3
Rice Brown Planthopper
aestivation during temperatures above 45°C has also not been reported. All these facts
testify their co-evolution along with rice plant.
Contrary, SBPH appear to be a temperate species in its evolutionary cycle. SBPH feeds
on many plants of winter season and a serious pest of wheat. It overwinters during
severe low temperature regimes. It takes an opportunistic attack on rice crop in spring
after wheat is harvested in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. But fortunately SBPH was
not reported to be a serious pest of rice in Indian subcontinent including Sri Lanka,
Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Identity of BPH as a species:
Detailed account of biology, taxonomy and morphology of BPH has been given by
Dupo and Barrion (2009) along with all similar species physically present in rice
ecosystem throughout the world. The information regarding Rice Brown Planthopper,
Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) (BPH) is briefly presented below (Plates 1&2 Page 2).
Genus NILAPARVATA Distant, 1906;
Nilaparvata Distant, 1906. Fauna Brit.
Ind. 3:473; Type species:
Nilaparvata greeni
Distant, 1906;
Nilaparvata
Distant, 1906.
Fauna Brit. Ind. Rhynch. 3:473; Kalpa Distant, 1906. Ibid. 474; Hikona Matsumura,
1935. Insecta Matsumurana 9:139;
Nilaparvata
Ishihara, 1949. Sci. Rep. Matsuyama
Agric. Coll. 2:67;
Nilaparvata
Nasu, 1967. Major Insect Pests of Rice Plant 500;
Nilaparvata
Okada, 1977. Food Fert. Tech. Cen. Asia & Pac. Reg. 2;
Nilaparvata
Fennah, 1978. Ann. Zool. (Wars.) 34(9):219;
Nilaparvata
Mochida & Okada, 1979. Int.
Rice Res. Newsl. 22;
Nilaparvata
Yang, 1989. NSC Special Publ. 6:275;
Nilaparvata
Wilson & Claridge, 1991. CAB Intern. & Nat. Resources Inst. 49;
Nilaparvata
Ding &
Zhang, 1994. China Agric. Sci. Tech. Press 82;
Generic features:
Body length 3.5-4.8 mm; generally brown planthopper; head
including eyes narrower than pronotum; vertex slightly longer submedially than wide
at base, sometimes subequal, submedian carinae not merged apically, Y-shaped carina
distinct; frons longer at midline than wide at widest point about 2.4:1, widest at middle,
median carina forked at base, sometimes not; clypeus at base slightly wider than frons
at apex; proboscis reaching trochanter II; ocelli present; antennae cylindrical, only a
little beyond frontoclypeal suture, with basal segment longer than wide, shorter than
segment II about 1:2; pronotum with lateral carinae not reaching hind margin; spinal
formula of leg III 5-7-4; first tarsal segment with 1-5 teeth; tibial spur with 15-33 teeth;
