A new species and new record of the genus Pexicopia (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) feeding on Abutilon indicum from India.

A new species, Pexicopia tungabhadrai sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), feeding on Abutilon indicum is described from Karnataka, India. Also, this is the first report of the genus Pexicopia Common, 1958 from India. Images of adult moths, male and female genitalia and immature stages are provided.

Syncola crypsimorpha (Meyrick, 1922) (Gelechioidea: Blastobasidae): A new pest species associated with cultured lac in India.

A host association for Syncola crypsimorpha (Meyrick, 1922) is discovered after 100 years, since its original description. In India, two blastobasid species, Syncola crypsimorpha (Meyrick, 1922) and S. pulverea (Meyrick, 1907) (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea), are predators of cultured lac, Kerria lacca (Kerr, 1782) (Hemiptera: Kerridae). Descriptions, diagnoses, and images and illustrations of the adult stage, including the male and female genitalia, for these two species are provided to facilitate identifications. A lectotype for Syncola crypsimorpha is designated herein.

Description of two new species of the genus Baburia Koak, 1981 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) from India.

The genus Baburia Koak, 1981 of the tribe Olethreutini is newly recorded from India. Two new species B. tinsukiaensis Shashank, n. sp., and B. chettalliensis Shashank and Santhosh, n. sp. are described. This increases the number of species of Baburia to five. Photographic illustrations after the description of two new taxa, checklist and key to species of this genus are provided.

Three new species of the tribe Grapholitini (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) from India.

Three new species of tribe Grapholitini (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) from India viz., Acanthoclita bengaluruensis Reddy and Shashank, sp. nov., Grapholita constricta Reddy and Shashank sp. nov. and Thaumatotibia ramamurthyi Shashank and Reddy, sp. nov. are recorded. Descriptions and photographic illustrations of adult habitus and genitalia are provided.

Recent adventive soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) and mealybugs (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) in India.

Four species of soft scale insect [Hemiptera: Coccidae: Fistulococcus pokfulamensis Hodgson & Martin, Kilifia deltoides De Lotto, Maacoccus piperis (Green) and Paralecanium machili Takahashi] and two species of mealybug [Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae: Antonina thaiensis Takahashi and Formicococcus simplicior (Green)] are recorded in India for the first time. Each of the six species is comprehensively diagnosed based on Indian material, and compared with earlier descriptions. Keys to the Indian species in their respective genera are provided to facilitate identification. Ecological information on host plants, associated ants and natural enemies is also given.

New record of the genus Baseprocessa (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Coelidiinae) from India with description of a new species.

The coelidiinae leafhopper genus Baseprocessa Fan Li is newly recorded from India based on the description of B. patkaensis Meshram sp. nov. and a proposed new combination, B. serratispatulata (Viraktamath Meshram) comb. nov. Materials are deposited in the National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. Photographic illustrations, checklist and key to species of this genus along with a distribution map are also provided.

Moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of Delhi, India: An illustrated checklist based on museum specimens and surveys.

BACKGROUND: There have been several recent checklists, books and publications about Indian moths; however, much of this work has focused on biodiversity hotspots such as North-east India, Western Ghats and Western Himalayas. There is a lack of published literature on urban centres in India, despite the increased need to monitor insects at sites with high levels of human disturbance. In this study, we examine the moths of Delhi, the national capital region of India, one of the fastest growing mega-metropolitan cities. We present a comprehensive checklist of 338 moths species using 8 years of light trapping data (2012-2020) and examining about 2000 specimens from historical collections at the National Pusa Collection of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (NPC-IARI) spanning over 100 years (1907-2020). The checklist comprises moths from 32 families spanning 14 superfamilies with Noctuoidea (48.5%) and Pyraloidea (20.4%) being the the two most dominant superfamilies. We provide links to images of live individuals and pinned specimens for all moths and provide detailed distribution records and an updated taxonomic treatment. NEW INFORMATION: This is the first comprehensive annotated checklist of the moths of Delhi. The present study adds 234 species to the biodiversity of moths from Delhi that were not reported previously, along with illustrations for 195 species.

Morphological characterization of antennal sensilla of Earias vittella (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Nolidae).

The shoot and fruit borer, Earias vittella Fab. (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) is an important and most devastating insect pest on okra and cotton. The pest mainly responsible for causing significant direct damage to tender shoots and fruits of okra, flowers and green bolls of cotton causing net yield loss in both crops. Many non-chemical control strategies have been developed under the insect pest management program, A complete knowledge on the antennal morphology of E. vitella is essential for future electrophysiological and behavioural studies. In the present study, the antennal morphology and types of sensilla on the antennae of both sexes of E. vitella were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. Nine distinct types of sensilla were identified on the antennae of both sexes: sensilla trichodea, sensilla basiconica, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla auricillica (multiporous), sensilla chaetica, uniporous peg sensilla (uniporous), sensilla styloconica, sensilla squamiformia and bohm bristles (aporous). Among all sensilla, the most widespread are multiporous sensilla trichodea with 42.90 ± 1.77/flagellomere in male and 37.38 ± 1.38/flagellomere in female. Sensilla basiconica were the second most common sensillum type in male antennae with 15.67 ± 1.92/flagellomere. Other multiporous sensilla such as auricillica (11.90 ± 0.99) and coeloconica (4.57 ± 0.25) were significantly more abundant in female than in male antennae. Results of the study provide morphological evidence that E. vitella antennae possess microscopic cuticular structures that can play a role in perception of pheromones, plant odours and other chemical stimulants. This will open up opportunities to assess the possibility of using pheromones and plant-derived compounds for the monitoring or management of E. vittella moths in the agricultural landscapes.

