Occurrence of two pentatomid bugs, Halys dentatus Fabr. and Erthesina fullo Thunb., together on some economic forest trees and their seasonal occurrence.
Dhiman S. C., Yadav Y. K., Deepti Sharma
Author Affiliation: Entomology Research Lab., Department of Zoology, M.S.(P.G.) College, Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), India.
Indian Forester 130 : 821-824
Abstract : The seasonal occurrence of H. dentatus and E. fullo on Acacia nilotica, Azadirachta indica, Cassia javanica, Casuarina equisetifolia, Graphalium litchii (Proteaceae) [?], Grevillea robusta, Mangifera indica, Pinus sp., Pinus roxburghii, Psidium guajava, Sesbania sesban and Ziziphus jujuba is described. Among these host plants, the most preferred is Azadirachta indica, followed by M. indica. Both bug species occur throughout the year on these host plants, but the active breeding period is from March to October. During the winter months (November to February), the bugs undergo hibernation mostly in clusters or aggregations of 2-35 bugs under the bark and crevices of trunk and branches. During this period, their colours change to dark brown, which matches the colour of the bark, enabling them in camouflage to escape the attack of natural enemies. During hibernation, the nymphal instars and adults are found in clusters. The adults overlap the nymphal instars to protect them and to conserve heat. These bugs feed on the sap of small branches, and on tender shoots and leaves. They are polyphagous in nature. Hibernation ceases with the approach of warm weather in March, during which the bugs can be seen on the bark singly or in pairs. The morphological characters of H. dentatus and E. fullo useful for species identification are presented.