First report of lac insect Kerria thrissurensis Ahmad and Ramamurthy from Andhra Pradesh, with note on geographical and host induced variations

The field surveys for natural occurrence of lac insects revealed that lac insect species, Kerria thrissurensis Ahmad and Ramamurthy, constitutes a new record from Andhra Pradesh. The host plant Conocarpus lancifolius Engl. on which insect was collected too is a new host record for this lac insect species K.thrissurensis. The species is re-described with photographic illustrations and variations due to different geographical location, environmental factors and host plant in comparison with original description are discussed.