Diversity of Hemiptera (Insecta) in Different Coffee Plantation Districts of Karnataka, India

The present study provides a faunistic account of the order Hemiptera (Insecta) associated with coffee plantations in different districts of Karnataka, India. Field surveys were conducted in selected coffee-growing regions representing different geographical and ecological conditions of the state. Hemipteran specimens were collected using standard entomological methods, including sweep netting, hand collection, and light trapping, and were subsequently preserved, examined, and identified using relevant taxonomic literature and comparative material. The study documents the diversity and distribution of hemipteran insects occurring in coffee plantation ecosystems, with representatives of several families and genera. The recorded taxa comprise phytophagous as well as predatory forms, reflecting the ecological complexity of the coffee agroecosystem. Particular attention was given to species identification, diagnostic characters, locality records, and their known distribution in India and elsewhere. The study contributes to the existing knowledge of the hemipteran fauna of Karnataka and provides baseline information on the insect diversity associated with coffee plantations. Such faunistic inventories are important for understanding insect diversity, species distribution, and ecological interactions within coffee agroecosystems and may also provide useful information for future studies on economically important and beneficial hemipteran species. During the present study, 41 species belonging to 37 genera and 15 families of Hemiptera were documented from coffee plantation areas in Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts of Karnataka, India.