Eulophid Seed Borer, Anselmella kerrichi (Narayanan et al.; Hymenoptera), An Emerging Pest of Jamun

Jamun, Syzygium cumini L. (Myrtaceae) is a common evergreen perennial fruit tree of tropical and subtropical regions. Being native to India and Myanmar, it is found throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions^1,2. The tree bears annually, sweetish and sour, dark-purple berries that are much sought after for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and free-radical-scavenging properties³. The existing literature provides an exhaustive list of various insect pests (~78 species) that could infest S. cumini in India⁴. However, none of these studies reported seed borer, Anselmella kerrichi (Narayanan et al., 1958) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) as an insect pest of jamun.