22 Eyl 2025 Pazartesi
Tri-trophic relationships of aphidophagous species of the ladybird beetle Propylea Mulsant, 1846 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae) in different states and union territories of India
Abstract : The present checklist focuses on the tri-trophic relationships of four species of Propylea Mulsant (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera): Propylea dissecta (Mulsant), Propylea japonica (Thunberg), Propylea luteopustulata (Mulsant), and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Linnaeus), which have been documented in India and are linked to agroecosystems and orchards in the northwestern and northeastern regions of India. The most polyphagous species, Propylea luteopustulata (Mulsant), feeds on 38 aphid species, whereas Propylea dissecta (Mulsant), Propylea japonica (Thunberg), and Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (Linnaeus) target 18, 13, and 14 aphid species, respectively. All these species have been recorded hunting 48 aphid species that feed 95 plant species used for food across 16 states and union territories in India. Most tri-trophic associations (triplets) of Propylea species are noted in Jammu & Kashmir (41 triplets), then Uttar Pradesh (37 triplets), West Bengal (34 triplets), Uttarakhand (29 triplets), Manipur (26 triplets), and several other states with 1-8 triplets. All four species of Propylea preyed upon Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis gossypii Glover, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), and Myzus persicae (Sulzer). It is crucial to emphasize that documentation efforts for these aphid-eating ladybugs in India have been scarce and many areas still remain unexplored, highlighting the need for a thorough survey plan to identify them in those regions.