Entomology
Introduction and History of Entomology in India[edit | edit source]
Entomology is a biological science dealing with a specific group of organisms, the insects. Man originated about a million years ago, and insects at least 500 million years ago. Insects constitute the largest Class of the whole living organisms and about 72 per cent of all living animals are insects with 9-15 lakh known species.
• Entomology (from Greek, entomon= insect and logos= study) is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. It aims at understanding their body organization & functions, their habit and habitat, their classification, development, distribution, origin past history and economic importance.
• Agricultural Entomology divided into two categories
1. Basic/Fundamental/General Entomology.
2. Applied/Economic Entomology.
• Basic Entomology deals with Insect morphology, anatomy, physiology, taxonomy & systematics
• Applied Entomology deals with ecology and economic importance and control of insects.
There are lot of mentions about insects in our mythological epics, the Ramayana (2550-2150 BC) and Mahabharata (1424-1366 BC). Mentions about silk, honey and lac were found in these epics.
The first detailed classification of insects was done by Umaswati (0-100 AD).Classification of bees by the Indian physician Charaka (1200-1000BC) and classification of ants, flies and mosquitoes by the surgeon Sushruta (100-200 AD) are the evidences for our earliest knowledge about insects.
Entomology in modern India must have taken its place in Natural History some time after the 16th century. It is possible to define the modern history of entomology in India under the following two headings.
1. Entomology in India during 1750-1900.
2. Entomology in India during 1900-2000. Entomology in India during 1750-1900
1758- The beginning of the modern era of Indian Entomology came with the publication of the tenth edition of Carl Linnaeus’s “Systema Naturae”. This contained the earliest record of 28 species of Indian insects.
1767-1779- J.G.Koenig, a medical Officer from Denmark, a student of Carl Linnaeus and friend of Fabricius, for the first time during the 18th century collected number of insects from Coromandel area and Southern Peninsular India and his collections were studied and named by Professor Linnaeus himself. He also published a special account of the termites of Thanjavur District. Fabricius, made Koenig's name remembered for ever by naming the well known and destructive red cotton bug of this country as Dysdercus koenigi.
1782 - Dr. Kerr published on account of lac insect.
1785- Asiatic Society of Bengal started in Calcutta.
1791- Dr. J. Anderson issued a monograph on Cochineal scale insects.
1875- Foundation of the “Indian Museum” at Calcutta.
1883- “Bombay Natural History Society” was started. Numerous contributions of Indian insects were published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History.
1883- Commencement of “Fauna of British India” series under the editorship of W.T. Blandford.
1892- Entomological part of the “Fauna of British India” (now Fauna of India) series started with Sir George Hampson contributed first of the four volumes on the moths of India.