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The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012 ... .............Technical paper
40
DISTRIBUTION OF WHITE GRUBS IN THREE ECOLOGICAL DOMAINS OF NEPAL
Dipak Khanal1*, Yubak Dhoj GC2, Marc Sporleder3 and Resham B. Thapa1
ABSTRACT
A survey was conducted to study the abundance and distribution of white grubs in three
districts representing different ecological domines in the country during June-July 2010.
Two light traps were installed for two nights in two locations each of Makawanpur, Tanahu
and Chitwan districts, and a season long light trap was installed at Mangalpur of Chitwan
district from April to September 2010 for assessing scarab beetles flight activity. The
‘simple matching coefficient' revealed high similarity >70% between two sites in each of
the districts, while a similarity of 29-50% was observed between sites of different
districts. The Jaccard coefficient revealed the same trend. However, coefficients were
much lower, above 40% when comparing sites within a district, and below 20% when
compared sites among the districts. The dominant species in Chitwan were Anomala
dimidiata Hope (24%) followed by Maladera affinis Blanchard (23.75%), Anomala varicolor
(Gyllenhal) Rutelinae (23%), Heteronychus lioderus Redtenbacher (14%) and Holotrichia sp
(7%). The flight activity and species composition of scarab beetles in the three districts
appeared to be different.
Key words: Abundance, distribution, dominant species, white grub
INTRODUCTION
White grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are the soil-living and root feeding immature stages
of scarab beetles, of which both adult and larval stages are destructive in nature. The
white grub family is the second largest omnipresent family, which includes over 30,000
species (Mittal, 2000). The larvae of these beetles are associated with numbers of crops and
sometimes cause economic losses (GC et al., 2009). The damage caused by scarab larvae is
estimated to reduce the crop yield by about 40-80% (Prasad and Thakur, 1959; Raodeo,
1974), and in a more recent study by about 12-60% (Pokhrel, 2004). Until recently, three
main genera, i.e. Phylophaga sp., Holotricha sp. and Anomala sp. were reported to be
major pests in Nepal (Joshi, 1994; Neupane, 1995). Several species of white grubs, including
Phyllophaga crinita Burmeister, Phyllophaga congrua (LeConte), Phyllophaga crassissima
(Blanchard), and Cyclocephala lurida (Bland), are root-feeding pests of turfgrass, forage
grass, corn, small grains, sugarcane, strawberry, potato tubers, and young nursery trees
(Crocker et al., 1996). The grubs feed on roots of almost all the crops, like potato, maize,
wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, chilies, cotton, sugarcane,
tobacco, brinjal, cucurbit, and lady’s finger including turf, meadows, lawns and forest trees
(Oya, 1995; Fujiie and Yokoyama, 1996: Arita et al., 1993; Potter et al., 1992). The larvae
prefer corn, groundnut, potatoes and strawberries but dislike legumes (Matheson, 1985),
sweet clover (Metcalf and Flint, 1975) and lucerne (Keller et al., 2000). Therefore,
monitoring of the white grub in three agro-climatic domains Makawanpur, Tananhu and
Chitwan districts of Nepal were done for their distribution and identification and effective
management.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to identify the different species of white grubs and their
densities present in three ecological domains represented by two locations in each of the
Makawanpur, Tananhu and Chitwan districts.
1 Inst. of Agri. and Ani. Sc., Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal, 2 Plant Protection Directorate, Harihar Bhawanu,
International Potato Center (CIP)
The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012 ... .............Technical paper
41
MATERIALS AND METHODS
White grubs and their adults were collected from two locations in each of the districts using
light traps to assess their prevalence in field crops.
ADULT MONITORING
Adults monitoring was done to determine the species occurrence and relative densities
during June-July, 2010. For collection of adults scarab beetles, two light traps were
installed for 2 nights in two different locations of each district; Daman (27°60’555 N,
85°09’095 E and 2303±10m altitude amsl) and Lamatar (27°50’101 N, 85°06’859 E and
2260±6m altitude amsl) of Makawanpur district representing high altitude, Ghasikuwa
(27°96’792 N, 84°41’011 E and 542±8m altidute amsl) and Bhanu (28°08’195 N, 84°41’041 E
and 486±6m altitude amsl) of Tanahu district representing middle altitude and Bachuli
(27°58’126 N, 84°51’336 E and 184±7m altitude amsl) and Patiyani (27°57’880 N, 84°35’040
E and 180±5m altitude amsl) of Chitwan district representing lower altitude. During
monitoring activities of scarab beetles, light trap with 18 watt CFL electric bulb was
operated in farmer’s field. Insects attracted to the light traps were collected into a nylon
mess through a funnel trap fitted just beneath the electric light. Trapped insects were
separated into scarab beetles and others; scarab beetles only were counted and preserved
for taxonomical identification. Scarab beetles were kept in a vial of 15 cm height x 7 cm
diameter size. A cotton swab with ethyl acetate moistened placed inside the vial was used
as a killing agent. Collected beetles were pinned properly, stored in an insect collection
box and brought to the Entomology Division (NARC) in Khumaltar and Plant Protection
Directorate in Harihar Bhawan for identification based on reference insects maintained
there.
