Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2021 | 13(3): 18020–18029

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5669.13.3.18020-18029

#5669 | Received 01 January 2020 | Final received 02 March 2021 | Finally accepted 07 March 2021

Catalogue of selected insect groups of Lalwan Community Reserve and Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve, Punjab, India

Amar Paul Singh ¹, Agni Chandra ², Virendra Prasad Uniyal ³ & Bhupendra Singh Adhikari ⁴

^1–4 Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box #18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India.

¹ amarpaulsingh4@gmail.com, ² agnic17@gmail.com (corresponding author), ³ uniyalvp@wii.gov.in, ⁴ adhikaribs@wii.gov.in

Editor: K.A. Subramanian, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, India. Date of publication: 26 March 2021 (online & print)

Citation: Singh, A.P., A. Chandra, V.P. Uniyal & B.S. Adhikari (2021). Catalogue of selected insect groups of Lalwan Community Reserve and Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve, Punjab, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(3): 18020–18029. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5669.13.3.18020-18029

Copyright: © Singh et al. 2021. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

Funding: Study was funded by Punjab Forest Department.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgements: Authors are thankful to the director Wildlife Institute of India for providing the necessary support to carry out this study and to the Punjab Forest Department for providing necessary funds to carry out the study.

Abstract: We present the first documentation of the insect fauna of Lalwan Community Reserve and Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve, Punjab. The survey was conducted in the months of May and June 2019. Selected insect groups were focused on for the rapid documentation of the entomofauna. Overall, we recorded 91 species of insects belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Odonata. A total of 68 species including 46 species of order Lepidoptera, nine species of Odonata, and 13 species of Coleoptera were reported from Lalwan Community Reserve. Thirty-seven species consisting of 23 species of Odonata and 14 species of Lepidoptera were recorded from Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve, Punjab.

Keywords: Coleoptera, diversity, entomofauna, Lepidoptera, Odonata.

A healthy ecosystem reveals the diversity and community structure of the insect groups in itself (Fagundes et al. 2011). Biodiversity surveys provide fundamental information needed for conservation planning, protected area justification and design, and development of management plans (Spector & Forsyth 1998). India is on the list as one of the major biodiversity rich countries of the world, due to the presence of a wide range of habitats from alpine to tropical ecosystems and freshwater to marine, desert, and island ecosystems (Ghosh 1996). According to studies conducted by Ghosh in the years 1990, 1994, and 1996, 2% of the total global space resides in India and in terms of biodiversity it inhabits about 7% of faunal biodiversity globally. Among all the fauna on Earth class Insecta is the most flourishing, these appeared 3 billion years ago and spread all over the world due to their ability to survive in any habitat and extreme conditions; hence considered as indicators of changes happening in nature (Harrington & Stork 1995; Gullan & Cranston 1996). Insects are the most diverse animal group present on earth and show an extreme level of adaptability probably in all kinds of habitats (Harrington & Stork 1995; Landres et al. 1988).

Insects are the largest group among animals regarding their global presence (10,53,578 species); India is also rich in insect diversity with 65,047 species (Chandra et al. 2018), occupying several ecological niches, being considered very important in the dynamics of natural ecosystems (Borror et al. 1992; Kim 1993; Gullan & Cranston 1996; Thomazini & Thomazini 2000). Coleoptera (beetles) are the largest order of insects, with about 400,000 species worldwide, representing 30% of animals and about 40% of all insects (Lawrence & Britton 1991; Lawrence & Newton 1995; Costa 2000). About 180,000 species of Lepidoptera have been described in the world which comprise of moths and butterflies. A total of 1,439 species of butterflies have been described from India so far. They play an important role in pollinating flowering plants. Odonata comprises carnivorous insects, dragonflies (Anisoptera) and the damselflies (Zygoptera). Odonates comprise 6,233 species in 685 genera globally, India has 486 species, about 50 subspecies in 151 genera and 18 families (Subramanian & Babu 2017). Dragonflies and damselflies are very good indicators of freshwater.

Sharma & Joshi (2009) documented the butterflies in district Hoshiarpur from Dholbaha Dam. Bhardwaj et al. (2017) documented the biodiversity of Siswan Reserve, Punjab in which 169 species of insects were reported. Singh et al. (2018) reported the coleopteran fauna of the Siswan Reserve, Punjab. The present study reveals the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, & Odonata fauna of the Lalwan Community Reserve and Lepidoptera & Odonata fauna of Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve, Punjab for the first time.

Study Area

Lalwan Community Reserve (LCR) is situated in Tehsil Garshakar in district Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve (RSCR) is known for the Ranjit Sagar Dam, also known as the Thein Dam, constructed by the Government of Punjab on the Ravi River (Figure 1). RSCR is situated on the border of two states of India, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. Insect assessment was carried out only in the Punjab portion of the RSCR.

