INTRODUCTION:

Bastar, southern administrative division of Chhattisgarh state of India lies between 17° 46' to 20° 34' N and 80° 15' to 82° 15' E at an average altitude of 2000 ft. Erstwhile princely state of India presently consist of seven districts. Its biodiversity rich and unexplored thick forest cover of Shorea robusta, Diospyros melanoxylon, Tectona grandis, Anacardium occidentale, Zizyphus xylopra, Dalbergia sisoo, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Emblica officinalis, Buchanania Ianzan, Tamarindus indica, Mangifera indica etc. marks it as hotspot.

Bagworm (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) phytophagous insect pest is serious defoliator causing economical deficit and ecological loss. Larvae feeds on green leaves vigorously leaving behind defoliated branches. Cone shaped larval case measuring 12mm to 25mm length and 4mm to 8mm width, proves to be good armour against all predator. Mostly case remains hanging on leaf attached firmly via silken thread such that it causes epidermal injury on detachment. The larva head protrudes anteriorly to feed and excretes black tiny pin head size wastes posteriorly. Winged male adult moves out of pupae freely whereas apteryx female never comes out. In the present study on diversity of bagworm, we recorded presence of genus Acanthopsyche (Pteroma) (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) in Shorea robusta, Diospyros melanoxylon and Tamarindus indica of Bastar forest.

Figure: 1 Photograph, A- Adult female bagworm, B- Adult male.

Kanker forest range Matwada area of Kanker forest range; (Coordinates: Latitude-20.31^°84'91", Longitude-81.44^°62'73"), and Korar forest range Ranidongri ( Coordinates: Latitude-20.30^°17'10", Longitude-81.15^°59'97") of Kanker Forest division of Bastar was surveyed for bagworm diversity on forest trees. The trees were visually inspected for bagworm, pupae were collected which later on were brought to laboratory in school of studies in Lifesciences, Raipur, for rearing till eclosion. Eclosed species was send to experts in Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for identification.

Figure: 2 Map showing flag at study location,

A- Matwada in Kanker forest range, B- Ranidongri in Korar forest range.

Genus Acanthopsyche (Pteroma) Heylaerts, 1881 recorded its presence in the Bastar for the first time, further identification to species level could not be revealed due to damaged wing venation caused while hauling. Earlier genus Pteroma (plagiophelps) was obsereved tea in Assam (Watt & Mann, 1903) on ornamental tree, Delonix regia, Albizzia procera, Peltophorum inerme, Swietenia mahagoni, Spondias mangifera [S. pinnata] and Ixora cocoinea (Howlander, 1992), Paraserianthes falcataria, in Kerala (Nair and Mathew, 2010) and on Throbroma cacao in Andhra Pradesh (Emmanuel et al., 2010).

The study finds its relevance as dense forest of Bastar harbor’s rich biodiversity were forest ecosystem supports existence of varied flora and fauna. The report of bagworm in dominant species of the region compel for further investigation of the potential pest.

The author is thankful to Dr. S. Shah, Assistant Zoologist, Lepidoptera section, ZSI, Kolkata and his expert team of Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for identification of specimen.

Financial support to one author (SKI) by UGC-BSR is gratefully acknowledged

REFERENCES:

1. Emmanuel,N., Sujatha, A., Gautam, B., Occurrence of BagWorms Pteroma plagiophelps Hamps and Clania sp. on Cocoa Crop Insect Environment, 2010, Vol.16 (2), 60-61.

2. Howlader, M.A. (1992). Host range, suitability of host plants as food, and seasonal abundance of the bagworm moth, Pleroma plagiophleps Hamps (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) in Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. of Zoology 20, 177-183.

3. Nair, K.S.S., and Mathew, G. (1992). Biology, infestation characteristic and impact of the bagworm, Pteroma plagiophleps Hampson in forest plantations of Paraserianthes falcataria. Entomon 11, 1-13.

4. Rhainds, M., Davis, D.R. and Price P.W. (2009). Bionomics of bagworms (Lepidoptera: Psychidae). Annu. Rev. Entomol. 54, 209–226.

5. Sobczyk, T. 2011. World Catalogue of Insects. Volume 10: Psychidae (Lepidoptera). Apollo Books, Stenstrup. 467 pp.

6. Watt, G. and Mann, H.H. (1903). The insect pests of tea. In: The pests and blights of the tea plant. Govt. Printing Press, Calcutta, pp. 429.

Received on 25.11.2022 Accepted on 10.12.2022

Int. J. Tech. 2022; 12(2):23-24.

DOI: 10.52711/2231-3915.2022.00004