“Bio-systematic investigations of the acridid, Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus Bolivar in South Western Rajasthan”
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Date
2009
Authors
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Publisher
MPUAT, Udaipur
Abstract
Bio-systematic investigations on the acridid, Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus Bolivar
in South Western Rajasthan were carried out in the Department of Agricultural Zoology
and Entomology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur, with the
following objectives (i) survey of the Acridid fauna of South-Western Rajasthan; (ii)
estimation of the qualitative and quantitative population structure of Hieroglyphus
nigrorepletus Bolivar; (iii) study on the biosystematics and biology of H. nigrorepletus
under laboratory conditions; (iv) evaluation of food preference by the acridid, H.
nigrorepletus.
Surveys conducted in the five select districts (Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara,
Bhilwara, and Sirohi) of South Western Rajasthan, over a two-year period (2006-07 and
2007-08), resulted in the collection of 27 acridid species from the districts Banswara,
Dungarpur and Udaipur; 11 from Bhilwara and 14 from Sirohi. The acridids could be
grouped into the ten sub-families belonging to 25 genera. Morphological
characterization for the acridids of sub-family Hemiacridinae has been provided. The
adult species diversity was the maximum at Banswara and Dungarpur during both the
years of study with the Shanon Weiner Diversity Index being the maximum 3.11 and
3.06 for Banswara during 2006-07 and 2007-08, respectively; followed by 3.08 and
3.11 for Dungarpur during 2006-07 and 2007-08, respectively. Similarly, the Simpson
Index values were 16.23 and 17.50 for Banswara during 2006-07 and 2007-08,
respectively; while for Dungarpur it was slightly higher being 19.50 and 19.90 for the
corresponding years. The acridid monthly mean density values varied considerably
among species depending upon when the species was dominant and, for most of the
species, their biological activity was the maximum during monsoon.
* Ph. D. Scholar, Department of Agricultural Zoology & Entomology, RCA, Udaipur
** Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Zoology & Entomology, RCA, Udaipur
Studies on the biology evinced that the mean development period from egg to
adult was 62.2 days and the adult males lived a little longer (52.10 days) than the
females (43.60 days). A single female could lay about 2 egg pods with nearly 32 eggs
per pod that had a hatchability of 66.40 per cent. Significant morphometric variations
for H. nigrorepletus and H. banian have been recorded; and in both forms (trachypterus
and brachypterus) in case of H. nigrorepletus. The mean duration of different nymphal
stages from I through VI was 46.5 days. The duration of nymphal stage I was the
shortest (5.80 + 0.35), while that of the nymphal stage VI was the longest (11.20 +
0.42). The mean survival recorded was as low as 23 percent. Growth and development
of H. nigrorepletus was best on maize ranking first followed by sorghum ranking
second; resultantly, the development period on maize, manifested by hopper duration,
was the lowest; the survival ranged from 97.50 to 100 per cent; consequently, the
growth index was the highest during both years on maize. The food utilization indices,
efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) and the approximate digestibility (AD)
were the highest when the grasshopper (H. nigrorepletus) was fed on maize, though the
efficiency of conversion of digested food into body substances was the maximum for
sorghum, Cynodon dactylon and greengram.
Description
Biosystematic investigations of the acridid, Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus
Bolivar in south western Rajasthan
Keywords
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Citation
Rathore and Swaminathan, 2009