Methods

Lepidoptera, Odonata, & Coleoptera orders were focused in LCR, however only Lepidoptera and Odonata were focused in RSCR. The insect sampling survey was done through the water streams of forests of LCR and on the bank of the RSCR Lake. A total of 17 points were selected at 1,000-m intervals for sampling in the LCR whereas 10 points were selected at the RSCR. Sampling was done both at day (09.00–18:00 h) and night (20:00–22:00 h). Sweep netting was performed for insects under order Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, & Odonata. Light trapping method was applied during the evening and night sampling to collect insects like Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Hand picking method was applied for insects under order Coleoptera. Insects were photographed and a few were also collected for their proper key identification. Odonates were identified using published literature (Andrew et al. 2008; Subramaniam 2009; Nair 2011) and web sources. Butterflies were identified with published literature (Uniyal 2004; Talbot 1939, 1947; Singh 2011) and web sources. Moths using (Hampson 1892–1896; Zolotuhin & Pinratana 2005; Pinratana & Cerny 2009; Nieukerken et al. 2011). Beetles were identified with the published literature (Andrewes 1929; Sewak 2009; Chandra & Gupta 2013; Chandra 2018).

Results and Discussion

A total of 91 species (Table 1) belonging to 19 families were reported (Figure 2) including 68 species from LCR and 37 species from RSCR, which were reported for the first time from the regions. LCR holds the diversity of 46 species of order Lepidoptera, nine species of Odonata, and 13 species of Coleoptera. RSCR holds the diversity of 23 species of Odonata and 14 species of Lepidoptera (Figure 3). Photographs of all the species reported from these two regions are presented in Images 1–4.

Biodiversity conservation issues mostly focus on the ecological impact of management practices and their aim is to provide a practical background for sustainable biodiversity management. Such a study was done in the Siswan Reserve, Punjab which incorporated 169 species of insects to the insect fauna of Punjab (Bhardwaj et al. 2017; Singh et al. 2018) and the present study, conducted in LCR and RSCR has made a significant contribution towards increasing knowledge of insect species distributions in this area. These areas have extremely high entomofauna diversity with a total of 91 species of insects. Furthermore, the study unfolds new distribution records for all species found in this area.

Table 1. Catalogue of species recorded from Lalwan Community Reserve and Ranjit Sagar Conservation Reserve.

