Diversity and Site-Level Distribution of Ladybird Beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Selected Agro-Ecological Habitats of Parbhani, District, Maharashtra, India
Keywords:
Coccinellidae; ladybird beetles; biological control; agroecosystem; cotton; roadside vegetation; Parbhani; Maharashtra.Abstract
Ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are important predatory insects in agricultural ecosystems and have long been investigated as natural enemies of soft-bodied pests. The present field-based study documents the preliminary occurrence of ladybird beetles across selected agro-ecological settings of Parbhani district, Maharashtra, India. Field observations and specimen collection were undertaken across eight localities: Selu, Pathri, Manwat, Purna, Palam, Gangakher, Jintur and Parbhani. The supplied field report records five ladybird beetle species at each of the eight sites. Six sites were located in cotton fields and two in roadside vegetation. Specimens were collected using sweep-netting, visual hand-picking and beat-sheet sampling, preserved in formalin and forwarded to the Department of Entomology, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, for taxonomic identification. The data demonstrate broad site coverage and confirm the presence of a recorded coccinellid component in both cultivated and non-crop habitats. However, because the available field record does not contain species-level identifications or replicate abundance data, statistical comparisons of species richness, diversity indices, dominance, or habitat preference cannot yet be justified. The study therefore constitutes a preliminary distributional dataset and provides a baseline for subsequent taxonomic, ecological and biological-control investigations in Parbhani district.
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