Volume 26, Issue 78, July - December, 2025

Expanded distribution and first hostplant record of Adoretus incurvatus (ohaus, 1905) on grapevines in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Madhanram Gnanapragasam^1♦, Shaheen Gul¹, Suriya Shanmugasundaram¹, Vengateshkumar Murugan¹, Maheshwari Subramanian¹, Charankumar Bazar Thimmappa¹

¹Division of Entomology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar -190025, India

^♦Corresponding Author
Madhanram Gnanapragasam, Division of Entomology, Sher-e- Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar -190025, India

ABSTRACT

Insect pests constitute a major constraint to grape cultivation, disrupting ecological stability, reducing vine vigour and reduce the efficiency of implemented control measures. In the temperate grape growing regions of Jammu and Kashmir, India, systemic documentation and reports about insect pests of grapes is still not inadequate to devise sustainable plant protection modules. In this study, Adoretus incurvatus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), a scarab beetle is recorded for the first time from Jammu and Kashmir, marking a expanded geographical distribution and also the first documented association of the species with cultivated grapevines. Specimens were identified with help of published standard morphological keys. Characteristic feeding damage on grape foliage was described, and population dynamics and seasonal incidence were monitored. The influence of key abiotic factors (temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall) on beetle abundance was analysed through correlation studies. This report of expanding geographical record and novel host association emphasizes the importance of frequent monitoring and more studies on lesser known insect-host records from the region.

Keywords: Rose beetles, Sahebi, Hussaini, Rutelinae, Novel host record

Species, 2026, 27(79), e6s3253

PDF

Published: 30 March 2026