|
 Insects
and Spiders
Forest : Among insects, several species of butterflies, moths, dragon flies, damselflies, bees, wasps, fireflies, ants and beetles are found in the mangroves.
| S.Name |
C.Name |
Order |
Family |
Comment
|
| Apis dorsata |
Rock bee |
Hymenoptera |
Apidae |
Flowers of many species of mangals attract hony bees and offer opportunities for production of Honey. |
Apis dorsata are known to build their honeycomb in side the forest in large members. Chakrabarti & Choudhuri (1972) have studied the behavior pattern of the honeybee and estimated the production of honey from different species of mangals.
About 39% of honey is produced from Excoecarioa agallocha (Gnewa), 16% from Avicennia sp (Bain), 11% from Ceriops sp.10% from Rhizophora sp (Garjan) and only 24% f rom rest of the plants. They considered that Phoenix, Excoecaria (Hental-Gnewa) association are the ideal sites for comb formation.
The size of the comb varies from 35cm to 125cm in length, Honey from the nector of Aegiceras cornisculetum (Khalsi) and Cynometra ramiflora (Singra) is recognized as best. About 600 groups of honey collectors (data is not up dated) enter the forest every year with permits for honey collection. The collection of honey starts every year from March -April and continues for about two or three months in the Sundarbans.
The production of honey per year is about 500 quintals and bees wax about 300 kg. Both tigers and monkey exhibit their interest in honey and are reported to break low lying combs for honey.
Apart from honey bee the following information is available about the various insects and spiders of Sundarbans.
| S.Name |
C.Name |
Order |
Family |
Comment
|
| Anopheles sundaicus |
|
Hymenoptera |
Culicidae |
Predominant malaria mosquito. Breed on the root holes of the mangals as well as in accumulated water at the bases of leaves of Nypa fruticans (Golpata). |
| Vespa cineta |
|
Do |
Vespidae |
Found in forest and reclaimed areas. |
| 5 sp (belonging to 3 families) |
|
Lepidoptera |
|
Larvae found in saltmarsh and estuarine mudflats |
| 31 species (belonging to 15 families) |
|
Coleoptera |
Carabidae |
Do |
| |
|
|
Scarabaeidae (Dung beetles) |
Do |
| |
|
|
Tenebrionidae |
Do |
| |
|
|
Cerambycidae |
larvae found to take shelter in the stems of hargocha (Acanthus ilicifolias) or Excoecaria agallocha |
| Lycosa sp |
Wolf spider |
|
|
Found inside the holes in salt marsh covered with hair which trap air during submergence |
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