Food plant records of Aphidini (Aphidinae: Aphididae: Hemiptera) in India
Garima Singh and Rajendra Singh
The Aphidini is one of the 2 tribes of the subfamily Aphidinae (Aphididae: Hemiptera) containing about 830 species/subspecies assigned to 33 genera. Out of these, only 9 genera and 70 species/subspecies were recorded from India infesting 940 plant species belonging to 138 families, out of which only 19 families are monocot. Indian Aphidini are recorded mostly on the plant family Asteraceae (102 plant species), followed by Fabaceae (96 plant species), Poaceae (92 plant species), Lamiaceae (46 plant species), Rosaceae (38 plant species), Solanaceae (34 plant species), Apocyanaceae (28 plant species), Rubiaceae (26 plant species), Malvaceae (25 plant species), Rutaceae (22 plant species), Cucurbitaceae (22 plant species), Polygonaceae (21 plant species), etc. Out of 70 described species of Aphidini from India, 14 species are monophagous; 40 species are oligophagous infesting 2 to 20 plant species; and 8 species are moderately polyphagous infesting 21 to 55 plant species while 8 species are highly polyphagous feeding on 55 upto 569 plant species. The present contribution provides updated checklist of Indian Aphidini with the valid scientific name of the aphids as well as their food plants.