Documentation and taxonomic studies of Lepidopteran fruit borers infestingLitchi in Nagaland, India, with a new distributional record for the country

An extensive roving survey was conducted across Nagaland to document the insect-infesting litchi fruits during 2021-2023. During the survey, a total of five identified species, namely Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée,1854), Conopomorpha sinensis Bradley, 1986, Cryptophlebia ombrodelta (Lower, 1898), Deudorix epijarbus (Moore, 1857) and Thaumatotibia zophophanes (Turner, 1946) were recorded. Notably, the species T. zophophanes was a new record from India, while, C. ombrodelta and D. epijarbus were new distribution records from Nagaland state of India. Furthermore, all five species have been described with quality images. In addition, damage symptoms of each species, along with larvae, have been given. The article provides fundamental information that would enable quick identification and formulating species-specific pest management strategies.