Sapphire eyed Spreadwing (Lestes praemorsus) is a beautiful damsel fly found in India and other Asian countries. Watch the damsel flies mating on the tip of an ornamental plant. Recorded from Kannur, Kerala
News and updates about Indian Biodiversity Conservation.
Updated research findings and conservation measures about Indian biodiversity.
Showing posts with label Indian insects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian insects. Show all posts
Indian damsel flies - Sapphire eyed Spreadwing (Lestes praemorsus) mating video
Sapphire eyed Spreadwing (Lestes praemorsus) is a beautiful damsel fly found in India and other Asian countries. Watch the damsel flies mating on the tip of an ornamental plant. Recorded from Kannur, Kerala
New Parasitic Wasp species Neastymachus punctatiscutellum found from Western Ghats
Confirming the claims that the biodiversity hotspots still harbor more missing species, researchers at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun
and Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru have reported a parasitic wasp species
which is new to the science, from Western Ghats, one of the hottest biodiversity
hotspots in the world.
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| Neastymachus punctatiscutellum © Sudhir Singh |
As per the finding published in the latest issue of the
Journal of Threatened Taxa, the researchers have found the new wasp as part of
their studies on the canopy of the tropical rain forests in the Western Ghats
forest patches in the Indian state of Karnataka. The new wasp belongs to the Encyrtidae genus and was named as Neastymachus punctatiscutellum, according
to the research note, “after the distinct punctate reticulate sculpture of the
scutellum’ of the wasp.
The newly identified wasp has yellow or brownish yellow body
with yellow antenna. The scape and club of the antenna are usually brown while
the specimen’s legs are in pale yellow, says the research note.
The new species adds to the 13 member Neastymachus genus, among which 6 are found in India excluding the
new comer. The present species is so far reported only from Western Ghats in Karnataka.
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| frontal view of N. punctatiscutellum head © Sudhir Singh |
According to the research note, the new species can be
distinct from other known species of wasp under the same genus. The flat and ‘V’
shaped apex and the dark brown colour with lateral white strips makes it
different from similarly looking members of the genus. The deep punctuate reticulate
sculpture of the scutellum, flattened scape and the asetose scutellum also make
it distinct from other wasps.
Conservation
significance of the new species
Interestingly, the researchers stumbled on the yet unknown
wasp while studying about the biodiversity in the rainforest canopies in the
Western Ghats.
Subsequently, they have found a female of the species from the
canopies of Vateria Indica, a
critically endangered tree endemic to the high-altitude rainforest patches of
Western Ghats. It was found in Makuta near Virajpet in the Coorg district of
Karnataka. The tree was approximately 40 meters tall and was located at an
altitude of above 128 meters from the mean sea level. Moreover, the wasp was
found at the canopy of the tree during its flowering season.
Though the relation between the new wasp species and Vateria Indica is not yet reveled, there
are chances that the newly found insect had a significant role in the life of
the tree. If the wasp helps in the pollination of the tree or anything like that, the conservation status of the new wasp will be a decisive factor in the survival of the critically endangered tree which is endemic
to India.
Why dragon flies are important to Human beings?
Buddha once said that human has more to study from
butterflies than from text books. Same is the case with dragonflies, as far as
ecologists are concerned. But why? Wonder why do the elite human race with well-developed
brains at his command to survive natural challenges care such a weak creature?
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| Dragonfly resting on a leaf |
Best bio-indicators
Recent researches say that dragonflies, just like butterflies, are prominent indicators of ecosystem health. Any change in the ecosystem will first make a visible mark on dragonflies, be it the climate change or a chemical war.
For instance, some districts in the South Indian states of
Karnataka and Kerala report large scale health issues among the people due to
the areal spray of Endosulfan, a pesticide which is banned in many European
countries. The adverse effect of the pesticide was not studied before starting
its use. It grabbed media attention only when a doctor practicing in one of the
villages noticed large number of cancerous abnormalities among his patients,
years later.
But, the sign was visible very early, but nobody had the
eyes to see it.
The area recorded an abnormal fall in the population of
damsel flies and butterflies. They were the first creatures wiped out by the
pesticide reaction. If an ecologist or nature lover detected the change and
raised the alarm, they would have been able to avert many of the deaths (thousands
of them, which still continue) in the area.
Any such changes to the ecosystem first reflect on these
weak creatures. In South Africa, it was found that the species diversity of dragonflies
directly relates to human disturbance and resulting degradation of an
ecosystem. The dragonflies in the undisturbed areas were rare or endemic to
that region while those found at the disturbed riparian patches were common or
general in nature.
Biological Pest Control Agents
Damsel flies also offer important ecological services
Dragonfly larvae are known predators of larvae of mosquitoes and
black flies which are vectors of fatal diseases. The adult dragonflies devour mosquitoes and similar blood sucking flies which carry diseases.
It has made them effective bio control agents against mosquitoes and insect vectors of some diseases. Granite Ghost (Bradinopyga geminate), a container breeding dragonfly is widely
used in Thailand as a biological controller of Aedes mosquito which
spreads dengue fever. Its use in the urban areas was proved effective in preventing
dengue outbreak and spread.
Similarly,
dragonflies help the farmers in pest control too.
