Potential biocontrol agents of <i>Patialus tecomella</i> (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a defoliator of <i>Tecomella undulata</i> in Rajasthan, India

Shiwani Bhatnagar; Ameen Ullah Khan; Mamta Sankhla; Raj Kumar Suman

doi:10.36808/if/2025/v151i12/170080

Potential biocontrol agents of Patialus tecomella (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a defoliator of Tecomella undulata in Rajasthan, India

Authors

Shiwani Bhatnagar Forest Protection Division, ICFRE- Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Ameen Ullah Khan Forest Protection Division, ICFRE- Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Mamta Sankhla Forest Protection Division, ICFRE- Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Raj Kumar Suman Forest Protection Division, ICFRE- Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2025/v151i12/170080

Keywords:

Tecomella undulata, Patialus tecomella, Biocontrol agents, Billaea atkinsoni, Andrallus spinidens

Abstract

Tecomella undulata is a key species in the Thar Desert (Rajasthan) and often locally known as Rohida. The plant is currently listed as threatened. Patialus tecomella, an ootheca-laying weevil, has been known to heavily infest nursery plants and tree stands of T. undulata and causes moderate to heavy defoliation. P. tecomella larvae feed voraciously on leaves and severely skeletonize them. Adults make irregular holes while feeding on green leaves by cutting the leaves from the margin in uneven patterns. P. tecomella has been known to cause severe infestations between September and October. The larvae feeds on leaf and later move into the soil to pupate. Adult stage hibernates in winter during December to February. The insect goes through 5–6 overlapping generations in a year. Two natural enemies, Billaea atkinsoni (a pupal parasitoid) and Andrallus spinidens (a predator), have been found to act as biocontrol agents in natural settings and can be used in an eco-friendly pest management strategy to control Marwar teak defoliator.

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