Seasonal Occurrence and Sex Ratio in Acridids (Acrididae:Orthoptera) in the Dry Deciduous Forest of West Bengal, India

Acridids are one of the most dominant phytophagus insects which play an important role in the functioning of forest ecosystem. Seasonal occurrence and fluctuation and. sex ratio are important components of population structure in acridid community. The investigation on seasonal occurrence and sex ratio on three species of acridid, viz.. Ditiopiernis venusta (Walker), Oedaleus abruptus (Thunberg), and Truxalis indica (Bol.) in dry deciduous forest of West Bengal revealed that D. venusta was the most dominant species in the study area. The population of acridids fluctuates in different season and highest number was observed during autumn. Statistical analysis reflects that male and female ratio are more or less equal.