Poekilocerini Burmeister, 1838

Usmani, Mohd. Kamil & Nayeem, Md. Rashid, 2012, Studies on taxonomy and distribution of Acridoidea (Orthoptera) of Bihar, India, Journal of Threatened Taxa 4 (13), pp. 3190-3204 : 3193

Tribe: Poekilocerini Burmeister, 1838 3. Poekilocerus pictus (Fabricius, 1775)

Diagnostic characters: This species of Poekilocerus can be distinguished from other species by its blueblack ringed antennae with black and yellow pattern beyond the basal third of sub-interupted transverse yellow bands, pronotum impress-punctate, rounded

behind, the hind sulcus placed just behind the middle.

Material Examined: 1 female, 24.vi.2009, on Calotropis procera, Banka.

Morphometry: (length in mm). Female: Body 54.0, Tegmina 33.2, Hind femur 20.9, Pronotum 4.0.

Remarks: The preferred food plant is Calotropis procerca (Ait.) which favour sandy soil and semi-arid conditions. The readiness to accept alternative food plants has enabled Poekilocerus to survive in some areas where Calotropis is scarce or even absent. This is the most mobile member of the genus in which both sexes especially the females have proportionately longer wings.

Natural enemies: The praying mantis Mantis religiosa is a predator and the dipterous parasite Blaesoxipha sp. has been recorded to cause nearly 11% mortality of hoppers.

Distribution: Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar.

Tribe: Chrotogonini Bolivar, 1904