Lecture No.

1
History of Entomology in India-position of insects in the animal kingdomrelationship with members of Arthropoda
Entomology (Entomon-insect; logy-study) is defined as a science, which deals with
insects. The term entomology is derived from two Greek words Entomon means an insect
and logos means to study. The term Insect is derived from a Latin word insectum which
means cut into.

Insects are estimated to have existed for over 350 million years. Humans count
only one to 200 million insects and there are about 40 million insects for each acre of
land. Out of the 1.35 million living species described 9,00,000 are insects.
Branches of Entomology
Toxicology : Study of insecticides
Ecology
: Study of insects and its environment
Acarology
: Study of mites
Apiculture
: Study of honeybees
Sericulture : Study of silkworm
Nematology : Study of worms
Economic importance of insects
Insects affect both agricultural and horticultural crops and cause yield loss.
Transmit diseases from plant to plant and animal to animal.
Attack wood works, books and museum specimens.
Attack the man personally and directly. Eg. Mosquitoes and houseflies
transmit dreadful diseases.
Cause annoyance to human beings. Eg. Ants and bedbugs.
Beneficial to man in many ways as below.
Honeybees
: Give honey, beeswax
Silkworm
: Gives silk
Lac insect
: Gives lac
Small wasps/flies
: Act as parasitoids
Larger insect
: Predators
Weed killer
: Cochineal insect, Dactylopius tomentosus on opuntia
Honeybees, flies
: Help in cross pollination
Used for scientific value : Drosophila, cockroach
Used for aesthetic value : Jewel beetle, butterfly
History of Entomology in India

Our ancient people were well known about the insects. They used the terms
viz., pathanga, pipilika, bharamara, shakpeda, makshika to indicate the insects in the
ancient epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Physician Sushrutha classified classical ants (pipilika) into six groups and
gave an account on structure and habits of ants.
Ancient people also knew about the usefulness of the beneficial insects like
honeybee, lac insect and silkworm. The story of house of lac in Mahabharata
(Gowravas planned to kill the Pandavas by burning their house constructed with lac)
is an evidence they had known about the inflammable property of lac.
Some of chronological events of Indian history of entomology are as follows.
Period
Events
1758 AD
Carl Linnaeus included 12 insects in his Systema Naturae.
1759-1778 Dr. J. G. Koenig, Medical Officer collected insects from Coromandel
1779

coast and got identified by the systematists like Linnaeus and Fabricius.
Dr. J. G. Koenig, published a special account on Termites of

1782
1791
1800

Thanjavur district.
Dr. Kerr published An account of lac insect.
Dr. J. Anderson released a monograph on Cochineal scale insect.
Buchanan wrote about Cultivation of lac in India and Sericulture

1875
1883
1892
1893

in some parts of South India.

Foundation of Indian museum at Kolkata.
Foundation of Bombay Natural History Society.
Hampson issued four volumes on Moths of India.
Rothney published about Indian ants. GOI published four volumes

1901

of Fauna of British India.

Dr. Lionel de Niceville was appointed as the first entomologist to the

1903

Govt. of India.
Dr. Maxwell Lefroy-succeeded Niceville and was the first Imperial
entomologist at Imperial Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa, Bihar
(presently called Indian Agricultural Research Institute and shifted to

1906
1909
1912
1914

New Delhi).
Lefroy published Indian insect pests.
Lefroy published Indian insect life.
Plant quarantine act was implemented.
T.B. Fletcher, first entomologist of Madras state and he published
Some South Indian Insects.

1916
1925

Destructive insects and pests act was implemented.

Zoological Survey of India was formed.
Indian lac research institute was started.

1929
1938

Indian Council of Agricultural Research was started.

Entomological society of India was started and Indian Journal of

1940

Entomology was released.

Dr. T.V. Ramakrishna Ayyar published Hand book of Economic

1946

Entomology for South India.

Directorate of Plant protection, Quarantine and storage was started
at Faridabad.
Indian station for the Common Wealth Institute of Biological Control
(CIBC) was established at Bangalore.
Central insecticide act was implemented.
Text book of Agricultural Entomology by H.S. Pruthi.

1968
1969

Insect pests of crops by S. Pradhan.

The

Monograph

on

Indian

Thysanoptera

by

T.N. Ananthakrishnan.
Elements of Economic Entomology by B.V. David and

1975

T. Kumarasami.
Insects and Mites of crops in India by M.R.G.K. Nair.
General and Applied Entomology by K.K.

1976

Nayar,

T.N. Ananthakrishnan and B.V. David.

