Showing papers by "St. Joseph's College, Devagiri published in 2020"
TL;DR: The results are contrary to the presently existing conclusion that facultative parasitism by M. scalaris in laboratory cultures of target organisms makes it unsuitable as a biological control agent of L. tristis.
Abstract: The utility of the cosmopolitan scuttle fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew, 1866) (Diptera: Phoridae), as a biological control agent of the litter-dwelling darkling beetle Luprops tristis (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a serious home-invading pest of southern India, is reported. In the laboratory, M. scalaris parasitized dormant, aggregated populations of L. tristis. Megaselia scalaris completed its life cycle by feeding on the decaying substrate consisting of dead L. tristis and their excreta. Megaselia scalaris larvae fed on the viscera of parasitized L. tristis within a day and were not deterred by the defensive gland secretion of the host. The scuttle fly preferred L. tristis as a food source even when an alternative organic food source was available, and it parasitized only inactive L. tristis. Our results are contrary to the presently existing conclusion that facultative parasitism by M. scalaris in laboratory cultures of target organisms makes it unsuitable as a biological control agent of L. tristis.
20 Mar 2020
TL;DR: A new genus of enigmatic tribe Physocrotaphini, Physoglossus gen. nov., with a new species Ph. devagiriensis sp.nov.
Abstract: A new genus of enigmatic tribe Physocrotaphini, Physoglossus gen. nov., with a new species Ph. devagiriensis sp. nov. from a dry deciduous forest in the rain shadow belt of the south Western Ghats in south west India is described. Presence of mentum with bifid median tooth and large oval depression with dense patch of filamentous setae on 2nd and 3rd male sternites makes it intermediate to the Physocrotaphini genera, Pogonoglossus, Foveocrotaphus and Physocrotaphus. Key words: new ground beetle species, Anthiinae, the Western Ghats, India