Species Diversity of White Grubs (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae) in the Sub-Himalayan and Northern Plains of India

Abstract

White grubs belonging to subfamilies Melolonthinae and Rutelinae of Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera) are ubiquitous pests. Studies during 2013 and 2014 document the species diversity of white grubs in the subHimalayan and northern plains of India. Surveys conducted in four states, viz. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan revealed high species diversity representing 65 species under 16 genera. The species richness, evenness and composition varied among the states. Higher species diversity was recorded in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh of the sub-Himalayan region when compared to Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan of the northern plains. The species abundance distribution followed log normal distribution in all places except Uttarakhand, where the curve skewed to the left due to overweight of species with low abundance. The species dominance and abundance patterns in different regions are presented. The new distributional records, Anomala pictipes Arrow and Popillia macclellandi Hope from Uttarakhand, Anomala propinqua Arrow and Popillia marginicollis Hope from Himachal Pradesh and Anomala stenodera Arrow from Uttar Pradesh are provided.Keywords: Abundance models, Melolonthinae, Rutelinae, species diversity, white grub.RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 113, NO. 2, 25 JULY 2017 323 WHITE grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are polyphagous herbivores that constitute one of the most widespread and devastating pest groups. Due to the magnitude of economic impact, white grub is considered a national pest. Scarabaeidae comprises about 27,800 species worldwide 1 and includes Laprosticti and Pleurosticti beetles, in which the former includes dung feeders and the latter phytophagous. Of the four major subfamilies of Pleurosticti Scarabaeidae in India, Melolonthinae and Rutelinae, include the so-called 'May' or 'June beetles' and 'shining leaf chafers', which are popularly known as white grubs. Amongst all, Melolonthinae is the largest subfamily with 750 genera and 11,000 species present in the world and 75 genera with 932 species occurring in India 2 . The life cycle of white grubs ranges usually from 1 to 2 years, depending on climatic conditions 3 . Certain species have two generations in a year. The sericine beetle, Maladera spp., was reported to have two generations annually in Israel 4 and India 5 . The average longevity of adults, usually lasts for a month 3 . The adults of white grubs emerge generally during May-June from the soil, in the night, and settle on the nearby trees like neem, ber, moringa, Prosopis, Acacia, apple and plants like wild rose, Polygonum, etc. for feeding and mating 5 . The beetles return to the soil in the morning for oviposition. Incubation period ranges from 4 to 12 days depending on the species. On hatching, larvae dwell in the soil and feed on roots, rootlets and underground stems of plants. The larval period invariably lasts for 3-6 months in annual species and still longer in others. This being the longest and most destructive stage, the infestation leads to init...

Diversity of White Grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India

“…The present observations are in conformity with those of Aparna et al (2018) on Melolonthinae being the dominant taxon. Similar results were known from other regions (Dadmal and Khadakkar, 2014;Pathania et al, 2015;Sreedevi et al, 2017). Observations revealed that five species could account to nearly 79% of the total faunistic diversity in the Dakshina Kannada.…”

Biodiversity of white grub, (Coleoptera: Scaraeidae) in semi arid agro-ecosystem of Rajasthan

“…In another subfamily Rutelinae are Anomala bengalensis, and A. dimidiata are polyphagus white grubs and dangerous pests of agricultural and horticultural crops. Present finding are supported by Sreedevi et al (2017) . In Rajasthan, H. consanguinea and M. insanabilis, are the predominant species and serious pests of groundnut, bajra and jowar.…”

“…Species distribution is important strategy for species specific management options. Previous reports provide list of scarab fauna in north India (Sreedevi et al, 2017). Geographical variations united with cropping pa ern differences contribute to composition of species complex of an area.…”

<b>A preliminary study on the dung beetles of the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India</b>

“…A species diversity study is vital for planning the pest management practices. Geographical variations with cropping pattern differences contribute to the composition of species complex of a region (Sreedevi et al 2017). Hence, a diversity study of dung beetles would be helpful to the concerned authority in pest management options.…”