Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) International Journal of Experimental Research and Review (IJERR) ©Copyright by International Academic Publishing House (IAPH) ISSN: 2455-4855 (Online) th Original Article th Received: 15 January, 2020; Accepted: 16 March, 2020; Published: 30th April, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/ijerr.2020.v21.002 Diversity, Bioecology and Biosystematics of Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in Darjeeling Himalaya Manashi Debnath1* and Samiran Chakrabarti2 1 District entomologist, CMOH Office, Tamralipta, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India; 2Retired Professor, Department of Zoology, Biosystematics Research Unit, University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India *Corresponding author: manashi005@gmail.com Abstract Darjeeling Himalaya with its foot hill has a diverse flora and fauna. Aphids with their host plants have shown a great remark in aphidological studies. Altitudinal variation is very important in case of aphid diversity. Predators are also important natural enemies of aphids in this area. There are endemic aphid species found in this region. Keywords: Aphid, association, hemiptera, distribution. Introduction Aphids are the small soft-bodied phytosuccivorus insects drawing phloem-sap, thus are ectoparasites of plants. They infest economical, cultivated and or wild plants. Such insects cause damages to their host plants by several ways: by devitalizing the plant; by affecting the normal development of seedlings, inflorescence, fruits etc.; by hampering the normal physiology of plants, such as transpiration and photosynthesis through occlusion of stomatal openings with heavy secretion and deposition of honey dew on the leaf surface. Life cycle of aphids shows great variations. Some species lead different patterns of life cycle (Dixon, 1973). Two types of life cycle are seen in aphids such as Anholocycly (reproduction is only by parthenogenetic viviparity) and Holocycly (parthenogenetic viviparity is intervened by sexual reproduction). Mostly polymorphic presenting five or six morphs, such as male, female, fundatrices, apterous and alate virginoparae or parthenogenetic forms, apterous and alate gynopare which give rise to only ovipare. A significant feature in evolution of aphid life cycle is host alternation (heterocy). That is several aphids show a regular seasonal migration between two host plants, often with distant taxonomic relation, one of which is termed primary host used for sexual relation 10 Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Accordingly, an attempt has been made here to provide an up- to-date consolidate account of aphid their distribution and host associations from Darjeeling. Predators mainly coccinellid, Syrphids, Neuroptera predators are associated with aphids. Aphids shows a symbolic association with ants whereby ants use their excrements (honeydew) as food source. and the other is called secondary host used for parthenogenetic reproduction. The Darjeeling himalaya which is diverse with its foothill is situated in the northern region of West Bengal, a state in the north-east of India, that lies between 26031' and 27014' north latitude and 87059' and 88053' east longitude. It is bounded in the north by Sikkim and Bhutan and in the west by Nepal. On the south lie the district of Purnea and West Dinajpur while in the east, Bangladesh and the Jalpaiguri district bound it. The district is labyrinth of ridges and valley densely covered with a wide range of vegetation. The Darjeeling hill area is formed of comparatively recent rock structure that has a direct bearing on landslides. Heavy monsoon precipitation contributes to the landslides. Soils of Darjeeling hill areas are extremely varied, depending on elevation, degree of slope, vegetative cover and geolithology. The geographic position, topography climate and the extensive vegetation of the region have all added towards an ideal environment complex to promote the assemblages to a very rich and diverse aphid fauna (Agarwala et al., 1987; Blackman and Eastop, 2008). Systematics aphidological studies have been attempted and significant exploration of aphids in India were made since 1960 (Raychaudhuri and Chatterjee, 1980; Ghosh and Raychaudhuri, 1977, 1980 & 1982; Chakrabarti, 2006; Chakrabarti et al., 2012). At Present 823 aphid species under 222 genera are known from India (Chakrabarti, 2006). In northeast India (Agarwala and Das, 2012) reported 212 species under 191 genera of aphids. Here information on the diversity of aphids, their hosts, some hitherto not known species were recorded, altitude variation and seasonal incidence and their predators also recorded. Materials and Methods This account is mainly based on the records made on the studies on aphid species, their host plant, altitudinal ranges, parasites and predators. Some aphid species were