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

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

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

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

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

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

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