Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T07:25:23.715Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Density and parasitization of grasshopper egg-pods in Pakistan*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

Tahira Z. Mahmood  and
M. H. Qazi
Tahira Z. Mahmood
Affiliation:
National Agricultural Research Centre, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council P.O. National Institute of Health, Chakshahzad, Park Road, Islamabad, Pakistan
M. H. Qazi
Affiliation:
Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
Get access

Abstract

A total of 1244 egg-pods of 12 grasshopper species were collected — 26.7% were from low altitude hills, 23% from Swat valley, 22.1% from Punjab plains, 19.4% from Peshawar region and 8.8% from Potohar plateau. Aiolopus thalassinus was the dominant species comprising 27.7% of the total pods. This was followed by Shirakiacris shirakii (24.5%), Oxya multidentata (13.6%), Trilophidia annulata (9.7%), Spathosternum prasiniferum (9.7%), Atraetomorpha acutipennis(7.4%), Stenohippus sp. (3.8%) and Phlaeoba punteli (1.8%). Others were rare being less than 1%.

Egg-pod density was effected by several closely related factors. Mean annual temperatures (15.6 − 23.4°C) and average precipitation (310 − 2100 mm) of the localities were not the ultimate controlling factors. Parasitism however, appears to play an important role. Highest parasitism of Scelio spp. was 10% on the Potohar plateau where egg-pod population was lowest. A. thalassinus was the most preferred host(41.7%) followed by S. prasiniferum (35.4%), S. shirakii (14.6%), O. multidentata (8.3%), T. annulata and Stenohippus sp. (2.1% each). Soil-type (clay-loam, loam, sandy-loam) and type of vegetation(cultivated area, grasslands) also have a considerable bearing on the microclimate in which the insects live.

Résumé

Un total de 1244 gousses, avec les pourcentages suivants: 26.7% des collines, 23% de la valley de Swat, 22.1% des plaines du Punjab, 195 de la region du Peshawar et 8.8% du plateau du Potohar, contenant des oeufs de 12 especes de sauterelles a èté collecté. L' espèce dominante avec 27.7% du total des gousses fut Aiolopus thalassinus, suivit du Shirakiacris shirakii (24.5%), Oxya multidentata (13.6%), Trilophidia annulata (9.7%), Spathosternum prasiniferum (9.7%), Atractomorpha acutipennis (7.4%), Stenohippus sp. (3.8%) et Phlaeoba panteli (1.8%). Les autres espèces tres rares n'ont pas fait 1%. La densité des gousses contenant des oeufs fut affecté par des differents facteurs. La moyenne annuelle des temperatures (15.6 − 23.4°C) et de pluviometrie (310− 2100 mm) de ces localites n'etaient pas de facteurs de controle efficaces. Par ailleurs le parasitisme semble jouer un role important. Un parasitisme de 10% fut enregistre sur le plateau du Potohar la ou le nombre de gousses contenants des oeufs etaient tres bas.

Keywords

Grasshopperegg-podpopulationparasitismScelio spp
Type
Research Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 1989 , pp. 63 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Brown, V. K. (1983) Grasshoppers. Naturalists' Handbooks 2. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, London.Google Scholar
Clark, E. J. (1948) Studies in the ecology of British grasshoppers. Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. 99, 173–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dempster, J. P. (1963) The population dynamics of grasshoppers and locusts. Bio. Rev. 38, 490–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghauri, A. S. K. (1960) Insect pests of Pakistan. FAO Techn. Doc. 8, 1–31.Google Scholar
Greathead, D. J. (1966) A brief survey of the effects of biotic factors on population of the desert locust. J. Appl. Ecol. 3, 239–250.Google Scholar
Irshad, M., Ahmad, M., Ghani, M. A. and Ali, R. (1978) Parasites of grasshopper (Acridoidea:Orthoptera) eggs: Distribution and life history of Scelio spp. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) in Pakistan. Can. Ent. 110, 449–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metcalf, C. L. and Flint, W. P. (1951) Destructive and Useful Insects. McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc. New York & London.Google Scholar
Pickford, R. (1972) The effects of climatic factors on egg survival and fecundity in grasshoppers. In Proceedings of the International Study Conference on the Current and Future Problems of Acridology (Edited by Hemmings, C. F., and Taylor, T. H. C.), pp. 257–260. London: Centre for Overseas Pest Research.Google Scholar
Putnam, L. G. (1953) Observations on internal parasites (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) of eggs of pest grasshopper species in the Prairie Province of Canada. Can. Ent. 85, 255–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vestal, D. G. (1913) Local distribution of grasshoppers in relation to plant associations. Bio. Bull. Mar. Bio. Lab. Woods Hole. 25, 141–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waloff, N. (1950) The egg-pods of British short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae). Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London, Series A. 25, 115–126.Google Scholar
Walter, H. and Lieth, H. (1960) Klimadiagram-Weltatlas. Klimadiagramme von Indien: 1–6. Veb. Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena.Google Scholar