Occurrence of the Hispa Asamangulia cuspidata and its Parasitoids in South India

The occurrence of the leaf miner Asamangulia cuspidata Maulik (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Hispini) on sugarcane in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, is reported here with notes on pest biology and parasitoid activity. A minor pest in a few states of subtropical India, the miner was first noticed in May 2014 during routine surveys. Systematic observations in selected experimental and growers' plots revealed low levels of incidence and intensity, the highest mean attack rates being 4.18% on plant basis and 12.41% on leaf basis. Mean mined leaf area showed a high of 4.24 sq. cm and it constituted 1.28% of the total leaf area. Cross-sections of young and mature mines indicated feeding on softer tissues by the solitary grub in the early stages, but extensive mining by the grown-up grub leading to complete drying of the mined area. One apparently new Bracon sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), two Pediobius spp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and one Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) were recovered from the miner. While Bracon sp. contributed 70% to the overall parasitism rate of 39.3%, the remaining parasitoids accounted for 30% with likely hyperparasitism among them. The possible origin of the miner and the role of parasitoids in its natural control at the present study site are also discussed.