Abstract:
Calotropis gigantea is a drought-resistant and salt-tolerant small shrub
native to Sri Lanka. It is a poisonous plant often used in herbal medicine for
asthma, leprosy, nausea, vomiting and fever. The present study was carried
out to find out the distribution of Calotropis gigantea and to identify the
insect fauna associated with the plant. Surveys were conducted from
December 2014 to June 2015 in 120 sites covering all provinces of Sri
Lanka, and the incidence of C. gigantea and the insect fauna on them were
recorded. Calotropis gigantea was recorded in all provinces of Sri Lanka
except the Central Province. The plant widely spreads along coastal regions
of the island, but its incidence was low in the Western as well as
Sabaragamuwa provinces. A total of 28 morphospecies of phytophagous
insects and three species of pollinators across nine families were
documented in the present study. Occasional insect visitors to the plant
were recorded with a high diversity and they belonged to five orders.
Among the phytophagous insects, Dacus persicus and Paramecops
farinosus are highly damaging to Calotropis fruits while Sphaeroderma sp.
was more common in the area. Carpenter bees were the most abundant
insect pollinator of the plant. Findings of the present study provide basic
information on distribution of Calotropis gigantea and its associated insect
fauna in Sri Lanka.
