author(s)
PL Sharma, SC Verma, RS Chandel, RPS Chandel and Priyanka Thakur

abstract
Surveys were conducted periodically from 2014 to 2017 in all the four agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh to study the diversity of the predatory beetles. Coccinellid fauna reported by earlier workers from the state have also been compiled to prepare a complete inventory of the predatory coccinellid beetles of the state. In total 65 predatory coccinellids have been found to be associated with different sucking pests of agricultural crops and wild flora. Beetle diversity varied with the agro-climatic conditions and zone II (sub-temperate) was the most diverse having 35 species followed by zone I (sub-tropical) (25 species). Zone IV (dry temperate zone) and zone III (wet temperate zone) were comparatively less diverse with 13 and 16 coccinellid species, respectively. Beetles namely Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus, Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) and Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius) were the most common and widely distributed in all the agro-climatic zones of the state.