Position of insects in the animal kingdom and its relationship with members of
Arthropoda
Insects belong to the Sub-division Invertebrata.
Phylum-Arthropoda

(Arthro-joint,

poda-foot

i.e.animal

with

jointed

legs/appendages).
Class-Insecta. The word insect is derived from the word Insectum-cut-into or
in-cut.
Characters of Phylum Arthropoda
Arthropods are bilaterally symmetrical animals.
Having segmented body (segments are called tagmas) composed of renewable
chitinous exoskeleton.
Body cavity called haemocoel filled with haemolymph.
Have tubular alimentary canal with mouth and anus.
Tracheal system of respiration.
Classes of Phylum arthropoda
Phylum Arthropoda is classified into six classes.

1. Onychophora (claw bearing)-Eg. Peripatus

2. Crustacea (Crusta-shell)-Eg. Prawn, crab
3. Arachnida (Arachne-spider)-Eg. Scorpion, spider, tick and mite
4. Chilopoda (Chilo-lip; poda-appendages)-Eg. Centipedes
5. Diplopoda (Diplo-two; poda-appendages)-Eg. Millipedes
6. Hexapoda / Insecta (Hexa-six; pod-legs)-Eg. Insects

Handlirish-1908

J.C.Fabricious : 1745

T.B.Fletcher: 1914

Carl.Linaeus -1758

Maxwell Lefroy

Dr.T.V.Ramakrishna Ayyar

M.S.Mani

S.Pradhan

Y.Ramakrishna Rao

H.S.Pruthi

Relationship of class Insecta with other arthropods

Character
Habitat

Onychophora
Terrestrial

Crustacea
Aquatic and

Body

Worm like.

terrestrial
Two-cephalothorax

Three-pro, meso

Two-head

regions

Unsegmented in

and abdomen

and metastoma

multisegmented

adults
Antenna
One pair
Visual organ Not distinct
Locomotor

Many

pairs

organs

unjointed legs

Arachnida
few Terrestrial

Chilopoda
Terrestrial

Diplopoda
Terrestrial
and Two-head

trunk
Two pair
No antenna
One pair
One pair of stalked One pair of simple One
pair
compound eyes
eyes
of 5 pairs of biramous Four pairs
legs

simple eyes
One pair

multisegmented trunk
One pair
of One pair of simple eyes

Insecta
Terrestrial and few
aquatic
and Three-head, thorax
and abdomen
One pair
Both simple

compound eyes.
per Two pair per segment (no 3 pair of legs in

segment (1st pair poison claws)

thoracic region and 2

modified

pairs of wing on

into

poison claws)

meso

Mandibulate

Mandibulate

metathorax
Mandibulate

Mouth parts

Non-mandibulate

Mandibulate

Non-mandibulate

Respiration

Tracheal

(1 pair)
Gill breathing

(1 pair)
Book lungs and Tracheal

(1 pair)
Tracheal

(1 pair)
Tracheal

Body fluid
Circulatory

Haemolymph
Heart with ostia

Haemolymph
Heart with ostia

tracheal
Haemolymph
Heart with ostia

Haemolymph
Heart with ostia

Haemolymph
Heart with ostia

Haemolymph
Heart with ostia

system
Developmen

Anamorphosis

Anamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

absent- scorpion
Metamorphosis

and

and

present in mites

Questions
1. Who has made the first detailed classification of insects?
2.

Classification of bees was given by

3.

Classification of ants, flies and mosquitoes was given by

4. Define Entomology
5. Who is the father of insect classification
6. Who was the first entomologist made an extensive study of Indian insects
7. Who was the first govt. Entomologist appointed to the govt. Of India?
8. Who was the first govt. Entomologist appointed to the madras state?
9. How many classes are present in phylum arthropoda?
10. Who is the author of the book, Hand book of economic entomology for south
India?
11. In which year the Indian Institute of Natural resins and gum was started?
12. The author of the book, Elements of Economic Entomology is ...............
13. Who is the author of the book, Insects and mites of crops in India
14. Directorate of plant protection and quarantine was started at Faridabad in the
year.............
15. Text book of agricultural entomology was authored by ...................
16. General and Applied Entomology was authored by ...................
17. Indian Council of Agricultural Research was started in the year...................