Thursday, December 30, 2010

ASSASSIN BUG

Order: Hemiptera 
Family: Reduviidae
Genus: Gminatus

MY OBSERVATIONS

02-11-2010 – Hard brown coloured , oval shaped eggs in Asparagus racemosus plant


04-11-2010 – Just emerged



















10-11-2010 -  After 6 days

Then gradual growth stages





Adult bug

Mating


There are so many other plants in the site. But the bugs are only seen in Asparagus plant
Asparagus racemosus
                                                            Kingdom:      Plantae
                                                            Order:            Asparagales
                                                            Family:           Asparagaceae
                                                           Genus:           Asparagus
                                                           Species:        A. racemosus

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

COMMANDER BUTTERFLY


MY OBSERVATIONS
23-11-2010-Seen a caterpillar in a thin metal wire away from  its host plant. The caterpillar is
                        stopped moving. Tail end is attached to the wire. So it may preparing for pupating. 
    24-11-2010 – Once again moulted and pupated

01-12-2010 – Emerged from pupa in the morning at 7.30

Brownish red liquid
 IT TAKES 6 TO 7 DAYS FOR EMERGING FROM PUPA
Kingdom:        Animalia
Phylum:           Arthropoda
Class:             Insecta
Order:             Lepidoptera
(unranked):     Rhopalocera
Superfamily:   Papilionoidea
Family:            Nymphalidae
Subfamily:      Limenitidinae
Tribe:              Limenitidini
Genus:            Moduza
Species:         Moduza. Procris
Often called as:  Limenitis procris
In Malayalam : Vellilathozhi

Adult

Upperside reddish brown with a broad, discal white band across both wings. Hind wing with 2 rows of black spots. Wingspan 60-75mm. The male and female are similar in appearance

Larva

Grey to brown with spiny head. Body with yellow-brown fleshy spines. Segments 2-4 with thin white dorsal line.
HOST PLANT

.Ochreinauclea missionis (Wall. ex G. Don) Ridsd. is a species of plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is endemic to India. It is threatened.
Kingdom:                            Plantae
(unranked):                         Angiosperms
(unranked):                         Eudicots
(unranked):                         Asterids
Order:                                  Gentianales
Family:                                Rubiaceae
Genus:                                 Ochreinauclea
Species:                             O. missionis

Vernacular names : Tamil: Attu-vanji   Malayalam: Attu-vanji, Nirvanchi

Saturday, December 25, 2010

MOTH - Carea varipes ( Nolidae )

MY OBSERVATIONS
Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram


17-10-1996 – Collected a caterpillar from Syzygium tree
The first three segments fused to become ball-like part
There is three pair of legs with nails is seen in this ball like part and a small black head is seen in front of this part
Very light yellow coloured suckers are there in 6.7.8.9 and12 th segments
                           There is no hairs in the body, it is polished



When viewing through microscope, we can see the movement of the internal organs through the           head and body. It means that the outer skin is transparent

HOST PLANT: Syzygium cumini (Jambul) (Jnaval in Malayalam)
Kingdom:       Plantae
(unranked):    Angiosperms
Order:             Myrtales
Family:           Myrtaceae
Genus:           Syzygium
                            Species:         S. cumini

17-10-1996 – Started pupation in the evening at 7.30 by pasting the edges of the leaf using a web produced from its mouth.Inside this covering there is also another covering with the web
18-10-1996 -  Completely changed to pupa in the morning
27-10-1996 – Emerged in the night at 8.00

ANOTHER OBSERVATION
24-11-2010 -  Collected another caterpillar from the same tree
25-11-2010 – Pupated
04-12-2010 – Emerged in the night

IT TAKES 9 DAYS FOR EMERGING
Courtesy : K. Jayaram

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

PARASITIC WASP

MY OBSERVATIONS

1512–2010 – Collected a pupa fully covered with silk web in a leaf

22-12-2010 – Emerged in the morning
5 mm in length
There are small, short hairs in the legs and in the body
 Top View
 Side View
Underside View

Sunday, December 19, 2010

BLUE MORMON BUTTERFLY

Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor  Cramer, 1775)
"Krishna Salabham" (in Malayalam)
Kingdom:    Animalia
Phylum:       Arthropoda
Class:          Insecta
Order:          Lepidoptera
Family:        Papilionidae
Genus:        Papilio
Species:     P. polymnestor

Location : Silent Valley, Kerala

MY OBSERVATIONS
09-10-1996 – Collected the Caterpillar from  a citrus plant in front of the shed near Syrenthry
Pupated
                       When touched the lower light green  part  is moving to and fro
21-10-1996 – Emerging early in the morning

Friday, December 17, 2010

PRAYING MANTIS EGG

Location -  Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala


08-10-2010 – Collected a praying mantis egg
25-10-2010 – From it emerged 6 cricket-like insect instead of praying mantis

04-11-2010 – Dissected the egg
Inside it there were 5 Brown, hairy caterpillars
These caterpillars moulted inside the egg case, moulted skin and faeces matter 
      were there


09-11-2010 – Caterpillars are still in the egg case
15-11-2010 – Caterpillars again moulted
29-11-2010 -  Caterpillars become pupae
15-12-2010 – From this pupae emerged  a tiny pitch black bug

Tail side of the bug is covered with golden hairs
Legs and proboscis-like organ are covered with a shield underside
Compound eyes
Edges of the body is having black hairs

MY OBSERVATIONS

It is seems that the praying mantis egg was parasited by two different type of parasites

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Moth – Orsonoba SP.

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

          Kingdom: Animalia

          Phylum: Arthropoda
          Class: Insecta
          Order: Lepidoptera
          Family: Geometridae
         Genus: Orsonoba
HOST PLANT
          Ochreinauclea missionis  (Attuvanchi in Malayalam)
 Ochreinauclea missionis is a species of plant in the Rubiaceaefamily. It is endemic to           India. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Kingdom:      Plantae

Order:           Gentianales
Family:          Rubiaceae
Genus:          Ochreinauclea
Species:         O. missionis


MY OBSERVATIONS
                Caterpillar, early stage, reddish yellow in colour
                Then become more red

                         02-11-2010 – Caterpillar red in colour with black head
                         Always seen in groups in one leaf, when that leaf is over shifting into another leaf
                        If disturbed it falls from the leaf through a web-like string and again reach the leaf through that web
                        24-11-2010 – Colour changed to black
                   26-11-2010 – Making a nest using web in the afternoon and inside it  pupation       takes place


                   06-12-2010 – Emerged from pupa
IT TAKES 10 DAYS FOR BECOME ADULT FROM THE NEXT DAY OF PUPATION

Acknowledgement:
 K.Jayaram

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