Distribution, Host Range and Bionomics of Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Linnaeus, 1761) a Polyphagous Aphid in Aquatic Vegetables

The present study records the occurrence of water lily aphid, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Linn, 1971) on different aquatic plants from Varanasi and adjoining regions, Uttar Pradesh, India for the fi rst time. Both nymphs and adults prefer to feed on petiole, leaf lamina and buds towards terminal portion of different aquatic plants. They suck the cell sap resulting in curling of leaves, stunted plant growth with lower number of fruits in water chestnut. Further, the honey dew deposited on the leaves favours the development of black sooty-mould and hinders the normal photosynthetic activity of the plants. Infestation of aphid started in the region on water chestnut during last week of October (1.35 aphids leaf-1) coinciding with the initiation of winter in the region and gradually increased with highest peak (21.95 aphids leaf-1) during fourth week of January. Amongst the different aquatic host plants under study in the region, olfactometer study showed significantly highest number of R. nymphaeae (28%) attraction towards lotus followed by of water chestnut (21.3%) and water lily (20%) and the least was with water hyacinth (4%). Amongst the biopesticides tested, L. lecanii @ 5 g lit-1was found most promising with lowest median lethal time (31.09 h) followed by neem oil (1%) (41.59 h) and M. anisopliae (43.95 h)

Type species of genera in Aphididae (Hemiptera Sternorrhyncha) with two new generic synonymies

P. 65-68The aphidologist community attending the Seventh International Symposium on Aphids in Fremantle (Western Australia, 2005) entrusted to us the preparation of a Part of the List of Available Names in Zoology devoted to the aphid genus-group taxa names, and this to be presented at the subsequent aphid symposium. During the course of our work (Nieto Nafría et al. 2009), we checked each genus to make sure its type species designation conformed to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999) ―henceforth The Code and The Commission―, and that these designations were correctly represented in the literature, especially the two most recent taxonomic catalogues (Eastop & Hille Ris Lambers 1976; Remaudière & Remaudière 1997). Previous authors have used most of the procedures of type fixation enumerated in The Code, The Commission itself has used its Plenary Powers to fix six type species, and 11 genus-group names remain without types (Table 1). In the recent aphid taxonomic catalogues (Eastop & Hille Ris Lambers op. cit.; Remaudière & Remaudière op. cit.), we found three errors caused by mistakes propagated in the literature and two errors caused by incorrect application of Article 11 of The Code. We have also found that in the case of 11 names, the criteria of Article 70.3 of The Code were not met, and regardless, earlier editions of The Code did not allow type designations of that kind (see the last paragraph of the example in Article 70.3). This article corrects the five errors and conforms the 11 aphid type species designations to the nomenclatural standards of The Code.S

Maculolachnus blackmani (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Lachninae)-a new aphid species from India and Pakistan with key to species of the genus

Kanturski, Mariusz, Chakrabarti, Samiran (2022): Maculolachnus blackmani (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Lachninae)-a new aphid species from India and Pakistan with key to species of the genus. Zootaxa 5183 (1): 361-368, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5183.1.2

Tegonotus fisus Chakrabarti & Sarkar, 2011, n. sp.

