2025, Vol. 10, Special Issue 1

The experiment aimed to explore the impact of climate change on the distribution of white grub beetles in the Kolhapur district. A significant variation was observed among the species collected. During the study, 15 species from 9 genera and 3 subfamilies Melolonthinae, Dynastinae, and Rutelinae were identified. Among these, the genus Holotrichia was found to be the most dominant. The Holotrichia genus was present in all sampling locations, with species Holotrichia serrata being the most abundant in the Kolhapur district, comprising 35.30% of the total individuals. This was followed by Holotrichia fissa and Leucopholis lepidophora, which had abundances of 10.70% and 5.39%, respectively. Leucopholis lepidophora species mostly reported from the field along riverbank while H. serrata and H. fissa found abundant in plain and hilly areas. White grub could cause major yield loss in field crops up to 40 to 80%.

The Simpson's index for the Kolhapur district was 0.16, while the Simpson's diversity index was 0.84, indicating a high diversity and variety in species distribution. After the first rainfall, beetles began emerging from the soil in the evening period. Between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM. The beetle population peaked in June month and continued to emerge until September. During this time, the beetles gathered on host trees for feeding and mating purposes. Peak numbers of beetles emerged during 28^th SMW after 29^th week beetles’ population start to decline.