N. CHAMUNDESWARI*, N.C. VENKATESWARLU, M.S.V. CHALAM AND G. MOHAN NAIDU

 Department of Entomology, S.V. Agricultural College, ANGRAU, Tirupati-517502.

ABSTRACT

A study was carried out at the Department of Entomology, S.V. Agricultural College, Tirupati on the larval taxonomy of pod borer complex in field bean during rabi 2020-21. Four lepidopteran larvae viz., Maruca vitrata (Geyer), Spodoptera litura (Fabricius), Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus) and Etiella zinckenella (Treitscke) were collected from field bean crop and identified. All these lepidopteran larvae were identified and described based on the morphological characters and chaetotaxy of thoracic and abdominal segments, especially 3rd abdominal segment and arrangement of crochets on the ventral prolegs. The measurements viz., total length and width of the larva, length and width of head capsule, width across the compound eyes, length and width of thorax as well as abdomen were taken.

KEYWORDS: chaetotaxy, crochets, field bean, pod borer.