Preliminary Observations of Terrestrial Hemiptera Fauna in Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary, Sirohi, Rajasthan, India

Mount Abu, a hill station located in Aravalli Mountain range, in southern region of Rajasthan. The sanctuary is characterized by uneven and rough terrain with rocky hills, valleys and steep mountain slopes. The forest area ranging from xeromorphic subtropical thorn forest, subtropical semi evergreen, is thick and dense and a good habitat for various rare, endangered, threatened and endemic flora and fauna. Along with small and large animals, diversity of small insects is also distinct in the sanctuary. Hemiptera, the true bugs, are present in different habitats like open fields, agricultural fields and forest area. Some species of Hemiptera are phytophagous in nature causing damage to crop production and forest. While some predatory species act as the biocontrol agents. In this study paper, a list of 15 species of Hemiptera belonging to 15 genera under 07 families, present in the sanctuary is provided based on the fauna collected from the sanctuary during various faunal surveys conducted from March 2022 to September 2024.