Looper Caterpillar Invasion in North East Indian Tea Agro-Ecosystem: Change of Weather and Habitat Loss May be Possible Causes?

Abstract

Tea industry in India hit a record loss of tea production in 2009-11 due to widespread attack of tea defoliators,looper caterpillar pests of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) in major tea growing eco-belt of Assam and West Bengal states. This geometrid pest complex has at least four sister species, two each of Biston and Hyposidra; and a mixed brood of Ectropis sp. The former one was reported as a pest of tea in India since 1911, and later one reported from China and introduced to India; but Hyposidra is a novel tea pest globally, reported recently and that too first from northeast India. Through this article, we attempt to portray the severity of looper outbreak and raised two key questions; viz., present looper outbreak as an indication of climate change in north-east India? and habitat loss may be the fundamental reason for the primary invasion of looper?

New records of insect pests infesting Dalbergia latifolia (Roxb.) from Uttarakhand, India

“…Aleurites montana, Artemisia vulgaris, Bombax malabaricum, Lantana aculeata, Phoebe lanceolata, Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis (Beeson 1941). The presence of large number of alternative host plants has induced the looper problem in tea garden in most of the areas of Assam and West Bengal of India (Antony, 2012).…”