First Record of Some Insect Pests on Commercial Lac Host Plant, Ziziphus mauritiana from India

Abstract

Ziziphus mauritiana (Indian plum, ber) is one of the most popular lac host trees to culture both the strains (rangeeni and kusmi) of Indian lac insect Kerria lacca (Kerr). A comprehensive and intensive crop surveillance and field collections of insect pests associated with Z. mauritiana trees carried out during the last five years revealed the occurrence of ten new insect pest species viz., Scutellera perplexa (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Scutellaridae); Drosicha sp. (Hemiptera: Margarodidae); Myllocerus dentifer (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); Amblyrrhinus poricollis Marshall (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); Hypolixus truncatulus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); Peltotrachelus sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); Hypolixus sp. Fabricius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); Cleonus sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae); Leptocentrus narayani (Hemiptera: Membracidae) and Cassida exilis Bohemann (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) which are reported for the first time in lac production system from India. Occurrence of Myllocerus discolor Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Z. mauritiana has been reported from other parts of the country but it has been reported for the first time from the state of Jharkhand. Chrysomelid, Oocassida pudibunda (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and membracid Otinotus sp. (Hemiptera: Membracidae) incidence on cultivated trees of Z. mautitiana has been reported from Gujarat. From Jharkhand state, it has been reported for the first time in lac production system. Distribution and occurrence of Xanthochelus faunus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Z. mauritiana have been reported by various workers from different regions, but its occurrence in lac production system has been reported for the first time from Ranchi, Jharkhand. A number of curculionid species were found to infest this host.