A new species of the genus Gomphomastax Brunner von Wattenwyl (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae: Gomphomastacinae) from Indian Kashmir

A new species, Gomphomastax nigrovittata Usmani, from Kashmir is described and illustrated. In addition to conventional morphological characters, genitalic structures are also studied. A key to known species of Gomphomastax from Indian Kashmir is given

A new species of the genus \u3ci\u3eGomphomastax\u3c/i\u3e Brunner von Wattenwyl (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae: Gomphomastacinae) from Indian Kashmir

A new species, Gomphomastax nigrovittata Usmani, from Kashmir is described and illustrated. In addition to conventional morphological characters, genitalic structures are also studied. A key to known species of Gomphomastax from Indian Kashmir is given

Effects of the Food Plants on the Bionomics of Cabbage aphids, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.)

phids, commonly known as „Plant lice‟ are soft bodied insects which damage different types of plants including valuable fruit & vegetable crops. Among aphids, the cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) is one of the most important pests of cruciferous crops like cabbage, cauliflower, knol-khol, kale, turnip etc. It is a small blue grey coloured aphid with short cornicles (tube like structures at the end of abdomen) & body covered with waxy secretions. The cabbage aphids feed on the underside of leaves in large clusters, in the center of cabbage heads, flowers, flower-stalks & on the youngest leaves. Cabbage aphid damages leaves & flowers of plants directly by sucking sap & indirectly by secreting honey dew which attracts sooty mould. The aphid is also a vector of 11 non-persistent, 5 semi-persistent & 4 persistent plant viruses (Ulusoy & Bayhan, 2006). A thorough understanding of pest biology is essential for developing a reliable pest population prediction system & more environmental friendly management strategies. Though much work has been carried out in the country on the pests of cruciferous crops but no systematic work seems to have attempted in the valley in this regard particularly on the crops like cauliflower, cabbage, kale, turnip & knol-khol. A In order to have an idea about the previous work done on the said topic, an attempt was made to review the available literature on the subject. Early workers like Daiber (1970) studied the influence of temperature on the biology of three species of aphids- Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), Lipaphis erysimi Kalt. & Myzus persicae Sulz. infesting cabbage. Chua (1977) studied the population of Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) & its parasites & Hyperparasites in England on Brussel-sprouts. Amin et al. (1980, 1982), Muhammad et al. (1989), Kashyap & Sharma (1994), Paula et al. (1995), Opender (1998), Vasicek et al. (1999), Cividanes (2002), Debraj & Singh (2003), Rossa et al. (2003), Vasicele et al.(2003), Satar (2005) & Ulusoy et al. (2006) studied the biology of Brevicoryne brassicae on different Brassica species under different temperature regimes. Amjad et al. (1999), Liu & yiu (2001), Rana (2005) studied the biology of turnip aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) on various Brassica species under varied temperature zones. In order to fulfill the aims and objectives of the present research, the methodology covering different aspects was divided into different sections. First of all the desired host plants of Brevicoryne brassicae viz. cabbage, cauliflower, kale, knol-khol & turnip were cultivated in nursery beds in the month of Feb-March 2010.This was done to ensure the availability of the stock all round the year for experimentation. The plants were transplanted into pots containing loam soil & rotten manure in the ratio of 1:1. After cultivating the crops second step involves the rearing of cabbage aphids, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.). In order to study the biological parameters of the cabbage aphids, equal number of apterous viviparous females was transferred individually to each potted host plant. The individual leaves were covered with cone shaped transparencies in order to restrict the movement of aphids. All the plants were covered with a fine net in order to prevent the attack of cabbage aphids by parasites & predators. The potted plants were kept under ambient temperature & humidity conditions in the laboratory until each experiment was concluded. To observe the effect of different host plants on the biology of Brevicoryne brassicae a set of five experiments were conducted. After noting down the different parameters in the life-cycle of Brevicoryne brassicae, the data generated was statistically analyzed for drawing inferences. The results indicate that there is a negative correlation between the average monthly temperature & nymphal period of cabbage aphid on kale. Similarly negative correlation was observed between temperature and other biological parameters like reproductive period, adult longevity and total longevity of the cabbage aphid. The different developmental times on different plants, from first instar to adult cabbage aphids can be attributed to differences in the levels of sensitivity & resistance of the host plants. Robert (1987) stated that the chemical structure, quality of nutriment, and colour of leaf affect development time, life-span, survival rate & fecundity of aphids. The difference in the developmental period, total longevity & adult longevity of cabbage aphid on cauliflower, turnip, cabbage & knol-khol can be attributed to the structural difference in the leaves of the said crops, besides the differences in the chemical composition of their leaves. The differences in the different biological parameters of B.brassicae observed on kale in different months of the year may be attributed to the changing temperature‟s in different months of the year. Besides these factors, the age of plant & sinigrin accumulation in the leaves of the crop can also effect the biological parameters of the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae). Thus the present work reveals that this biological work is the first of its kind in the valley. The overall life cycle of the pest was found to be longest on cauliflower (29.16 days) & shortest on turnip (15.48 days) which can be attributed to the morphological structure of turnip leaves and high resistance shown by the crop for the pest

