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| Location : Silver crest, Pune, Maharashtra, India |
Friday, 15 June 2012
Red Velvet mite
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| Trombidium grandissimum |
Velvet mites are arachnids found in soil litter known for their bright red colours but are often mistaken for spiders. They are active predators as grown adults but early instars are often parasites on insects. The pattern of stages is shared with that of other members of the Prostigmata: egg, pre-larva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, tritonymph and adult (male or female). They usually have only one breeding cycle per year. One well known species from the Palearctic is Trombidium holosericeum. The systematics of this group has been in flux and many former subfamilies of this are now raised to families within the Trombidioidea.
The species Trombidium grandissimum is endemic to the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Alternate names for it include Bir Bahuti, Birbaboti, Scarlet Fly, Lady
Fly, Velvet Buchi (Telugu term commonly used in Hyderabad, India),
'Aarudra Purugu' (another Telugu word from around Hyderabad, India
because one sees them only in the season 'Aarudra'), 'Sadhaba
Bohu'('ସାଧବ ବୋହୁ', Oriya term meaning 'Bride of the Seafarer' owing to
the red velvet coat and beautiful looks) and Rani Keeda (Hindi/Urdu: Queen Mite). The mites are visible in large numbers early in the Monsoon
season and so are also called rain mites in the subcontinent. In
Gujarat, the term for velvet mite is "Gokal Gaay" or "Mama Ni Gaay". Bir
Bahuti is used as an ingredient in traditional Indian medicine. It folds its legs when it comes in contact with a predator. The act
is to protect the legs but also to place them in front of main internal
organs. It can be clearly observed when picked up. It will unfold its
legs and start moving once it feels that it's out of danger; and can be
observed walking again after some minutes if left untouched.
Interesting facts :
The immunostimulant potential in the haemolymph of Red velvet mite suggests that the mite possess bioactive
compounds and this has to be explored in future.
Taxonomy :
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Arachnida
Subclass : Acari
Order : Trombidiformes
Superfamily : Trombidioidea
Family : Trombidiidae
Genus : Trombidium
Species : T.grandissimum
B.Name : Trombidium grandissimum
Green shield bug
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| Palomena prasina |
The green shield bug (Palomena prasina) is a shield bug of the family Pentatomidae. It may also be referred to as a green stink bug, particularly outside of Britain, although the name green stink bug more appropriately belongs to the larger North American stink bug, Acrosternum hilare. The adult green shield bug ranges in the colour of their backs from bright green to bronze, without any substantial markings. Green shield bugs are a very common shield bug and are found in a large variety of habitats, including gardens. They have been found as far north as 63° N latitude.
The bright green shield bugs appear in May, having hibernated as imagos during the winter. They fatten for a month and then mate in June. Copulation is back-to-back in typical Heteropteran mating position, as they are not flexible enough for both to face forward. The female lays her eggs in hexagonal batches of 25 to 30, and a single female will lay three to four batches. The imago's colouration changes over the summer from green to a greenish brown almost a bronze, before death. After the eggs hatch, the green shield bug enter their larval stage (which is really their first nymphal stage) where, in general, they remain together in sibling communities. This is made possible by the excretion of a aggregation pheromone. In case of danger, another pheromone is released which causes dispersal. The larval stage is followed by four more nymphal stages with a moult between each one. The green shield bug displays different colouration during each nymphal stage, light brown, black or green-black, and in the final stage, the imago, is bright green with short wings. Usually the imago stage is reached in September, with hibernation occurring in November.
Taxonomy :
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Hemiptera
Family : Pentatomidae
Genus : Palomena
Species : P.prasina
B.Name : Palomena prasina
Source : 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_shield_bug
Sweet-potato bug
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| Physomerus grossipes |
The sweetpotato bug (Physomerus grossipes) is a species of insect in the family Coreidae. Native to Southeast Asia, the species has immigrated to the Pacific Islands. Frequently laying its eggs on the same Leguminosae and Convolvulaceae plants on which it feeds, the female of P. grossipes is very protective of her young, notably guarding both eggs and nymphs from predators.
Native to Southeast Asia, the species' distribution ranges from Indonesia, throughout Peninsular Malaysia and India. The species has migrated to other areas, including Guam and Hawaii.The insect feeds on Leguminosae and Convolvulaceae plants. In addition to the sweet potato from which it derives its common name, it frequents other plants of the Ipomoea genus as well as catjang, Clitoria ternatea and the common bean. Since the removal of juice from the stem in the insect's feeding causes the plant to wither and disrupts its production of fruit, P. grossipes has been regarded as a pest.
Physomerus grossipes oviposits its eggs on the undersides of leaves or on the stems of the plants on which it feeds as well as on neighboring sedges. A 1990 study found a mean clutch size of 83 eggs, although some egg deposits numbering twice that have been found, possibly representing the collected eggs of several insects. The female of P. grossipes is very protective, providing the "best known example" of "maternal care in the large family Coreidae." Mothers guard their eggs, threatening and occasionally even rushing at the predators that approach them.In addition, P. grossipes generates a strong-smelling fluid from a metathoracic gland with which the mother sprays larger predators through the anal orifice.
In spite of this protection, approximately 20% of the eggs are eaten by predators such as ants and 13% are lost to parasitoid predation by chalcid wasps, which lay their eggs within the eggs of P. grossipes. Losses to unguarded clutches are much higher. The surviving eggs hatch in approximately 15 days. The insect goes through five nymphal stages ranging from 85 days for males to 88 days for females before reaching full maturity.
After the eggs are hatched, the mother remains to guard the gregarious nymphs,feeding them predigested food. Mixed-age nymph groups have been observed, and there have also been several documented cases of multiple females guarding one nymph group. Rare enough that this may be an aberration, the phenomenon may also suggest still undisclosed social dimensions to P. grossipes, particularly in conjunction with collective egg clutches. It is possible that two mothers are cooperating to guard their broods or that an unmated female may assist to raise a brood that is not hers. Males have frequently been found near nymph groups and may also be present to supply protection to the brood.
Taxonomy :
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Hemiptera
Suborder : Heteroptera
Family : Coreidae
Genus : Physomerus
Species : P.grossipes
B.Name : Physomerus grossipes
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| Physomerus grossipes |
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