Sucking pests are major threat to cotton field crop which cause unbearable losses to the crop yield. Aim of the current study was to record seasonal dynamics of major sucking insect pests including whitefly, jassid, thrips and their natural arthropod predators i.e. green lacewings and spiders in cotton field plots. The effects of surrounding field crops on pests’ density and predatory efficiency of predators were also recorded. For sampling and survey of insects, the visual counting was found to be the most efficient method for recording the abundance of insects, trailed by net sweeping and tapping. Whitefly was the most dominant sucking pest found on the vegetative stage of cotton, followed by jassid and thrips. Fluctuated populations of predatory arthropods, spiders and green lacewings were also recorded during whole cropping season however, the densities of pests and predators varied with crop phenology. Spiders’ population was encouraging at both vegetative and flowering stage and also the same trend of jassid and whitefly were observed at both stages of the crop. Surrounding habitats showed non-significant effect on population densities of insect pests and predators. For abiotic factors, the spiders showed strong positive correlation with humidity and temperature. However, green lacewing was only positively correlated with humidity. On the other hand, the populations of whitefly, jassid and thrips showed non-significant correlation with both temperature and humidity. Overall densities of sucking insect pests were found above economic threshold level. The plant age, crop stage and surrounding habitats effect on the population fluctuation of pests as well as the predators’ abundance. The future studies are also warranted to investigate the altered habitats and multiple trap cropping to find out their impact on unattended insect predators and parasitoids in cotton crop.

Sucking pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), such as thrips, or Thrips tabaci Lindeman, and jassid, or Amrasca biguttula Ishida, are among the most threatening insect pests to young cotton plants in Pakistan. New chemical insecticides have been trialed to control their damage in commercial fields. Formulations that show good suppression of these pest’s populations, while sparing bio-controlling agents, are always preferred for obtaining better crop yield. Six different commercially available insecticides, namely Fountain^® (fipronil and imidacloprid), Movento Energy^® (spirotetramat and imidacloprid), Oshin^® (dinotefuran), Concept Plus^® (pyriproxyfen, fenpyroximate, and acephate), Maximal^® (nitenpyram), and Radiant^® (spinetoram) were evaluated in the present study to shortlist the best available insecticide against targeted pests. Harmful impacts of selected insecticides were also evaluated against naturally occurring predators, such as spiders and green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea). Radiant^® (spinetoram) and Movento Energy^®, respectively, were best at controlling thrips (with 61% and 56% mortality, respectively) and jassid (62% and 57% mortality, respectively) populations during 2018 and 2019. Radiant^® proved itself as the best option and showed minimal harmful effects on both major arthropod predators of cotton fields i.e., spiders (with 8–9% mortality) and green lacewings (with 12–16% mortality). Movento Energy^® also showed comparatively less harmful effects (with 15–18% mortality) towards natural predatory fauna of cotton crops, as compared to other selective insecticides used in the study. The findings of current study suggest that the judicious use of target-oriented insecticides can be an efficient and predator-friendly management module in cotton fields. However, the impact of these chemicals is also depended on their timely application, keeping in consideration the ETL of pests and the population of beneficial arthropods.

Siwaliks of Pakistan are highly fossiliferous and are well-known worldwide for vertebrate fossil excavations. Objective: A field survey was conducted to recover some new fossils from different geological formations visible around the village Hasnot of district Jhelum. Methods: The targeted area was surveyed, and the different formations around the village were keenly examined by the naked eye or by using a magnifying glass when and where needed. Results: New dental remains of the genus Propotamochoerus (Mammalia, Suidae) have been found and described from the Middle Miocene Siwalik beds around Hasnot. The material consists of an isolated tooth, the left third mandibular molar. The genus Propotamochoerus was comprised of small to large-sized suids. Its remains were reported from the Lower to the Middle Siwaliks. The presently described material, i.e., a lower third molar of the left side, sheds a great deal of light on the fundamental dental characteristics of this genus. Conclusions: The recovered material is assigned to the species Propotamochoerus salinus (Pilgrim) based on its morphological assessment. This material can potentially enhance the prevalent knowledge of the species reported from the surroundings of the Salt Range of the Siwaliks of Pakistan.

Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access multidisciplinary science journal, regularly published by the faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan since 1964. The journal is accredited and financially supported by Higher Education Commission Pakistan and is included in “Y” category of Higher Education’s Journal recognition system (HJRS). The journal is indexed in major online indexing services including Google Scholar, CrossRef, etc. The journal publishes original scientific research in the form of research articles, review papers, short communications, mini-reviews, case studies, data sources, and case reports pertaining to all fields of Natural Science. The journal is a quarterly publication i.e., publishes four issues in a calendar year during March, June, September, and December.

New dental remains of the genus Listriodon (Mammalia, Suidae) have been found and described from the Lower to Middle Miocene Siwalik beds located around Hasnot, district Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan. The present material consists of an isolated upper second premolar and a second molar of the upper left side. The presence of an advanced listriodont in Pakistan at an early stage provides valuable insights into the timing of the development of specific characteristics associated with lophodonty in Listriodontinae. Furthermore, it prompts significant inquiries into the early evolution of Listriodontinae in the Old World. The presence of significant physical resemblance between Listriodon guptai and Listriodon akatikubas, an African species discovered in the late early Miocene era, indicates a high likelihood that the latter species migrated from Asia. The provided specimens offer novel insights and supplementary details regarding the dental characteristics of Listriodon pentapotamiae, a species found in the Lower to Middle Siwaliks of Pakistan.

Copepods are valuable zooplankton found globally. Fish eat them. Any water ecosystem has food chains and webs. Their diversity and density depend on physicochemical factors. Objective: The Jallo Lake was targeted for the investigation of the spatio-temporal distribution of copepods from January to December 2023. Methods: Copepods were collected from Jallo Park's freshwater with a zooplankton mesh. These organisms were species-classified using conventional keys. Separate water samples were taken to examine physicochemical characteristics. Sedgwick Rafter chamber for species counting. PAST software was used for PCA I & II and CCA. Results: Ten species and their nauplius larvae from seven orders were identified in this study. The study examined conductivity, oxygen saturation, dissolved oxygen, pH, and transparency. Air and water temperature was also recorded. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for physicochemical properties, excluding transparency, was statistically significant at (= 0.05, P = 0.000). Copepod variety and density peaked in June and July and dropped in October and December. The dendrogram showed three cluster-level variations. Plotting copepod species and month abundance curves. Principal component analysis (PCA I, PCA II) was used to correlate months, copepod species, and physicochemical parameters. Canonical component analysis (CCA) shows diversity similarities between sites on the same water body and links species abundance to environmental conditions. Conclusions: Only ten copepod species from seven orders and nauplius larvae were isolated from the aquatic body under research during the study months. Copepod diversity and density in freshwater lakes depended on environmental conditions.