Vol. 7, Issue 2 (2018)

Author(s):
K Sunil Kumar and G Karuna Sagar

Abstract:
Root grub species richness, evenness, diversity and distribution in groundnut ecosystem of Southern and Scarce Rainfall Zones of Andhra Pradesh was studied as the information on its species diversity and abundance provides valuable inputs in devising suitable management strategies. Light traps installed in major groundnut growing tracts of four districts of Southern and Scarce Rainfall Zones Andhra Pradesh during Kharif, 2014. A total of 1471 adult Scarabaeidae beetles collected from the light traps consisting of 15 species under 7 genera of three subfamilies Melolonthinae constituting 64.58% followed by Dynastinae (17.95%) and Rutelinae (17.47%). Higher species diversity, richness and evenness in Melolonthinae followed by Rutelinae and Dynastinae. Holotrichia reynaudi (32.90%) was the predominant species followed by Phyllognathus dionysius (17.95%), Holotrichia serrata (14.68%), Brahmina mysorensis (9.18%), Anomola dorsalis (9.18%) associated with groundnut in Rayalaseema region. The alpha diversity and species richness were high in Chittoor district followed by YSR, Kurnool and Ananthapuramu. The species evenness was high in Kurnool followed by Chittoor, YSR Kadapa and Ananthapuramu.