SEASON LONG MONITORING OF SCARAB BEETLE AT MANGALPUR, CHITWAN
Long-season monitoring of white grub adults using light traps was conducted from 24 April
to 5 September, 2010 at Mangalpur VDC of Chitwan district. The light trap was installed in
farmer’s field. The trap was AC-powered, had a 125 watt tungsten bulb, and was operated
each alternate night over the study period. A nylon mesh was fixed for the collection of the
trapped insects. Light trapped insects in the nylon mesh were collected each alternate day
(i.e. in 2-days intervals), pinned in the insect collection box and then transported to
Entomology Division of NARC. Identification was confirmed through Plant Protection
Directorate.
Simple matching coefficient and Jaccard coefficient were used to analyze similarities
between the sites and Chi-Square distance for dissimilarities of scarab beetles.
RESULTS
The highest numbers of scarab beetles were caught in Daman (32 adults), followed by
Lamatar (21 adults) VDCs of Makawanpur district and the lowest numbers were caught in
Bachuli (6 adults) VDC of Chitwan district. The highest numbers of beetle genera (6) were
attracted in light trap I of Makawanpur and light trap II of Tanahu, while the lowest (4)
were trapped in light trap II of Makawanpur and light trap I of Chitwan district. Anomala
dimidiata Hope, A. varicolor (Gyllenhal) Rutellenhal, and Heteronychus lioderus
Redtenbacher were the dominant species in high hills, mid-hill and terai, respectively. The
beetle species and their numbers trapped in each location are presented in Table 1. A total
number of 13 species were collected from the light traps in 3 districts.
The Jaccard coefficient revealed the same trend, however, coefficients were much lower,
i.e. above 40% when comparing sites of the same district and between 0-20% only when
sites of different districts were compared (Table 3). This indicated that the insect species
prevailing in the study sites, especially in the different agro-ecological zones (districts)
were quite variable. Relative high ‘simple matching’ coefficient for sites from different
districts of about 40% were mainly due to the absences of white grub species in both sites;
The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012 ... .............Technical paper
42
however, presence of the same species between sites from different agro-ecologies
(districts) was limited. Nevertheless, some species appeared in all three ecological zones
i.e. Mimela inscripta (Nonfried).
Table 1. Species and numbers of of white grubs trapped in three locations
The ‘simple
matching’
coefficient
revealed
relative high
similarity of
above 70%
when
comparing the
two sites in
each district,
while
similarities
between sites
from different
districts were
low, i.e.
between 29-
50% (Table 2).
Table 2. Simple matching coefficient for the six different sites in three locations
I and II= Replication sites, N=North latitude, E= East longitude
Table 3. Jaccard coefficient for the six different sites
For accounting for differences
in insect species present and
their difference in abundance,
the Chi-square distance
between all sites was
calculated (Table 4). The Chi-
square distance almost
revealed the same results as
the similarity indices (that
consider presence and absence
of species only but not their
number). The six different
Scarab beetle species Makawanpur Tanahu Chitwan
I II I II I II
Anomala dimidiata Hope 11 17 2
Allisonotum simile (Dynastinae) 1 2
Anomala varicolor (Gyllenhal) 7 5
Coprius indicus (Blanchard) 6 1
Heteronychus lioderus Redtenbacher 2 3
Holotrichia nigricollis Brenske 1 2
Holotrichia sp. 1 2 1
Lepidiota albistigma Burmeister 2 1
Maladera affinis (Blanchard) 2 2
Mimela inscripta (Nonfried) 3 1 1
Pentodon algerinum indicum Endroedi 4 1 1
Sophrops spp. 3 1
Xylotrupes Gideon Linnaeus 7 2
Dung beetle 21
Total 32 21 14 13 6 30
Proximity matrix (Simple matching measure)
Districts Makwanpur Tanahu Chitwan
I II I II I II
Makwanpur I 1.00 0.86 0.36 0.43 0.43 0.29
II 1.00 0.50 0.29 0.43 0.43
Tanahu I 1.00 0.79 0.36 0.36
II 1.00 0.43 0.29
Chitwan I 1.00 0.71
II 1.00
N 27°60’550 27°50’101 27°96’792 28°08’195 27°58’126 27°57’880
E 85°09’095 85°06’859 84°41’011 84°41’041 84°51’336 84°35’040
Altitude (masl) 2303 2260 542 486 184 180
Proximity Matrix (Jaccard Measure)
Districts Makwanpur Tanahu Chitwan
I II I II I II
Makwanpur I 1.00 0.67 0.10 0.20 0.11 0.09
Makwanpur II 1.00 0.13 0.00 0.00 0.11
Tanahu I 1.00 0.57 0.00 0.10
Tanahu II 1.00 0.11 0.09
Chitwan I 1.00 0.43
Chitwan II 1.00
I and II= replication site
The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012 ... .............Technical paper
43
Fig.1: Number of major five scarab beetle species caught
in light trap, installed at Mangalpur, Chitwan (24
April to 7 September, 2010)
sites observed by comparing the frequencies of white grubs showed highly significant
difference between Makawanpur I and Chitwan II.