Kerala gets a new dragonfly added to its insect fauna
The south Indian state of Kerala has got a
new entrant to its list of insects recently when a group of researchers have found Microgomphus souteri Fraser, a dragonfly which was not spotted from the state in the past. The fly adds to the 138 member strong Odonata fauna of Kerala.
The new fly adds to the 138 member
strong Odonata fauna of Kerala. The insect was spotted from Vlayamchal in the
Aaralam Wildlife Sanctuary in Kannur district which is located in the slopes of
the Brahmagiri ranges in northern Western Ghats.
The fly which belongs to the Microgomphus genus actually
comes under Gomphidae family of dragonflies which are also known as Club-tails for the bulbous last segment of their abdomain. The Microgomphus members of Gomphidae are the smallest in the family with a unique appearance of black and greenish yellow
colours.
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| Microgomphus souteri found in Aaralam Wild Life Sanctuary in Kerala (Photo courtesy Dr. Mohammed Jafer Palot ) |
Among other members of the genus Microgomphus, M. souteri differs with Antehumeral stripes on its thorax which are not confluent with mesothoracic collar. Apart from other features, the two large triangular greenish spots on the black labrum also helps distinguishing them. The 4th and 5th abdominal segments of this fly don’t have the mid dorsal oval yellow spots while the 8th and 10th segments have no yellow markings.
However, it is also reported that the specimen
collected from Aaralam Wildlife Sanctury showed minor variations from the specimen in the earlier
record.
Distribution
of Microgomphus souteri
Usually found in the humid parts of the
Western Ghats and North East India from heights of 609.5 MSL and above, other
members of this genus are reported from South Asian countries like Myanmar,
Malaysia, Sumatra, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Borneo and
Africa.
Though usually arboreal, the males of the
species are found resting on rocks in the streams or vegetation on the
banks of their parent rivers. India has four members of the species M. chelifer, M. torquatus (Selys,
1854) and M. verticalis (Selys, 1873), apart from M. souteri.
The present study is the second recorded spotting
of the species from India, the first being from Sampaje in Coorg district of
the adjacent state of Karnataka some 88 years back.
Tandem running, a new mystery behind ant lines
It is widely known that the ants keep the line with the help
of trails marked by chemicals from their body called pheromones to reach the
destination. However, a new research has revealed another method, called tandem running
found among Diacamma indicum ants
-a species found in Sri Lanka and India - being used in colony
relocation.
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Tandem run is a reason why you find ants doing something like
shaking hands with each other. To initiate
a tandem run, a leader ant, often an adult, will repeatedly make antenna
contact with a potential follower. Then turning around by 180 degrees, the
tandem leader will provide her abdomen to the follower. The follower will then touch
the abdomen of the leader with the antennae signaling that she is ready for the
move. Thus the pair moves to the nest all the while keeping continuous physical
contact.
You believe it or not,
ant colonies were found taking almost same time to relocate to new nests in
this way, no matter what distance they cover. The study found one ant colony which
moved to a shorter distance destination taking as much time as another which traveled
to a distance six times farther. To adjust this, during long distance
relocations, more worker ants took the role of leaders initiating tandem run
which in effect made the relocation faster for the whole colony.
It was also
observed that D. indicum ants allow only the broods and males to be followers,
and they never swap leaders and followers during a tandem run.
Interestingly, D.
indicum ants don’t have an egg-laying queen, unlike many other ant species.
The egg-laying role is taken by a worker ant called gamer-gate. During relocation,
the gamer-gate was either tandem run or self explored to the new nest without
company of retinue, unlike the queen ants in other species.
Why do honey bees flock to waste water?
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Honey Bees consider animal urine mixed water as their 'Complan', says a recent research
Honey bees are known to feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. But
ever heard of them sucking waste water, that too from animal dung? A recent
observation on honey bees (Apis dorsata)has revealed that they tend to
flock on water from animal waste found in the sewage tracts of animal sheds mainly to meet
their nutritional needs.
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| Apis dorsata feeding on waste water from animal sheds |
Experiments have revealed that bees often show
some attraction towards water with animal waste content . An average of 33.33
percent bees were attracted towards water with
animal waste content in the experiment while only 20 percent of them were attracted to pure
water. Similarly, stingless bees which belong to subfamily Meliponinae are also known to feed on feces and decaying
flesh, which is less expected from such 'sweet' insects.
The answer to the unexpected phenomenon lies in the
influence certain amino acids have, in the normal growth of a bee. Bees need at least ten different amino acids for their normal growth. Apart from
that, they need water and salts to meet their natural growth requirements.
Thus the usual nature of animal urine gives a complete
planned food option to bees as it contains sodium (Na+), potassium (K), chloride, magnesium
(Mg2+), Calcium (Ca2+) ions, organic molecules like urea, creatinine and uric
acid. Other substances like carbohydrates, enzymes, fatty acids, hormones,
pigments and mucins are also present in small amounts.
So, in short, honey bees consider animal urine mixed water as a health drink - their 'Complan' luring them to to flock on animal waste just as they flock on to flowers for honey.
Did you ever notice such bizarre insect behavior? Let us know in the comments.
Did you ever notice such bizarre insect behavior? Let us know in the comments.
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