Relative abundance and Host preference of White grubs (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae) Kumaon hills of Himalayan

Abstract

Light trap catches of white grub beetles during 2002 to 2004 in Kumaon hills revealed thatA. dimidiata was the most predominant species.. Its relative abundance ranged between 12.78 to 51 ~96%. However, relative abundance ofsome ofthe species like H. longipennis, H. seticollis, A. tristis, L. stigma and X gideon was found to be more than 10% at least during one year out of3 years ofexperimentation. Shift in the species distribution pattern was observed in the region. H~st preference study for 25 known hosts using choice method~fur economically important species ofwhite grubs revealed that Jugians rigia for A. dimidiata; Rosa sp for H. seticol/is; A. nepalensis for M indica and Bauhinia sp for X gideon were the most preferred. The changing pattern in population dynamics ofdifferent species ofwhite grubs and their varied host preferences invites immediate attention for re-organizing the management strategies in the region.