Species Diversity of Phytophagous Scarab Fauna (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Western Ghats of Kerala, India

Authors

  • Judith Corolin Correya
     Department of Zoology, JAIN (Deemed-to-be-University), Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • Kolla Sreedevi
     Division of Germplasm Collection and Characterization, ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Hebbal, Bengaluru, 560024, Karnataka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v123/i2S/2023/172525

Keywords:

Scarabaeidae, Species diversity, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki, Kerala

Abstract

Surveys were carried out during March to August months of 2021 and 2022 to document the species diversity of phytophagous scarabs in selected locations of four districts of Kerala viz., Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad and Idukki, which cover rich biodiversity hotspots in the Western Ghats. The explorations yielded 1953 specimens belonging to 60 species under 18 genera of subfamilies Melolonthinae, Rutelinae and Dynastinae, of which Melolonthinae is the most speciose representing 11 genera. Various diversity indices revealed variations in species diversity in terms of species richness and evenness among the surveyed locations. Six species viz., Anomalachela bicolor (Brenske, 1892), Sophrops karschi (Brenske, 1892), Apogonia proxima Waterhouse, 1877, Apogonia sp.1, Maladera rufocuprea (Blanchard, 1850) and Anomala communis (Burmeister, 1844) were found to be common in all the four surveyed districts while ten species each were observed to be specific to Palakkad and Idukki districts. The species distribution and dynamics across the districts are discussed.

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Published

2023-07-01

How to Cite

Correya, J. C., & Sreedevi, K. (2023). Species Diversity of Phytophagous Scarab Fauna (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 123(2S), 305–314. https://doi.org/10.26515/rzsi/v123/i2S/2023/172525

Issue

Volume 123, Issue 2S, Special Issue 2023

Section

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