Table 4. Proximity matrix showing the Chi-square between frequencies of insects
Dung beetles
were observed
in high number
at one site of
Chitwan II.
Because these
numbers
changed
considerably.
The Chi-square
distance when
comparing these
sites with others
the dung beetles
were removed
from the
analysis. Then
Chitwan II
showed almost
similar distances (differences) when comparing with other sites (Table 4).
SEASON LONG MONITORING OF SCARAB BEETLE AT MANGALPUR, CHITWAN
The species Anomala dimidiata Hope were caught more or less throughout the experiment
period while the highest numbers with peak activity were observed from early June to late
July (Fig.1). The dominant species in Mangalpur, Chitwan were Anomala dimidiata Hope
(24%) followed by Maladera affinis (Blanchard) (23.75%), A. varicolor (Gyllenhal) (23%),
Heteronychus lioderus Redtenbacher (14%) Holotrichia sp. (7%) and minor species were
Sophrops sp., Chiloloba acuta Wiedemann, Mimela inscripta (Nonfried), Xylotrupes gideon
Linnaeus, Lepidiota albistigma Burmeister, Pentodone algerinum Endroedi, Holotrichia
nigricolis Brenske, Allisonotum simile (Dynastinae) and Coprius indicus Arrow. A. varicolor
(Gyllenhal) and M. affinis (Blanchard), which showed peak activity from late April to late
May, while H. lioderus Redtenbacher and Holotrichia sp. showed peak activity from the
date of light trap installment to early May.
DISCUSSIONS
All total thirteen species of
scarab beetle were collected
using two light traps in each
district at two spots during two
nights consecutively (Annex 1).
This might be due to the short
study period capturing time of
two nights only. However, this
period is considered the peak
time for adult scarab beetles
activity. This study showed that
Anomala dimidiata Hope and A.
varicolor (Gyllenhal) were found
to be the dominant species in high-hill and mid-hill of Nepal. Similar species were found
dominant by GC et.al, (2009) who mentioned that Anomala groups were cosmopolite
Proximity Matrix (Chi-square between Sets of Frequencies)
Makwanpur Tanahu Chitwan
Districts
I II I II I II
Dung
beetle
(excluded)
Makwanpur
I 0.00 3.41 6.50* 6.17* 5.69* 7.43** (5.58*)
Makwanpur
II 0.00 5.74* 5.83* 5.20* 6.60* (4.63*)
Tanahu I 0.00 2.37 4.47 6.46* (4.57*)
Tanahu II 0.00 4.08* 6.31* (4.39*)
Chitwan I 0.00 4.21* (2.11)
Chitwan II 0.00
Numbers that are marked with asterisk indicate significant differences between
the two compared sites (* P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001). Numbers in
parenthesis indicate Chi-square distance between Chitwan II and other sites.
The Chi-square distance was also calculated by excluding the dung beetles
recorded in Chitwan II.
The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012 ... .............Technical paper
44
species found in Gaindakot, Rampur, Gunganagar, Pang and Rising Patan of Nepal. Other
species observed at the study site were Allissonotum simile (Dynastinae), Coprius indicus
Arrow, Holotrichia nigricolis Brenske, Holotrichia sp., Maladera affinis (Blanchard), Mimela
inscripta (Nonfried), Pentodone algerinum Endroedi, Heteronychus lioderus Redtenbacher,
Sophrops spp., Xylotrupes gideon Linnaeus and Lepidiota albistigma Burmeister.
The results of regular monitoring of scarab beetles through light trap for the time of 4
months from 24 April to 7 September, 2010 at Mangalpur, Chitwan showed that Anomala
dimidiata Hope appeared frequently throughout the monitoring period and the peak period
was observed from early June to late July. The dominant species in Mangalpur, Chiwan,
were Anomala dimidiata Hope (24%) followed by Maladera affinis (Blanchard) (23.75%), A.
