Arthropods (Jun 2023)
Food-plant catalogue of aphids (Aphididae: Homoptera) on malvids clade (Angiosperms: Eudicots: Eurosids) of flowering plants in India
Abstract
This article deals with the aphids infesting plants belonging to the clade malvids that includes 5 orders of eudicot angiosperms in India which are associated with aphids. This clade includes several highly economically important fruit trees (cashew, pistachio, mango, litchi, neem, lemon, orange, papaya, pomegranate, guava, jamun etc.), vegetable crops (cabbage, cauliflower, kale, radish etc.), oil seeds (mustard), textile fibres (jute, cotton), spices (cloves), medicinal plants (arjuna), essential oils (eucalyptus) etc. A total of 150 species of aphids belonging to 71 genera and 11 subfamilies were recorded to infest 172 species of this clade of flowering plants belonging to 105 genera, 21 families and 5 orders. Most of the aphids belong to the subfamily Aphidinae (38 genera, 80 species) and tribe Macrosiphini (36 genera, 54 species) followed by Greenideinae (6 genera, 23 species) and tribe Greenideini (3 genera, 20 species). Greenideinae are mostly associated with the family Myrtaceae. The maximum number of species of aphids utilise the plants belonging to the family Malvaceae (36 species of 22 genera) followed by Brassicaceae (23 species of 15 genera), Rutaceae (19 species of 10 genera), Anacardiaceae (15 species of 10 genera), Lythraceae (11 species of 8 genera), and Sapindaceae (11 species, of 5 genera), Myrtaceae (10 species of 5 genera) and remaining 14 families having less than 10 species of plants associated with aphids.
