Additional records of insect pests of vegetables in the Andaman Islands (India)

Surveys of various vegetable crops in different parts of the Andaman group of islands, viz., South Andaman, Havelock, Middle Andaman and Little Andaman, revealed that nineteen species of insects belonging to 11 families of four orders along with a mite species were pests of different categories. Three lepidopterans, viz., Spodoptera litura (F.) on cole crops, Hellula undalis (F.) on radish and cole crops and Leucinodes orbonalis (G.) on brinjal; and two dipterans, viz., Bactrocera (Paradacus) spp. on gourds and Ophiomyia sp. on French bean, along with polyphagous mite, Teranychus sp. on French bean, were recorded for the first time as major pests. The remaining were either minor pests or showed the potential to become serious pests like Plutella xylostella (L.), Heliothis armigera (Hubner) and Spodoptera litura (F.).