PREDATORS AND PARASITOIDS OF APHIDS (APHIDIDAE: HOMOPTERA) INFESTING TOMATO CROPS IN INDIA

The present article enlists the predators and parasitoids of the aphids (Aphididae: Hemiptera) infesting tomato crops and their distribution in different states and union territories of India. Most of them are found to prey/parasitise Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Aphis gossypii Glover. The predators belong to one order of class Arachnida: Araneae (families Anaphaenidae, Araneidae, Lycosidae, Oxyopidae, Tetragnathidae, Thomisidae) and four orders of the class Insecta: Coleoptera (family Coccinellidae), Diptera (family Syrphidae), Hemiptera (Geocoridae) and Neuroptera (family Chrysopidae). A total of 37 species of predators from various taxa were recorded to feed 5 species of tomato aphids distributed in 15 states/union territories of India. The highest number of predators belonged to the families Coccinellidae (19 species) and Syrphidae (7 species). Most of the tri-trophic associations (triplets, predators-preys-host plants) of these predators were reported in Uttar Pradesh (14 triplets), Karnataka (9 triplets), Assam (8 triplets) and Tamil Nadu (7 triplets), and other states/union territories 1-6 triplets. All the parasitoids of tomato aphids belong to two subfamilies Aphelininae (Aphelinidae: Hymenoptera) and Aphidiinae (Braconidae: Hymenoptera) in India. A total of 8 species of parasitoids were observed parasitising these aphids infesting in only 4 states of India. Most of the tri-trophic associations (triplets, parasitoids-hosts-host plants) of these parasitoids are reported from Uttar Pradesh (7 parasitoid species, 7 triplets) followed by Bihar (4 parasitoid species, 6 triplets) and single species each in Himachal Pradesh and Manipur. In fact, there have been very few attempts to document the natural enemies of tomato aphids in India; therefore, a thorough survey plan is necessary to document them in unexplored areas.