleoptera) in rice and vegetables

Abstract

Members of the family Coccinellidae, commonly called as lady bird beetles and are predatory on a wide variety of pests. The grubs and adults of the beetle are voracious feeders of many sucking pests and effect natural control of pests in our crop fields. The diversity and abundance of predatory coccinellids in field crops are very much dependent on species and number of prey available. The present investigation entitled "Taxonomy of predatory coccinellid beetles (Coccinellidae : Coleoptera) in rice and vegetables was undertaken to study the taxonomy, species composition and diversity of coccinellid predators in rice and vegetable fields of Vellanikkara and to develop an up to date key for identifying them. Survey was conducted at vegetable fields of College of Horticulture and farmers fields, Vellanikkara and rice fields at Agricultural Research Station, Mannuthy. From the various fields surveyed, sixteen species of coccinellids were collected. Associated with the aphid, Aphis craccivora, ten species of coccinellids were recorded from cowpea fields. Four species of coccineIlids each were reported from coccinia and bittergourd fields. In brinjal, three species of coccineIlids were recorded on mealy bug C. insolitus. Only one species was recorded in bhindi feeding on Aphis gossypii. They were included in four subfamilies, viz., Sticholotidinae, Coccirrellinae, Chilocorinae and Scyrnninae in five tribes and ten genera Taxonomic characters of 11 species collected were studied, namely, Jauravia soror of the subfamily Sticholotidinae, Coccinella transversalis, Q Cheilomenes sexmaculata, Micraspis discolor, Harmonia octomaculata and Anegleis cardoni of the subfamily Coccinellinae, Brumoides suturalis of Chilocorinae and Scymnus (Pullus) coccivora, S. (P) pyrocheilus, S. (P) latemaculatus and Pseudaspidimerus trinolatus of the subfamily Scymninae. A detailed key for all the species studied is prepared by the author. J dorsalis and J pallidula of tribe• Sticholotidinae, s. (P.) coccivora and Pseudoscymnus sp. of Scyrnninae are new records from Kerala. The present study I has also revealed new prey records from Kerala: S. (P.) pyrocheilus and S. (P.)

latemaculatus on A. gossypii and A. craccivora; J. dorsalis, J. pallidula. on A. gossypii; P. trinotatus on C. insolitus and A. gossypii . . ' Of the total 400 species of coccinellids reported from India only 16 species were recorded in the present study from rice and vegetable fields. With the diverse flora and fauna characteristic to Kerala, there is wider scope to explore the species diversity of coccinellids in this region,: