Checklist of Aphidophagous Predatory Bugs (Heteroptera: Hemiptera: Insecta) in India

In this study, aphidophagous predatory bugs (Heteroptera: Hemiptera: Insecta) are catalogued along with their prey (aphid) species (Aphididae: Homoptera: Hemiptera) and host plants of the prey recorded in different states and union territories of India.Data reveal that a total of 29 species of Heteroptera are aphidophagous in India belonging to 6 families, Anthocoridae being the largest one comprising 17 species under 10 genera followed by Miridae and Reduviidae (4 species in each), and Geocoridae (2 species in 1 genus), Nabidae and Pentatomidae (one species each) preying on 45 species of aphids belonging to 21 genera associated with 37 species of plants belonging to 26 genera in 13 states/union territories of India; with 88 triplets (tritrophic association of predators, preys and host plants).A maximum of 39 triplets are recorded in Uttarakhand followed by 12 triplets in Ladakh and 9 and 6 triplets in Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal.A maximum of 13 species of these predators were recorded from Uttarakhand preying on 21 species of aphids feeding on 20 plant species.No species of these predatory bugs is recorded from 17 states and 6 union territories of India.Indeed, no investigation was conducted in most of the states and union territories of India regarding the aphidophagy of predatory bugs and hence, it requires an extensive survey in these areas to record them particularly in the agroecosystems to establish their relationship with aphid preys on different crops.