Survey, Distribution Patterns and Abundance of Pyrgomorphid Fauna (Orthoptera: Pyrgomorphidae) in Agro-ecosystems of South Western Rajasthan

Surveys conducted in the five districts of Rajasthan viz., Banswara, Dungarpur, Rajsamand, Sirohi and Udaipur during 2005-06 and 2006-07 indicated that five species of short horned grasshoppers belonging to the family Pyrgomorphidae were regular and abundant. The diversity comprised of four genera (Chrotogonus, Atractomorpha, Pyrgomorpha and Poekilocerus) and five species i.e. Chrotogonus trachypterus (Blanchard), Chrotogonus oxypterus (Blanchard), Atractomorpha crenulata Fabricius, Pyrgomorpha bispinosa Walker and Poekilocerus pictus Fabricius. C. trachypterus (33.3427.63) and C. oxypterus 29,456.93), were relatively more abundant in Udaipur district than in the other four districts. A, crenulata (07.09+1.66) and P. bispinosa (06.35+1.54) had a relatively equal representation in all the districts, but their abundance was a little more in the district Banswara. P. pictus (07,002.82) was relatively more in Rajsamand and was not recorded from Banswara. ‘The mean population of the surface grasshoppers. C. trachypterus and C. oxypterus was relatively more in Udaipur. Atractomorpha was almost equally represented in all the five districts. However, their population was relatively more in Banswara. Pyrgomorpha also had a similar representation from alll the five districts surveyed, though the hopper population was relatively more at Banswara with a mean population of (3.42 hoppers/ 25 stops). Poekilocerus was relatively more in Rajsamand with 2.43 hoppers per 25 stops