Tegonotus fisus n. sp. (Figs. 11–16.) Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: numerous irregular broken lines on prodorsal shield, frontal lobe of prodorsal shield has clear median and admedian lines, bifurcated dorsal pedipalp genual setae d, scapular tubercles much ahead of the posterior shield margin, seta on tibia I absent, 4 rayed, tarsal empodium, presence of two types of ventral annuli i.e. first 14–16 ventral annuli with microtubercles and rest of the ventral annuli with microstriations, both the coxae smooth, proximal region of female genitalia has small striations, two horn like lateral projections emerge from mid lateral margin of epigynium. FEMALE (n= 10): Body 169.9 (165.4–169.9) long, 56.0 (55.2 –56.0) wide. Gnathosoma 23.3 (22.3–23.3) long, curved down, dorsal pedipalp genual seta d bifurcated and 9.3 (9.1–9.3). Prodorsal shield 65.3 (64.8–65.3) long, 56.0 (55.2 –56.0) wide with a prominent shield lobe of 19.6 (18.6–19.6) long over the base of gnathosoma, frontal shield lobe triangular, with distinct median and admedian lines and numerous broken lines; prodorsal shield shows granulations and a prominent ‘V’ shaped mark extended from anterior shield margin up to middle encompassing prominent median line, faint impressions of median and admedian lines are found below the ‘V’ mark, numerous broken lines are also found at two lateral sides of prodorsal shield, near the base of each dorsal tubercle small semicircular arcs are found. Scapular tubercles 13.0 (12.6 –13.0) conspicuous, ahead of rear shield margin and 26.1 (26.1–26.9) apart, scapular seta sc 2.8 (2.1–2.8) and directed upward and centrad. Leg I from base of trochanter 25.2 (24.2–25.2); femur 10.2 (10.2–11.2), basiventral femoral seta bv 9.3 (8.9–9.3); genu 3.7 (3.7–4.2) with antaxial genual seta 1 ʺ 28.0 (27.0–28.0); tibia 6.5 (5.6–6.5) without paraxial tibial seta 1 ʹ; tarsus 4.6 (3.7–4.6); two identical tarsal setae-paraxial fastigial tarsal setae ft ʹ and antaxial fastigial tarsal seta ft ʺ 14.0 (11.3 –14.0); paraxial unguinal tarsal seta u ʹ 3.7 (2.6–3.7), tarsal solenidion ω curved, knobbed and 4.6 (3.7–4.6), 4 rayed, tarsal empodium em 3.7 (3.7–4.4). Leg II from base of trochanter 24.2 (23.2–24.2); femur 10.2 (10.2–11.2), basiventral femoral seta bv 9.3 (8.9–9.3), genu 3.7 (3.7–4.2) with antaxial genual seta 1 ʺ 28.0 (27.0–28.0); tibia 5.6 (4.5–5.6) without paraxial tibial seta 1 ʹ; tarsus 3.7 (3.7–4.2) with two identical tarsal setae-paraxial fastigial tarsal setae ft ʹ and antaxial fastigial tarsal seta ft ʺ 14.0 (11.3 –14.0), paraxial unguinal tarsal seta u ʹ 2.8 (2.1–2.8), tarsal solenidion ω curved, knobbed and 4.6 (4.1–4.6); 4 rayed, tarsal empodium em 3.7 (3.7–4.4). Coxae I 18.6 (17.5–18.6) long, smooth and contiguous with a mid sternal line, seta 1 b 6.5 (5.6–6.5) and 5.9 (5.1–5.9) apart; 1 a tubercles with seta present a little ahead of line across the 2 a tubercles; seta 1 a 14.0 (13.0–14.0) and 6.9 (6.1–6.9) apart, the distance between setae 1 a and 1 b is 6.2 (6.2–6.4); coxa II smooth, 13.0 (13.0– 13.8), seta 2a 29.8 (28.8–29.8) and 23.6 (22.8–23.6) apart. Opisthosoma with 29 (28–29) smooth dorsal annuli and 56 (56–57) narrow ventral annuli, micro tubercles rounded and located on first 15 (14–16) ventral annuli; rest of the ventral annuli starting from posterior margin of genitalia up to last ventral annulus have microstriations, seta c 2 15.8 (14.9–15.8) on annulus 15 (14–15), seta d 52.2 (52.2–53.2) on annulus 23 (23–24); seta e 4.6 (4.6–5.6) on ventral annulus 29 (28–29); seta f 14.0 (14.0– 14.9) on ventral annulus 49 (48–49); seta h 1 absent, seta h 2 42.0 (42.0– 43.2). Epigynium 16.8 (16.8– 17.5) long, 19.6 (19.6–21.1) wide; smooth except small striations at anterior margin, two horn like lateral projections emerge from mid lateral margin of epigynium; seta 3a 12.1 (10.2–12.1). MALE. Not observed. Type material. Holotype: Female (marked) on slide (no. 1378 / 91 / 2006), India: West Bengal: Malda, Amriti, Latitude: 24 ° 20 ʹ 38 ʺ N and Longitude: 87 °05ʹ 29 ʺ E, 24 December, 2006 from Mangifera indica (L.) (Anacardiaceae), Coll. S. Sarkar. Paratypes: 8 females on slide bearing holotype and 49 females on 6 slides (nos. 1376- 1377 / 91 / 2006 and 1379-1382 / 91 / 2006); collection data same as in holotype. Relation to host. Pinkish brown, fusiform mites are vagrants on the undersurface of the leaves. Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ fisus ’, a Latin word, meaning split, and refers to the bifurcate dorsal pedipalp genual seta. Remarks. The new species resembles T. schleicherae Ghosh & Chakrabarti, 1985, T. ferrugeniae Mohanasundaram, 1985, T. tricarinatus Fletchmann, 1996 in having 4 rayed tarsal empodium and scapular tubercles much above the shield margin. However, it differs from T. schleicherae by not having granulated prodorsal shield, from T. ferrugeniae by not having lateral spine of dorsal annuli and from T. tricarinatus in overall prodorsal shield structure, shorter setae 3 a and smooth coxae. The new species also closely resembles T. convolvuli (Channabasavanna, 1966) in location of scapular seta well ahead of rear margin of prodorsal shield and having 4 rayed tarsal empodium but differs from it by having numerous irregular broken lines on prodorsal shield besides bifurcated dorsal pedipalp genual setae and not having seta on tibia I.Published as part of Chakrabarti, Samiran & Sarkar, Sanjay, 2011, Three new species of eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) infesting fruit yielding plants from India, pp. 28-36 in Zootaxa 2988 on page 34, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20372

New genera, a new species, and a key to the genera of Ashieldophyinae (Acari, Eriophyoidea) from India

Two new genera, Brevishieldophyes Chakrabarti & Pandit, gen. n. and Mesoshieldophyes Chakrabarti & Pandit, gen. n., and a new species Mesoshieldophyes varecae Chakrabarti & Pandit, sp. n. are described. These mites are leaf vagrants. The morphological characters of the afore-mentioned genera and those of Ashieldophyes Mohanasundaram are compared. A key for separating the genera within the subfamily Ashieldophyinae is provided. The diagnostic characters of the subfamily Ashieldophyinae are also revised

Two new eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from West Bengal, India

Sur, Surajit, Roy, Sourav, Chakrabarti, Samiran (2018): Two new eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from West Bengal, India. Zootaxa 4434 (1): 193-200, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4434.1.1