DNA barcoding and evolutionary lineage of banana skipper Erionota torus (Evans) (Lepidoptera Hesperiidae) from Malabar, a part of Southern WesternGhats, India

All Severe incidence of banana leaf roller Erionota spp. has been noticed in banana plantations of Malabar region of Kerala a part of Western Ghat, India. It is currently proposed that banana defoliater E. thrax and E. torus occur together in Kerala and many researchers have treated them as a single species. At present there is no published information regarding whether, one or both the species of Erionota coexist during the occasional outbreak of banana skipper in Kerala.Also it is unknown whether in the field the associated parasitoids attack both species ,equally or showed some preference for one or the other .This information is essential for the implementation of effective biological control programmes against this pest. Since the early stages of E. thrax and E. torus cannot be distinguished easily , and as they are common pests of banana, morphological identification of species is difficult. The present study is aimed to confirm the Erionota species from Malabar region of Kerala by using a molecular genetic approach. We sequenced the partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequence (COI ) having 650 base pair DNA from specimens collected from selected localities of Malabar region of Kerala ,India. The COI sequences of the banana skipper supported the existence of E.torus species in the infested areas and all the parasitoid species collected during the course of study where that of E.torus . Keywords—Erionota torus,Erionota thrax,COX I,DNA barcoding ,Musa spp.