The Ecological Status of Treehopper Caresa tuarina in District Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan

Ecological Status of Caresa tuarina

Authors

  • Iqra Babar Department of Zoology, Government College University, Hyderabad, Pakistan
  • Bakhtawar Soomro Department of Zoology, Government College University, Hyderabad, Pakistan
  • Shakeel Ahmed Memon Department of Zoology, Government College University, Hyderabad, Pakistan
  • Arsalan Sadiq Department of Zoology, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/mjz.v5i01.92

Keywords:

Treehopper, Caresa tuarina, Ecological Status, Conservation, Climate Change, Pesticide Use

Abstract

The treehopper, also known as Caresa tuarina, is an intriguing creature with more than a hundred recorded species. Treehoppers are a very diverse group of insects, that play a crucial role in the ecosystem, yet many species remain uncovered in terms of their ecological status. Objectives: To investigate the ecological status of C. taurina and propose conservation strategies to ensure its preservation in the district Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Methods: Field survey was carried out in different areas of Hyderabad to investigate the habitat and population of C. tuarina. For preservation of C. taurina specie, naphthalene balls and 70% alcohol were used. Environmental factors including temperature, humidity, plant cover, air pressure, soil type, and UV index and habitat structure were noted at each sample location. Results: The collected treehoppers were small size insects, measuring around 8 mm in length. Agricultural areas and riparian zones were shown to be important habitats for C. taurina populations. Different physical characteristics included soil type was lay and whose terrain was plane land; there was a full moon, 34°C in the mean temperature; 27% Mean humidity; 21.22 psig of air pressure; and a moderate UV index. Urbanization, intensified agriculture, pesticide usage, and changes in habitat appropriateness brought on by climate change are the main causes of habitat degradation for populations of C. taurina. Conclusions: It is concluded that population of treehoppers (C. tuarina) mostly found in agriculture and riparian zones. They are facing habitat degradation as a result of urbanization, intensive agriculture, pesticide use, and changes in habitat appropriateness brought on by climate change.  

References

Britannica. Treehopper. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/animal/treehopper

Smithsonian. Treehoppers’ Bizarre, Wondrous Helmets Use Wing Genes to Grow. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/treehoppers-bizarre-wondrous-helmets-use-wing-genes-grow-180973713/.

NC State University Libraries. Treehoppers (Superfamily Membracoidea: Aetalionidae, Melizoderidae, and Membracidae). [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/digital/metcalf/treehoppers.html.

Smithsonian. The beautiful and bizarre treehopper. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://www.si.edu/stories/beautiful-and-bizarre-treehopper.

Missouri department of conservation. Treehoppers. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/treehoppers.

Kudla AM, Miranda X, Frederik Nijhout H. Ontogenetic trajectories and early shape differentiation of treehopper pronota (Hemiptera: Membracidae). Evolution & Development. 2023 May; 25(3): 240-52. doi: 10.1111/ede.12431.

Wetterer JK, Wetterer AL, Rumbaitis-del Rio C, Chang C, Vega G, Manne LL, Aukema J, Karubian J, Sloan A, Desai M. Diel shifts in treehopper-tending by ants and wasps in Costa Rica (Hymenoptera). Sociobiology. 2000 Jan; 36(1): 123-32. doi:

BBC documentary. Life in Cold Blood. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0090b9g.

Reddy PV. Leafhopper (Idioscopus spp.) excreted honeydew distracts honey bees (Apis spp.) from visiting mango (Mangifera indica L.) flowers: an indirect loss inflicted by the sucking pests hitherto unaccounted. Journal of Apicultural Research. 2021 Oct 3:1-5. doi: 10.1080/00218839.2021.1987742.

Lin CP, Danforth BN, Wood TK. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution of maternal care in membracine treehoppers. Systematic Biology. 2004 Jun 1; 53(3): 400-21. doi: 10.1080/10635150490445869.

Sharma A and Pati PK. First report of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, as a new host of cowbug (Oxyrachis tarandus, Fab.) in plains of Punjab, northern India. World Applied Sciences Journal. 2011; 14(9): 1344-6.

Morales MA. Mechanisms and density dependence of benefit in an ant–membracid mutualism. Ecology. 2000 Feb; 81(2): 482-9. doi: 10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[0482:MADDOB]2.0.CO;2.

BYJU'S. Butterfly scientific name. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://byjus.com/biology/butterfly-scientific-name/.

American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (linnaeus) (insecta: blattodea: blattidae). [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN298.

BYJU'S. Scientific name of hen. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://byjus.com/biology/scientific-name-of-hen/.

Rogers CE. Insects from native and cultivated sunflowers (Helianthus) in southern latitudes of the United States. Journal of Agricultural Entomology. 1988 Oct; 5(4): 267-87.

Saritha R, Dharma Reddy K, Basappa H. Screening of sunflower varieties for the resistance against sucking pests. Indian Journal of Plant Protection. 2008;36(1):144-7.

Majeed M, Bhatti KH, Pieroni A, Sõukand R, Bussmann RW, Khan AM et al. Gathered wild food plants among diverse religious groups in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan. Foods. 2021 Mar; 10(3): 594. doi: 10.3390/foods10030594.

Shedayi AA, Xu M, Hussain F, Sadia S, Naseer I, Bano S. Threatened plant resources: Distribution and ecosystem services in the world’s high elevation park of the karakoram ranges. Pakistan Journal of Botany. 2016 Jun; 48(3): 999-1012.

Anjum F, Ahmad M, Shinwari ZK, Zafar M, Sultana S, Majeed SA et al. Diversity of invasive alien plants species of lesser Himalayas-Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Botany. 2022 Dec; 54(6): 2391-403. doi: 10.30848/PJB2022-6(46).

Clergeau P, Levesque A, Lorvelec O. The precautionary principle and biological invasion: the case of the House Sparrow on the Lesser Antilles. International Journal of Pest Management. 2004 Apr; 50(2): 83-9. doi: 10.1080/09670870310001647650.

Youth and Enotomology. Placing insects in boxes. [Last cited: 20th March 2024]. Available at: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/401Book/default.php?page=placing_insects.

Downloads

Published

2024-03-31
CITATION
DOI: 10.54393/mjz.v5i01.92
Published: 2024-03-31

How to Cite

Babar, I., Soomro, B., Ahmed Memon, S., & Sadiq, A. (2024). The Ecological Status of Treehopper Caresa tuarina in District Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan : Ecological Status of Caresa tuarina. MARKHOR (The Journal of Zoology), 5(01), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.54393/mjz.v5i01.92

Plaudit