	Family	Genus	Species	Author & year of description	Common name	Location
	Lepidoptera
1	Hesperiidae	Pelopidas	sinensis	Mabille, 1877	Chinese Branded Swift	LCR, RSCR
2		Sarangesa	dasahara dasahara	Moore,1866	Indian Common Small Flat	LCR
3		Tarucus	nara	Kollar, 1848	the striped Pierrot	RSCR
4	Lycaenidae	Albulina	sp.			LCR
5		Anthene	emolus emolus	Godart, 1824	Bengal Common Ciliate Blue	LCR
6		Castalius	rosimon	Fabricius, 1775	the common Pierrot	LCR
7		Celatoxia	albidisca	Moore, 1884	White disc Hedge blue	LCR
8		Curetis	acuta	Moore, 1877	Acute Sunbeam	LCR
9		Tajuria	cippus	Fabricius, 1798	Indian Peacock Royal	LCR
10	Nymphalidae	Acraea	violae	Fabricius, 1775	Tawny Coster	RSCR
11		Ariadne	merione	Cramer, 1777	Common Castor	LCR, RSCR
12		Cyrestis	thyodamas	Boisduval, 1836	Map Butterfly	LCR
13		Danaus	chrysippus	Linnaeus, 1758	Plain Tiger	LCR
14		Euploea	mulciber	Cramer, 1777	the striped blue crow	RSCR
15		Euploea	core	Cramer, 1780	Common Crow	LCR, RSCR
16		Hypolimnas	bolina	Drury, 1773	the great eggfly, common eggfly	LCR, RSCR
17		Junonia	lemonias	Linnaeus, 1758	lemon pansy	LCR, RSCR
18		Junonia	almana	Linnaeus, 1758	Peacock Pansy	LCR
19		Junonia	hierta hierta	Fabricius, 1798	Oriental Yellow Pansy	LCR
20		Junonia	iphita	Cramer, 1779	Chocolate Pansy	LCR, RSCR
21		Junonia	orithya ocyale	Hübner, 1819	Dark Blue Pansy	LCR
22		Lethe	europa	Fabricius, 1775	Bamboo Treebrown	LCR
23		Neptis	hylas	Linnaeus, 1758	Common Sailer	LCR
24		Parantica	aglea	Stoll, 1782	the glassy tiger	RSCR
25		Phalanta	phalantha	Drury, 1773	Common Leopard	LCR, RSCR
26		Tirumala	septentrionis	Butler, 1874	Dark Blue Tiger	LCR, RSCR
27	Papilionidae	Graphium	cloanthus cloanthus	Westwood, 1841	Himalayan glassy bluebottle	LCR
28		Papilio	polytes	Linnaeus, 1758	Indian Common Mormon	LCR, RSCR
29	Pieridae	Belenois	aurota aurota	Fabricius, 1793	Indian Pioneer	LCR
30		Catopsilia	pomona	Fabricius, 1775	Lemon Emigrant	LCR, RSCR
31		Eurema	brigitta	Stoll, 1780	Small Grass Yellow	LCR
32		Ixias	marianne	Cramer, 1779	White Orange-tip	LCR
33		Pieris	canidia	Sparrman, 1768	Asian Cabbage White	LCR
34	Crambidae	Agrotera	scissalis	Walker, 1865		LCR
35		Cnaphalocrocis	medinalis	Guenée, 1854		LCR
36		Conogethes	punctiferalis	Guenée, 1854		LCR
37		Diaphania	indica	Saunders, 1851		LCR
38		Omiodes	sp.			LCR
39		Orphanostigma	abruptalis	Walker, 1859		LCR
40	Erebidae	Barsine	orientalis	Černý Pinratana, 2009		LCR
41		Arctornis	sp.			LCR
42		Spilosoma	lutea	Hufnagel, 1766		LCR
43		Lymantria	sp.			LCR
44	Geometridae	Scopula	sp.			LCR
45		Scopula	sp. 1			LCR
46		Nemoria	sp.			LCR
47		Hypomecis	sp.			LCR
48		Idaea	sp.			LCR
49	Drepanidae	Tridrepana	albonotata	Moore, 1879		LCR
50	Limacodidae	Thosea	sp.			LCR
	Odonata
51	Chlorocyphidae	Libellago	lineata	Burmeister, 1839	River heliodor	RSCR
52	Coenagrionidae	Agriocnemis	lacteola	Selys, 1877	Milky Dartlet	RSCR
53		Amphiallagma	parvum	Selys, 1876	Little Blue or Azure Dartlet	RSCR
54		Ceriagrion	cerinorubellum	Brauer, 1865	Orange-tailed Marsh	RSCR
55		Ceriagrion	coromandelianum	Fabricius, 1798	Coromandel Marsh Dart and Yellow Waxtail	RSCR
56		Ceriagrion	olivaceum	Laidlaw, 1914	Rusty Marsh Dart	RSCR
57		Copera	marginipes	Rambur, 1842	Yellow Bush Dart	RSCR
58		Paracercion	calamorum	Ris, 1916	Dusky Lilysquatter	RSCR
59		Pseudagrion	microcephalum	Rambur, 1842	The Blue Riverdamsel	RSCR
60	Gomphidae	Ictinogomphus	rapax	Rambur, 1842	Common Clubtail	LCR
61	Libellulidae	Acisoma	panorpoides	Rambur, 1842	Asian Pintail, Trumpet Tail	RSCR
62		Orthetrum	glaucum	Brauer, 1865	Blue Marsh Hawk	RSCR
63		Brachydiplax	farinosa	Krüger, 1902	Black-tailed Dasher	LCR
64		Brachythemis	contaminata	Fabricius, 1793	Ditch Jewel	LCR, RSCR
65		Brachythemis	sp.			LCR
66		Bradinopyga	geminata	Rambur, 1842	Granite Ghost	RSCR
67		Crocothemis	servilia	Drury, 1770	scarlet Skimmer or Ruddy Marsh Skimmer	RSCR
68		Hydrobasileus	croceus	Brauer, 1867	Amber-winged Marsh Glider	RSCR
69		Indothemis	carnatica	Fabricius, 1798	Black Marsh Skimmer	LCR, RSCR
70		Neurothemis	fulvia	Drury, 1773	Fulvous Forest Skimmer	LCR, RSCR
71		Neurothemis	tullia	Drury, 1773	Pied Paddy Skimmer	RSCR
72		Orthetrum	luzonicum	Brauer, 1868	Marsh Skimmer	LCR
73		Orthetrum	pruinosum	Burmeister, 1839	Crimson-tailed Marsh Hawk	RSCR
74		Orthetrum	sabina	Drury, 1770	Slender Skimmer or Green Marsh Hawk	LCR, RSCR
75		Orthetrum	triangulare	Selys, 1878	Black-tailed Dasher	RSCR
76		Rhodothemis	rufa	Rambur, 1842	Rufous Marsh Glider	LCR
77		Rhyothemis	variegata	Linnaeus, 1763	Common Picture Wing or Variegated fFutterer	RSCR
78		Trithemis	aurora	Burmeister, 1839	Crimson Marsh Glider	RSCR
	Coleoptera
79	Meloidae	Hycleus	pustulata	Thunberg, 1791		LCR
80	Coccinellidae	Harmonia	dimidiata	Fabricius, 1781		LCR
81	Carabidae	Pheropsophus	verticalis	Dejean, 1825		LCR
82		Pheropsophus	sp.			LCR
83	Histeridae	Carcinops	pumilio	Dejean, 1825		LCR
84	Scarabidae	Copris	sp.			LCR
85		Onitis	sp.			LCR
86		Onitis	singhalensis	Lansberge, 1875		LCR
87		Onitis	niger	Wiedemann, 1819		LCR
88		Onitis	castaneous	Redt, 1848		LCR
89		Onthophagus	sp.			LCR
90		Oniticellus	cinctus	Fabricius, 1775		LCR
91		Onthophagus	bonasus	Fabricius, 1775		LCR

For figures & images - - click here

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