Diversity of Spiders and Insect Natural Enemies in Sunflower Ecosystem

Studies were taken up to study the diversity of spiders and natural enemies on sunflower at Zonal Agricultural Research Station (ZARS), UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru during 2012–2013. The results revealed that totally 29 species of spiders in the sunflower ecosystem. They belonged to different families viz., Araneidae (10 species), Salticidae (7 species), Thomisidae (3 species), Oxyopidae (3 species), Tetragnathidae (2 species), Miturgidae (2 species), Clubionidae and Linyphiidae (1 species each). A total of nine insect parasitoids, seven insect predators, two nucleopolyhedrosis virus and one entomopathogenic fungus were recorded on different stages of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Spodoptera litura (Fab.) in sunflower agro-ecosystem.