varicolor (Gyllenhal) (23%), Heteronychus lioderus Redtenbacher (14%), Holotrichia sp (7%)
and minor species were Sophrops spp., Chiloloba acuta Wiedemann, Mimela inscripta
(Nonfried), Xylotrupes gideon Linnaeus, Lepidiota albistigma Burmeister, Pentodone
algerinum Endroedi, and Holotrichia nigricolis Brenske, Allisonotum simile (Dynastinae)
and Coprius indicus Arrow. The two species A. varicolor (Gyllenhal) and M. affinis
(Blanchard) showed the peak activity from late April to late May, while H. lioderus
Redtenbacher and Holotrichia sp. showed peak activity from the date of light trap
installment to early May. Similar results were observed by GC et al. (2009), where large
numbers of beetles caught at premises of IAAS were Maladera sp., Adoretus sp.,
Heteronychus sp., Anomala sp. and he also observed the peak period of early June to late
July for A. dimidiata Hope, 2nd week of April to early May for Holotrichia spp., late April to
late May for A. varicolor (Gyllenhal) and late April to late May for M. affinis (Blanchard),
respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The highest number (32 adults) of beetles was observed at Daman of Makawanpur district,
and the lowest number (6 adults) at Bachuli. The result showed that A. dimidiata Hope and
A. varicolor (Gyllenhal) were found to be the dominant species in high-hill and mid-hill of
Nepal. Season long monitoring light trap installed at Mangalpur of Chitwan district showed
that the dominant species there was A. dimidiata followed by Maladera affinis, A.
varicolor, Heteronychus lioderus and Holotrichia sp in order. This study attempted to
explore the species present in three districts of Nepal. However, a comprehensive study
covering the entire country still remains to be completed. The study reveals that several
species of white grubs prevail in Nepalese agro-ecological domain requiring effective
management approaches.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors are thankful to International Potato Center (CIP), Peru and National Agriculture
Research and Development Fund (NARDF) for providing financial support and Nepal
Agriculture Research Council (NARC) for technical support, to conduct this research.
REFERENCES
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Annex 1: Identified scarab beetles in the study
Insect image Scientific name Distribution
(trapped area)
Description
Anomala
dimidiata Hope
Makawanpur (2303
masl and 2260 masl)
and Chitwan (180
masl)
Apple green, body shape broadly
oval, clypeus densely punctured
pygidium moderately transverse.
Chiloloba acuta
Wiedemann
Absent Green rose chaffer, larvae move
ventrally and sometimes
dorsoventrally and have well
developed hairs on the body.
Allisonotum
simile Arrow
Makawanpur (2303
masl)
Tanahu (486 masl)
Black smooth and shinning, convex
and elongate-oval. Beetle is smaller
in size.
Anomala
varicolor
(Gyllenhal)
Rutelinae
Tanahu (486 masl
and 542 masl)
The extremities of the tibia and the
tersi dark. The elytra are deeply and
finely punctuate striate with the
subsutural interval broad and closely
punctured.
The Journal of Agriculture and Environment Vol:13, Jun.2012 ... .............Technical paper
46
Insect image Scientific name Distribution
(trapped area)
Description
Maladera affinis
(Blanchard)
Tanahu (486 masl
and 542 masl)
Common species of sandy soil, typical
segment on lateral part of larval
head, red color smaller in size,
closed pygidium with the wings.
Heteronychus
lioderes
Redtenbacher
Chitwan (184 masl
and
180 masl)
Black above, deep reddish brown
beneath and very smooth and shining
elongate-oval in shape and not very
convex, shinning scutellum
Holotrichia sp. Tanahu (486 masl
and 542 masl)
Raster with irregular setae or with
two longitudinal rows of setae.
Holotrichia
nigricollis
Brenske
Chitwan (184 masl
and 180 masl)
Robust, oval and brownish and
resemble June beetle (though most
are smaller)
Xylotrupes
gideon Linnaeus
Makawanpur ( 2303
masl &and2260
masl)
Black to dark brown beetles, chiefly
nocturnal, the male is a shiny black
with forked horns on head, female is
a matt black and lacks the horns.
Sophrops sp. Tanahu (486 masl
and 542 masl)
Brownish, robust and oval. Beetles
feeds on plant foliage and larvae
damage the roots of crops.
Lepidiota
albistigma
Burmeister
Chitwan (184 masl &
180 masl)
Brown in color, robust and oval
beetles that feeds on the flowers and
foliage of plants, larvae are white do
serious damage to roots..
Pentodon
algerinum
indicum Endroedi
Makawanpur ( 2303
masl and 2260 masl)
and Tanahu (486
masl)
Dorsal surface of body is rounded and
convex, male with horn on head or
pronotum, female lack horn
Mimela inscripta
(Nonfried)
Makawanpur ( 2303
masl, Tanahu ( 542
masl) chitwan (184
masl)
Beetles brightly colored, commonly
yellowish color both adults and grubs
are destructive,
Coprius indicus
Arrow
Makawanpur (2303
masl and 2260 masl)
Black, body compact, convex or a
little depressed, abdomen very short,
femora very thick, the elytra are very
strongly sulcate.