DNA barcoding and Taxonomic account on some selected species of subfamily Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from India.

This study represents a detailed taxonomic account of 31 species of Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from India. The survey and collection of 39 localities from different regions of India between 2015 and 2018. The tribe Argyrogrammatini Eichlin Cunningham, 1978 with Ctenoplusia Dufey, 1970 was the most species rich genera with seven species, followed by Thysanoplusia Ichinose, 1973 and Chrysodeixis Hubner, 1821 with four and three species respectively. Among 31 species, 15 species are commonly found in Himalayan regions and while other species were distributed from subtropical to tropical region. Five species, T. orichalcea (Fabricius, 1775), Chrysodeixis eriosoma (Doubleday, 1843), C. acuta (Walker, 1858), C. chalcites (Esper, 1789), Trichoplusia ni (Hubner, 1803) are widespread throughout India and reported as serious crop pests. Present study also revealed range expansion of four species viz., Dactyloplusia impulsa (Walker, 1865), Ctenoplusia mutans (Walker, 1865), Ctenoplusia tarassota (Hampson, 1913) and Zonoplusia ochreata (Walker, 1865). Systematic accounts of all 31 species are discussed here with adult images, species diagnostic characters, collection localities, detailed distributions and reported larval host plants. In addition to morphological studies, for the first time, a preliminary barcode library for 25 species of Indian Plusiinae with average intra-specific distance (%), maximum intra-specific distance (%) and distance to nearest neighbor (%) for individual species is provided. Among 25 species, four species barcode data (Ctenoplusia mutans, C. kosemponesis, Plusiopalpa adrasta, Sclerogenia jessica) are novel to world and 18 species barcode sequences were novel to India.

Diversity analysis reveals genetic homogeneity among Indian populations of legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (F.).

Legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata, has lately emerged as one of the major insect pests of pigeonpea causing considerable crop losses. Thus, efficient management of M. vitrata is an important component for sustained pigeonpea productivity for which information on insect diversity could be useful. Present study was undertaken to evaluate the diversity in M. vitrata populations collected from major pigeonpea growing areas of India using molecular markers, Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and Translational Elongation Factor-1α (tef-1α). Genomic DNA from larvae of different populations was extracted; 709 bp and 550 bp fragments of cox1 and tef-1α were PCR-amplified, cloned and sequenced. Comparison of sequences of different populations using multiple sequence alignment did not show any differences in cox1 and tef-1α sequences within the Indian populations. However, further analysis based upon cox1 sequences has revealed moderate nucleotide diversity (π = 0.26174) among Indian and global M. vitrata populations, whereas nucleotide diversity within Indian populations is nonsignificant (π = 0.00226). Additionally, phylogenetic analysis of cox1 sequences grouped all the Indian populations into one cluster while that of global were completely separate indicating a different ancestral background. This is a maiden attempt for diversity assessment of Indian M. vitrata populations that established them to be genetic homologs with different ancestral background.

Genetic homogeneity in South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta: a new invasive pest to oriental region.

South American tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is an important invasive pest of Tomato which invaded India and Nepal in 2014 and 2016, respectively. In the present study, samples from five localities of India and one from Nepal were used for the investigation of genetic diversity of T. absoluta by employing a fragment in the mtDNA gene-encoding cytochrome oxidase I (COI). Based on the partial COI gene, high genetic homogeneity was detected in T. absoluta populations of India and Nepal with rest of the world. Less nucleotide diversity (π 0.00137) was also detected in the populations of T. absoluta from different countries. This is first attempt to analyze molecular data for this new invasive species from India and Nepal.

A new Indian species of shoot and capsule borer of the genus Conogethes (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), feeding on cardamom.

A new species, Conogethes sahyadriensis sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), feeding on cardamom, is described from India. The species status is supported by diagnostic morphology as well as by genetic data. A phylogenetic analysis based on the publicly available Conogethes COI barcode sequences finds C. sahyadriensis as sister to C. pluto, and it further reveals a number of clades that potentially represent additional undescribed species.The new species is delineated from closely related and superficially similar species of Conogethes.

New records of the genus Parabolopona Matsumara (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with description of a new species from India.

New records for the leafhopper genus Parabolopona Matsumura from India are provided with description of Parabolopona zhangi sp. nov. Materials are deposited in the National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. Morphological illustrations are provided. A checklist and key to species of the genus along with a distribution map are also provided.

A new species of the genus Acria Stephens, 1834 (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae: Acriinae) from India.

A new species, Acria meyricki sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae: Acriinae) occurring on oil palm, is described from India. The status and nomenclature of the genus is reviewed and an annotated checklist of species is given. A key to the seven species known so far from the Indian subcontinent is provided.

Molecular characterization of brinjal shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) based on mitochondrial marker cytochrome oxidase I and their phylogenetic relationship.

Shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis is an important insect pest infesting brinjal or eggplant in India. Molecular characterization of nine different populations belonging to various brinjal growing regions was done using Cytochorome C Oxidase I (COI) gene. Nucleotide analysis of genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis of the COI indicate that the L. orbonalis from different geographical regions are homogenous. The results showed less nucleotide diversity (π = 0.007895) and overall mean distance (0.008 ± 0.003). Topologies of neighbour-joining (NJ) trees indicate all the populations belong to single major clade. Therefore, it is inferred that there was no significant molecular diversity within L. orbonalis of different geographical locations of India with respect to COI.