Population dynamics of the Teak defoliator (Hyblaea puera Cramer) in Nilambur teak plantations using Randomly Amplified Gene Encoding Primers (RAGEP)

BACKGROUND: The Teak defoliator (Hyblaea puera) is a pest moth of teak woodlands in India and other tropical regions (e.g. Thailand) and is of major economic significance. This pest is of major concern as it is involved in complete defoliation of trees during the early part of the growing season. Defoliation does not kill teak trees, but it results in huge amount of timber loss. Teak defoliator outbreaks are a regular annual feature in most teak plantations in India and it is extremely difficult to predict the exact time and place of occurrence of these outbreaks. Evidence from the study of the population dynamics of H. puera indicated habitual, short range movements of emerging moth populations, suggesting that these populations have spread to larger areas, generation after generation, affecting the entire teak plantations. We were therefore interested in investigating the temporal and spatial relationship among various population groups in Nilambur, Kerala (India) and address the cause of outbreak at the landscape level. RESULTS: The populations were classified into 'endemic', 'epicenter' and 'epidemic' populations based on the time of occurrence and size of infestation. We devised a novel method of screening nuclear and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms using Randomly Amplified Gene Encoding Primers (RAGEP). We have used this method extensively to evaluate the species specificity, reproducibility and to discriminate among the three different characterised populations of teak defoliator. CONCLUSIONS: This method also allowed us to comment with some certainty that the endemic teak defoliator, H. puera do not play a major role in contributing to large-scale infestations. With respect to the hypotheses put forward regarding the origin of outbreaks of the moth, this study confirms the role of migration in outbreak causation, while negating the belief that endemic populations aggregate to cause an epidemic

Bioethology of an undescribed species of Melittobia (Hymenoptera: Eulophilae) parasitic on sphecoid wasps of Malabar (Kerala)

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Biology and behaviour of Chalybion bengalense (Dahlbom) (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

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Alpha taxonomy of three new species of Sphecidae (Hymenoptera) from the Malabar region (India)

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<p><strong>Exploring the host range of the red palm mite (</strong><strong><em>Raoiella indica</em></strong><strong>) in Kerala, India*</strong></p>

Current published records indicate that the red palm mite (RPM), Raoiella indica Hirst, has a much broader host range in the New World than in the Old World. Therefore, a series of studies were carried out in Kerala, India in 2009 and 2010 to elucidate the presence or absence of R. indica colonies on hosts in addition to coconut Cocos nucifera L., and betel-nut palm, Areca catechu L., the only previously reported host plants in India. We evaluated the following: RPM numbers on coconut and Musa spp. grown in Kerala; the presence of RPM on coconut and bananas grown as a mixed crop; and the possible presence of RPM on palms and other selected plant species mostly grown as ornamentals or reported to be hosts of the RPM in the NewWorld. Results showed that RPM was found in extremely low numbers on Musa spp., never clearly colonizing those plants. The pygmy date palm, Phoenix roebelenii O´Brien, was found to be an additional breeding host in Kerala, as multi-generational colonies were found on a plant of this species. Possible reasons for observed differences in RPM host ranges between the Old World and the New World are discussed.</jats:p

A new species of <i>Sympiesis</i> (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitic on the teak defoliator <i>Hyblaea puera</i> (Lepidoptera: Hyblaeidae) in India

AbstractSympiesis hyblaeae Surekha sp. n. is described from Kerala, India. This species, which is a solitary endoparasitoid of first and second instar larvae, is a potential biological control agent of the teak defoliator Hyblaea puera (Cramer).</jats:p

Biology of the immature stages of Chalybion bengalense (Dahlbom) (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

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