Tri-Trophic Associations of Aphidophagous Ladybirds of the Tribe Coccidulini (Coccinellinae: Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) in India

A checklist of tri-trophic associations (triplets) involving aphidophagous species of the tribe Coccinellini (Coccinellinae: Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) was prepared across various states and union territories of India. The tri-trophic associations are known for only 33 species (including three species identified up to genus level) belonging to seven genera that prey on 59 species of aphids infesting 139 species of plants. This results in 383 tri-trophic associations across 24 states/union territories of India. The genus Scymnus Kugelann is the largest, containing 22 aphidophagous species. Most of the Coccidulini tri-trophic associations were recorded in Kerala (79 triplets), followed by Uttar Pradesh (66 triplets), Karnataka (64 triplets), Bihar (46 triplets), Tamil Nadu (43 triplets), and Maharashtra (41 triplets). The rest of the 18 states/union territories had fewer than 40 triplets. Of the 59 recorded aphid prey species, 20 Coccidulini species primarily feed on Aphis gossypii Glover, while 14 and 13 species prey on Aphis craccivora Koch and Myzus persicae (Sulzer), respectively. The most preferred food plants are brassica crops (oil-yielding and vegetable crops, 34 triplets), followed by Solanum melongena L. (32 triplets), Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (13 triplets), and Zea mays L. (11 triplets). The tri-trophic associations of these predators are not known in several regions of India; therefore, a thorough survey programme is required to study these ladybirds in those areas of India.