K. ABIMANU, M.S.V. CHALAM, M. RAJASRI AND M. PRADEEP

Department of Entomology, ANGRAU-S.V. Agricultural College,Tirupati-517 502.

ABSTRACT

A field survey was conducted in Madurai and Virudhunagar districts of Tamil Nadu for the collection of aphidophagous coccinellids associated with pulses and oilseed crop ecosystems. A total of ten coccinellids were identified from both pulses and oilseed crop ecosystems. Out of which eight species viz., Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus), Coccinella transversalis (Fabricius), Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), Scymnus nubulis (Mulsant), Illeis cincta (Fabricius), Micraspis discolor (Fabricius), Anegleis cardoni (Weise), Harmonia octomaculata (Fabricius) were identified from pulse crop ecosystems and ten species viz., Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus), Coccinella transversalis (Fabricius), Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), Scymnus nubulis (Mulsant), Illeis cincta (Fabricius), Micraspis discolor (Fabricius), Anegleis cardoni (Weise), Harmonia octomaculata (Fabricius), Brumoides suturalis (Fabricius) and Paraexochomus nigripennis (Erichson) were identified from oilseed crop ecosystems. Out of this, Paraexochomus nigripennis was reported for the first time from Tamil Nadu.

KEYWORDS: Aphidophagous, coccinellids, pulses, oilseeds.