The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive pest of tomato that is rapidly expanding around the world. This paper presents the first report of the occurrence from India. Several individuals were collected from polyhouses and fields during the survey conducted in 2014 and 2015. A preliminary taxonomic note on this pest with diagnosis and known distribution is provided.

Background and Objective: Invasive thrips, Thrips parvispinus Karny recently reported in India, causing a widespread severe infestation in more than 0.4 million ha of chilli (Capsicum annum L.) growing areas. This species is native to Thailand and most prevalent in other South East Asian countries. Large scale cultivation of the major host plants (chilli and papaya), and favourable climatic conditions in India and other countries similar to native range of Thrips parvispinus expected to favour its further spread and establishment to new areas. Materials and Methods: The present study was undertaken to confirm invasive thrips species identity through both morphological and molecular approaches and predict its potential invasion using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm. Results: The model predicted species range in respect of discrimination of suitable and unsuitable areas for its occurrence both in current and future climatic scenarios. The model provided a good fit for species distribution with a high value of area under the curve (0.957). The jackknife test indicated annual mean temperature and precipitation were found to be the most important bioclimatic variable in determining the distribution of T. parvispinus. High suitability areas were predicted in the countries wherever its occurrence was reported with high discrimination ability of suitable and unsuitable areas. Key distinguishing morphological characters of T. parvispinus were illustrated through high-resolution scanning electron microscopic images. Conclusion: The identity of the thrips causing wide spread damage in chilli confirmed through morphological and molecular approaches. Key identifying characters were described through high resolution scanning electron microscopic images for accurate identification of the species. MaxEnt model identified high suitability regions for the potential establishment of T. parvispinus in India and other parts of the world. This study facilitates forecasting of further spread and also suggests imposing strict domestic quarantine measures to curtail its establishment in the new areas.

Management of pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.), an important legume crop, has been a pertinent endeavor globally. As with other crops, wild relatives of pigeonpea are bestowed with various resistance traits that include the ability to deter the H. armigera. Understanding the molecular basis of pod borer resistance could provide useful leads for the management of this notorious herbivore. Earlier studies by our group in deciphering the resistance response to herbivory through multiomics approaches in the pigeonpea wild relative, Cajanus platycarpus, divulged the involvement of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, speculating an active chemical response of the wild relative to herbivory. The present study is a deeper understanding of the chemical basis of pod borer (H. armigera) resistance in, C. platycarpus, with focus on the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. To substantiate, quantification of transcripts in H. armigera-challenged C. platycarpus (8 h, 24 h, 48 h, 96 h) showed dynamic upregulation (up to 11-fold) of pivotal pathway genes such as chalcone synthase, dihydroflavonol-4-reductase, flavonoid-3′5′-hydroxylase, flavonol synthase, leucoanthocyanidin reductase, and anthocyanidin synthase. Targeted LC-MS analyses demonstrated a concomitant increase (up to 4-fold) in naringenin, kaempferol, quercetin, delphinidin, cyanidin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin-3-gallate. Interestingly, H. armigera diet overlaid with the over-produced flavonoids (100 ppm) showed deleterious effects on growth leading to a prolonged larval period demonstrating noteworthy coherence between over-accumulation of pathway transcripts/metabolites. The study depicts novel evidence for the directed metabolic reprogramming of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in the wild relative to pod borer; plant metabolic potential is worth exploiting for pest management.

Insect fauna occupy the largest proportion of animal biodiversity on earth, but the assessment or quantification in terms of species diversity is far from complete. Several recent studies have demonstrated the rapid pace at which insect population decline is occurring. There is an urgent need to document and quantify the diversity of insect fauna for a proper understanding of terrestrial ecosystems. This can be achieved by using modern technology to identify species much faster than relying on traditional methods alone. In line with this, the molecular approach through DNA barcoding coupled with morphological identification needs to be focused and accelerated. The present paper describes the current status of barcoding of insect species in India along with the gaps that need to be remedied. This analysis shows that barcoded specimens cover a very meagre proportion of less than 3.73% of the known taxa/described species and the most represented orders are Lepidoptera and Hemiptera followed by Diptera and Coleoptera. There is a need to expedite insect species discovery and documentation in a collaborative mode between traditional taxonomists and molecular biologists, to accomplish the DNA barcoding of all known insect taxa from India.

A new species, Conogethes sahyadriensis sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), feeding on cardamom, is described from India. The species status is supported by diagnostic morphology as well as by genetic data. A phylogenetic analysis based on the publicly available Conogethes COI barcode sequences finds C. sahyadriensis as sister to C. pluto, and it further reveals a number of clades that potentially represent additional undescribed species.The new species is delineated from closely related and superficially similar species of Conogethes.