DIVERSITY OF POLLINATOR BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APOIDEA) AND HOVER FLIES (DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) IN THE KOLE WETLANDS OF THRISSUR DISTRICT, KERALA.

Athul Sankar C is a CSIR–UGC senior Research Fellow at the Shadpada Entomology Research Lab (SERL), where he joined in April 2023. His research focuses on the diversity, ecology, and distribution of bees and hoverflies, with emphasis on pollinator community structure, habitat associations, and plant-pollinator interaction with conservation relevance. His work integrates field surveys, taxonomic studies and ecological analyses to generate baseline data on pollinator diversity in regional scale.

Hover flies

Bees

Achievements

Qualified CSIR-UGC JRF June 2022 with AIR 31.
Qualified GATE 2023 (Ecology and Evolution) with AIR 419.
Qualified GATE 2023 (Lifesciences) with AIR 6487.
Best presentation award (Expo category) in science entitled “Exploring the buzz: The Bees of Kole Wetlands in Thrissur, Kerala” at the two-day Multidisciplinary National Conference and Research Expo 2024, organized by Researchers Forum of Christ College, Autonomous, Irinjalakuda on 14th and 15th February 2024.

Publications

C. Athul Sankar, C., Bijoy, & Shaji, E. M. (2024). A checklist of hover-flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of Kerala, India. ENTOMON, 49(1), 65-74.
C. Athul Sankar, C. Bijoy, EM Shaji (2024). Notes on the Sleeping Aggregation Behaviour in Male Austronomia Michener, 1965 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae) From Kerala. Advanced Techniques in Biological Research, 142-145.
C. Athul Sankar, C., Bijoy, C., & Shaji, E. M. (2024). First report of the Genus Mesembrius Rondani, 1857 (Diptera, Syrphidae) from Kerala. ENTOMON, 49(2), 269-272.
Athul, C. S., Vishnu, A. V., Prakash, A. S., Bijoy, C., & Shaji, E. M. (2025). A checklist of Nomiinae (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Kerala, India: new distributional and floral association records. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, 11(3), 601-623.
Krishna, T. S., Madambikattil, S., Kumar, V., Thekkayil, N. P., Das, V. K., Sajeevan, C., Athul Sankar, C., Bijoy & Mathew, S. E. (2025). An Observational study on the foraging activity of bees on selected non-cultivated plants of Thrissur, Kerala. Munis Entomology and Zoology Journal 20(2):3414-3417
C. Athul Sankar, C. Bijoy, EM Shaji (2025). In the Shadow of Ants: Asian Weaver Ants and their Mimics. Indian Entomologist, 6(2), 77-81.
C. Athul Sankar, Kavya G. Pillai, Vishnu A.V., Shaji E. M., Gigi Poulose & C. Bijoy (2025) Bees, Wasps and Robber Flies of Asurankundu. In: Biodiversity of Asurankundu jungle trail. (Eds) Brinesh R., Bijoy C. & Jain T. Sooryagatha Publishers, Kochi. 18-33. ISBN: 978-81-7255-1841

Presentations

Presented a paper on ‘’Notes on the Sleeping Aggregation Behaviour in Male Austronomia Michener, 1965 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae) From Kerala’’ at “TWO-DAY INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON ADVANCED TECHNIQUES IN BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH (ATBR-2023)” Organised by the Department of Zoology K. K .T. M. Government College, Pullut, Kodungallur, Thrissur, Kerala, India, 680663 during 22nd and 23rd November 2023.
Organised a research expo entitled “Exploring the buzz: The Bees of Kole Wetlands in Thrissur, Kerala” at the two-day Multidisciplinary National Conference and Research Expo 2024, organised by Scholars Connect at Christ College, Autonomous, Irinjalakuda, on 14th and 15th February 2024.
Presented a poster entitled "Nectar-robbing behaviour of Xylocopa ruficornis Fabricius, 1804 on Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq. from Kole wetland of Thommana, Thrissur, Kerala", at NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POLLINATORS FOR FOOD SECURITY, at Central University of Kerala on January 7–9, 2025
Presented a paper entitled "From Observations to Insights: Integrating Citizen Science and Species Distribution Modelling for Wild Bee Conservation in India" at the "Western Ghats – Biodiversity Conservation" hackathon organised by ZSI, Western Ghat Regional Centre in Kozhikode on May 27, 2025.
Presented a paper entitled "Understanding the climatic and land cover variables for the large carpenter bee Xylocopa ruficornis Fabricius, 1804, distribution in India using MaxEnt" at INDICN 2025, organised by BMC Thrikkakara, Kerala, on September 24-25, 2025.

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