The species composition, richness and diversity studies of fruit flies captured from the orchard of Nagpur mandarin

The present experiment was conducted to study the diversity of fruit flies in Nagpur mandarin orchard from different agro-ecological zones of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. The fruit flies samples were collected from 18 places falling under 9 agro-ecological zone using methyl eugenol traps. Out of the total collected catches of fruit flies from each zones, Bactrocera dorsalis was found to be the most prominent species followed by Bactrocera zonata. The Z. cucurbitae and B. correcta which occupied third and fourth rank in species composition, respectively. The species viz., Zeugodacus duplicatus and Zeugodacus gavisus recorded very less abundance at all locations. Shannons index of diversity was maximum in Morshi followed by Katol. Simpson index was more at Tiwasa and Achalpur locations which indicated minimum diversity in the population of fruit flies. Higher diversity of fruit flies were recorded in Morshi and Katol followed by Amravati.

Genetic Status and Endosymbionts Diversity of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) on Hosts Belonging to Family Malvaceae in India

A study was instigated to examine the genetic status and distribution of known endosymbionts namely Portiera, Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Arsenophonus in the populations of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) from three host plants: cotton (Gossypium herbaceum), okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.), and China rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) belonging to the family Malvaceae. The presence of four secondary endosymbionts Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Arsenophonus was checked in Bemisia tabaci populations. Phylogenetic analyses grounded on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (mtCO1) unveiled the presence of Asia 1, Asia II 1, and Asia II 7 genetic groups for Bemisia tabaci on abovementioned crops. Individuals were examined for symbiotic bacterial infection with specific primers amplifying the 16S rRNA gene for Portiera, Rickettsia, Cardinium, and Wolbachia, and the 23S rRNA gene for Arsenophonus. The results show that Portiera was present in all the Bemisia tabaci samples. However, variations were noted in the circulation frequencies of secondary endosymbionts among the Bemisia tabaci populations. A significant difference was noticed in the distribution frequency of Rickettsia between cotton and China rose or okra with their p values as 0.016 and 0.033 respectively. The uneven incidence of secondary endosymbionts ropes the assumption that each endosymbiotic bacterium not only has a role in the endurance but may contribute to the polyphagous nature of Bemisia tabaci. It also brings an uncomplicated evidence for progressive studies on control measures of this notorious insect pest.