Diversity of Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) Infesting Polygonaceous Plants (Angiospermae: Caryophyllales: Polygonaceae) in India

Abstract

The present checklist demonstrates that at least 30 species of plants of the family Polygonaceae are infested by 75 species/subspecies of aphids belonging to 4 subfamilies, such as Aphidinae (Tribe Aphidini: 19 species; Tribe Macrosiphini: 53 species), and Eriosomatinae, Greenideinae and Lachninae (1 species each) in India. Maximum number of aphid species (21 aphid species) are colonised on Persicaria nepalensis and Rumex nepalensis (16 species each), Polygonum punctatum (12 species), Persicaria barbata and Persicaria chinensis (11 species each), and Persicaria decipiens (10 species) and less number of species on rest of the plant species. Similarly, maximum number of plant species (14 plant species) were colonised by Aphis (Aphis) gossypii Glover followed by Capitophorus hippophaes javanicus Hille Ris Lambers (12 plant species), Capitophorus mitegoni Eastop (11 plant species), Aphis (Aphis) spiraecola Patch (9 plant species), Akkaia bengalensis Basu (8 plant species), Myzus (Nectarosiphon) persicae (Sulzer) (8 plant species), Trichosiphonaphis (Xenomyzus) polygoni (van der Goot) (8 plant species), Myzus (Myzus) ornatus Laing (7 plant species), Aphis (Aphis) craccivora Koch and Aphis (Aphis) fabae Scopoli (5 plant species each) and less than 5 plant species in case of other aphid species.