Studies of the Taxonomy of Thrips (Thysanoptera) of floricultural importance of Kashmir Region

Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings. Being universal in there occurrence, they frequently inhabit flowers of different kinds, grass sheaths, tender leaves etc. They have attracted the attention of entomologist, due to their ability to act as vectors of certain bacterial, fungal and viral diseases of plants. Thrips are also the serious pests of crops. The present study was conducted both in the fields and in laboratory. Thrips were collected from different flowers, which include Dandelion, Daisy, Dahlia, Chrysanthmum, Lotus, Lilly, Roses, Gladiolus, Zinnia, Saffron, Sunflower, Marigold, Tulips etc. The common methods employed for collection are. 1. Hand picking --the individuals from the plants by using a small brush. 2. Beating the foliage on to a white background, preferably a sheet of stiff white paper , and picking the material with a fine camel hair brush. The collected material is preserved in a small collection tube containing 50-70%alcohol.The stored material after dehydration in 95-98% alcohol is cleared in xylene and mounted in xylol-canada balsm. The mounted specimen are identified and labelled with its original data. The specimens identified include the species of Thrips, Franklinella, Megelurothrips, Aeolothrips Haplothrips etc. An illustrated key is provided to families of sub-orders Terebrantia and Tubulifera. The families of Terebrantia are Aeolothripidae and Thripidae, the former has ovipositor curved upwards while latter has ovipositor curved downwards. Key is provided to the species of Aeolothripidae, illustrated key is also provided to the species of Thripidae, these inclde, Thrips tabaci, Thrips flavus, Thrips trehernei, Thrips simplex, Thrips coloratus, Thrips nigropilosus, Thrips hawaiiensis. The genus Thrips is the second largest genus in the Thysanoptera. Thrips tabaci is highly polyphagous and has been recorded from Tulips in kashmir valley Thrips tabaci is unusual within the genus in lacking red pigment around the ocelli. Thrips flavus are probably the wide spread species; have been found to infest the Tulips, Saffron, Daisies and Lotus in kashmir valley. Key is also provided to two species of Franklinella, these are Franklinella intonsa, F. schultzi. The invasive pest species F. intonsa were abundent on flowers of Lilly

Taxonomic notes on the tribe Acridini Latreille (Acridinae: Acrididae: Orthoptera) of Kashmir, India

The tribe Acridini Latreille is redefined. Keys to subtribes and species where necessary are given. The genera and species are redefined along with the list of synonymies.

Studies on Indian species of the genus Aeliomorpha Stal (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

Die Gattung Aeliomorpha wird in zwei Untergattungen eingeteilt: Aeliomorpha S. Str. und Distantietta Subgen. n. Eine Bestimmungstabelle der indischen Arten der Gattung Aeliomorpha Stal wird ebenfalls mitgeteilt. Zwei neue Arten, A. (A.) coimbatorensis sp. n. und A. (D.) viridis sp. n., werden beschrieben und mit Illustrationen dargestellt.Nomenklatorische HandlungenDistantietta Azim & Shafee, 1987 (Aeliomorpha), sgen. n.coimbatorensis Azim & Shafee, 1987 (Aeliomorpha (Aeliomorpha)), spec. n.viridis Azim & Shafee, 1987 (Aeliomorpha (Distantiella)), spec. n.The genus Aeliomorpha is divided into two subgenera: Aeliomorpha S. Str. and Distantietta Subgen. n. A key to Indian species of the genus Aeliomorpha Stal is also provided. Two new species A. (A.) coimbatorensis sp. n. and A. (D.) viridis sp. n. are described and illustrated.Nomenclatural ActsDistantietta Azim & Shafee, 1987 (Aeliomorpha), sgen. n.coimbatorensis Azim & Shafee, 1987 (Aeliomorpha (Aeliomorpha)), spec. n.viridis Azim & Shafee, 1987 (Aeliomorpha (Distantiella)), spec. n

Taxonomic Studies on Some Species of Oxya Serville (Orthoptera: Acrididae) of Kashmir Himalaya

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