Specimen 3
IDENTIFYING FEATURES
- Head has conspicuous compound eyes.
- Antennae usually with less than 11 segments & biting mouthparts.
- Ocelli aare typically absent.
- Prothorax is large & freely articulated with the rest of thorax.
- Toughened front wings or elytra, meet the body midline & cover the larger membranous hindwings, which are folded lengthwise & crosswise underneath.
- Hence the specimen belongs to the Order: Coleoptera
- Brownish beetle measuring less than 5 mm in length.
- Head is small with emergent eyes & blunt snout.
- Elevated ivory like spots near the middle of the dorsal side.
- Femurs of the hindlegs are thickened.
- Elytra are truncated & do not cover the posterior end of the abdomen.
- Long antennae are serrated.
-Hence the specimen seems to be Callosobruchus chinensis
Systematic position (Ruppert & Barnes,1994)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Sub Class: Pterygota
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Callosobruchus
Economic Importance:
Callosobruchus chinensis (pulse beetle) is a primary and highly destructive pest of stored pulses like mung bean, cowpea, chickpea, and pigeon pea.
Infestation can begin in the field and continues during storage, leading to heavy quantitative losses—up to 100% damage of stored pulses within 3-4 months in severe cases.
Causes significant loss of seed weight (55-65%) and protein content (45.5-66.3%), making seeds unfit for human consumption and planting.
Infested seeds exhibit holes, reduced viability, and spoilage, resulting in economic losses for farmers and traders.
The pest poses a serious threat to food security and stable market supply, especially in developing countries.
Effective management is required to minimize loss and ensure better grain preservation during storage.
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