Insects visiting the medicinal plants from genus Berberis L. in the Western Himalaya

Insect pollinator communities associated with the three medicinal plant species of genus Berberis (B. chitria, B. lycium and B. asiatica) were studied in and around Nainital, Western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India to assess their quantitative spectrum. A total of 249 individuals of insect pollinators belonging to 21 species under four orders and eight families were found visiting these plant species during their flowering period. Lepidoptera was the most dominant order with 10 species followed by Diptera (seven species), Hymenoptera (three species) and Coleoptera with single species. Among the three species of Berberis, B. chitria accounts a maximum number of insect pollinators with 16 species, followed by B. lycium with 14 species and B. asiatica with 12 species. Eristalis tenax, Apis cerana, Episyrphus balteatus and Eristalis cerealis were the most abundant insect pollinators of the Berberis plants during the entire study.