Morphometrics of Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) Populations Collected from Different Locations of India

Abstract

Morphometrics -the quantitative analysis of form-serves as a powerful tool in this context. It involves precise measurements of various body parts and is widely used in systematics to study morphogenesis, population structure, and the effects of environmental stress on organisms, especially arthropods. The present study explores about morphometrics of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) populations collected from different locations of India. The experiment was conducted at the ICAR–Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Brown Planthopper (BPH) specimens were collected from farmers' fields located in BPH-prone regions across the states of Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Punjab. Following collection, the specimens were dry-mounted and carefully examined under a stereoscopic binocular microscope to study their morphological characteristics. Morphometric measurements—including total body length, body width, wing length, wing width, head length, interocular distance, and tibial spur length—were recorded for both brachypterous and macropterous forms of adult males and females. Additionally, body length and width were measured for all five nymphal instars. The study included BPH populations from different geographical locations, as well as a glasshouse-maintained BPH culture. All morphometric data were recorded in millimeters. The analysis revealed slight morphological variations among the different BPH populations. The body length of the adult macropterous female BPH from Kampasagar was more (3.448 mm) and tibial spur was longest (0.456mm) in Bargarh macropterous females compared to that from other locations. The maximum length of the head (0.777 mm) of the brachypterous male BPH was observed in Raipur population as compared to the other geographical regions.