collected from different localities of Darjeeling by hand picking with the help of a haired brush or by beating the plant surface on a plate and subsequently collected by brush and preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol. For microscopical study, they were passed through following procedure: A) Specimens were boiled in absolute ethyl alcohol for 5 minutes. B) After decanting alcohol, insects were boiled in 5-10% KOH solution till the specimen appeared somewhat transparent. C) KOH solution was decanted off and the specimens were again rinsed in 95% ethyl alcohol. D) After removing absolute alcohol, they were heated in saturated chloral phenol to make them transparent (macerated). E) The material then transferred to a glass cavity block and mounted on a glass slide in a gum-chloral mounting medium. The slides with mounted aphid material were then dried on a hot plate, after which the cover slip was sealed with DPX mounting media. 11 Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Host association According to the host range of aphids they can be grouped under 3 categories monophagous (feeding of plants of a single plant) that is shown only in Calaphidinae subfamilies, oligophagous (feeding of plants of related genera) that is shown in Drepanosiphinae and Hormaphidinae and polyphagous or pantophagous (feeding on distantly related or unrelated genera). Subfamily Aphididae shown polypagous nature. Non-availability of usual host plants due to various factors necessitates the adaptation of new plants as hosts to giving to rise new clone. Result and Discussion Study of Aphid in taxonomical feature is very interesting from Darjeeling Himalaya. It has been observed that 92 species under 61 genera in 6 subfamilies. In world perspective it is 1.37% and in India 78.02%. A list on such aphid species and their host plant from these areas have been provided in Appendix 1. It shows that 70 species under 45 genera are in Aphidinae, 7 species under 5 genera in Greenidinae, 6 species under 5 genera in Hormaphidinae, 6 species under 3 genera in Lachninae, 1 species under 1 genus in Calaphidinae, 2 species under 2 genera in Drepanosiphinae. The maximum aphid diversity shows in the subfamily Aphidinae. It is 64.02% in total aphids found in Darjeeling Himalaya. So, Darjeeling Himalaya shows a great abundance of aphid diversity. Conclusion In conclusion it may be said that the aphids are a group of most defenseless yet destructive insects. Showing a high degree of polymorphism are still obscure. Aphids begin an obligatory group of polyphagous insects, floral abundance & diverse ecological conditions in the hilly terrains may be regarded as important contributing factors in the origin of aphid fauna. Altitudinal and Seasonal Variation The population of aphids is very much influenced by the abiotic and biotic factors (Raychaudhuri and Chatterjee, 1980; Ghosh and Raychaudhuri, 1982; Agarwala and Das, 2012; Nandda and Joshi, 2015). Fig.1 shows the association of aphid at different altitudes. This indicated that the species of aphid in the vegetation Zone between 600-3000m. Out of them the subfamily Aphidinae present in between 600-2100m, Calaphidinae upto 2000m, Greenidinae 900-2000m, Hormaphidinae 1000-1500m and Lachninae 1500-2500m. In the field the abundance of predators is positively correlated with the numbers of aphids on the vegetation. Acknowledgements The research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors are indebted to the Integrative Biology Research Unit, Presidency University for their generous support during microscopical study. Conflict of interest: Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. Endemism There are a large number of endemic species of aphid in Darjeeling district. Among of the aphid species 26% are endemic to Himalaya. Ten species are endemic to here. 12 Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Table 1. Distribution of Aphids, their host plants and their locality in Darjeeling. Subfamily: Aphididae Aphid sp Acyrthosiphon rubi elliptici Stroyan and Nagaich Akkaia bengalensis Basu, A.N Amphicercdus indicus Basu, A.N Amphorophora ampullata bengalensis Basu, A.N Amphorophora ampullata bengalensis Basu, A.N Anthracosiphoniella maculatum Basu, A.N Aphis citricola v.d.G Aphis craccivora Koch Aphis craccivora Koch Aphis craccivora Koch Aphis craccivora Koch Aphis craccivora Koch Aphis fabae solanella Theobald Aphis gossypii Glover Aphis gossypii Glover Aphis gossypii Glover Aphis gossypii Glover Aphis kurosawai Takahashi Aphis ruborum longisetosus Basu, A.N Aphis spiraecola Patch Aulacorthum dendrobii Basu, A.N Aulacorthum (Perillaaphis) perillae (Shinji) Aulacorthum anthraxoni (Takahashi) Aulacorthum dicentrae Basu, A.N Aulacorthum magnoliae (Essing and Kuwana) Aulacorthum magnoliae (Essing and Kuwana) Aulacorthum nipponicum (Essing and Kuwana) Aulacorthum solani (Kaltb.) Aulacorthum solani (Kaltb.) Aulacorthum solani (Kaltb.) Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kaltb) Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kaltb.) Brachycaudus sp. Brachymyzus jasmini Basu, A.N Brachysiphoniella montana (van der Goot) Cavariella nigra Basu, A.N Host Rubus sp. Polygonum sp. Lonicera glabrata Ferns Ferns Fern Capsicum frutecens Ipomia balsamina Solanum arvensis Artemesia vulgaris Dolichos lablab Vicia faba Solanum niagrum Ageratum conyzoides Capsicum frutescens Galinsuga parviflora Tagetes patula Artemisia vulgaris Rubus lineatus Bidens pilosa Dendrobium sp. Perilla frutescens Grass Dicentra thalictifolia Sechium edule Cucarbita moschata Paederia foetida Poa sp. Solanum tuberosum Oxalis sp. Prunus persica Gynura angutosa Crotolaria saltiana Jasminum humile Eleusine sp., Poa sp. Salix elegans 13 Locality Mirik Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjelling Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Cryptosiphum artemisiae Buckton Dysaphis multisetosa Basu, A.N Haythurstia atriplicis (Linnaeus) Hillerislambersia darjeelingi Basu, A.N Hyalomyzus sp. Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) Impatientinum smilaceti (Agarwala et al) Indiaphis crassicornis Basu, A.N Indiaphis setosum Basu, A.N Artemisia vulgaris Pyrus communis Chenopodium album Lonicera sp. Rubus sp. Aurondo donox Salix macrophylla Rhododendron sp. Pentapterygium serpens Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Mirik Sukna Kalimpong Darjeeling Permaguri Indomasonaphis anaphalidis Basu, A.N Kurisakia indica Basu, A.N Liosmaphis himalayensis Basu, A.N Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach) Macrosiphonella pseudoartemisiae Shinji Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Megoura pallipes Basu,A.N Megoura pallipes Basu,A.N Metopolophium (Microlophium) darjeeligense lacheni Micromyzus kalimpongensis Basu, A.N Anaphalis triplinervis Engelhardtia spicata Berberis umbellate Brassica nigra Chrysanthemum coronarium Artemisia vulgaris Chrysenthemum Artemisia vulgaris Rosa sp. Rosa sp. Unidentified leguminosae Indigofora teysmanni Indigofora teysmanni Rubus sp. Hedychium coronarium Myzakkaia himalayensis Basu, A.N Myzakkaia himalayensis Basu, A.N Myzakkaia polygonicola Basu, A.N Polygonum sp. Polygonum sp. Polygonum runcinatum Darjeeling Kalimpong Dajeeling Myzus (Sciamyzus) cymbalariae Stroyan Myzus brevisiphon Basu, A.N Myzus ornatus Laing Myzus ornatus Laing Myzus ornatus Laing Myzus ornatus Laing Myzus ornatus Laing Myzus ornatus Laing Myzus persicae (Sulzer) Myzus persicae (Sulzer) Myzus persicae (Sulzer) Solanum sp. Polygonum capitatum Cineraria sp. Dahlia sp. Gladiolus sp. Fragaria sp. Solanum aurantiacum Viola tricolor Solanum niagrum Foeniculum vulgare Gynura angutosa Darjelling Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Mirik Mirik Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Macrosiphoniella kikungshana Takahashi Macrosiphoniella sanborni Gil Macrosiphoniella spinipes Basu, A.N Macrosiphum rosae (L.) Macrosiphum rosae (L.) Megoura abnormis Basu, A.N 14 Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Mirik Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Oedisiphum soureni Basu, A.N Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel Pseudoacyrthosiphon holsti (Takahashi) Rhodobium porosum (Sanderson) Rhophalosiphum maidis (Fitch) Rhophalosiphum maidis (Fitch) Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Shinjia pterdifoliae (Shinji) Sinomegoura photiniae Takahashi Sitobion indicum Basu, A.N Sitobion luteum (Buckton) Sitobion luteum (Buckton) Sitobion miscanthi Takahashi Sitobion rosaeformis (Das) Stobion rosaeformis (Das) Subovatomyzus leucosceptri Basu, A.N Subovatomyzus leucosceptri Basu, A.N Toxoptera aurantii (B.D.Fonscolombe) Tricaudatus polygoni tuberculatus (Narzykulov) Tricaudatus polygoni tuberculatus (Narzykulov) Trichosiphoniella polygoniformosanas (Takahashi) Trichosiphoniella sasakii (Matsumura) Uroleucon tanaceti indica Basu, A.N Vesiculaphis caricis (Fullaway) Vesiculaphis grandis Basu, A.N Vesiculaphis pieridis Basu, A.N Anaphalis triplinervis Musa sp. Rhododendron sp. Rosa sp. Zea mays Hordeum vulgare Unidentified grass Unidentified ferns Unidentified ferns Unidentified ferns Unidentified ferns Unidentified ferns Unidentified ferns Unidentified ferns Photinia integrifolia Cymbidium sp. Cymbidium sp. Dendrobium sp. Hordeum vulgare Rosa cania Rosa sp. Turnera sp. Leucosceptrum canum Schima wallichii Polygonum molle Spiraea corymbosa Polygonum perfoliatum Artemisia vulgaris Unidentified plant Cyperus rotundus Rhododendron sp. Pieris ovalifolia Subfamily: Calaphidinae Taoia indica Ghosh & Raychudhuri Taoia indica Ghosh & Raychudhuri Taoia indica Ghosh & Raychudhuri Taoia indica Ghosh & Raychudhuri Alnus sp. Alnus nepalensis Alnus nepalensis Alnus nepulus 15 Darjelling Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Chegra Kalimpong Pedong Plungdung Pokhriabong Darjeeling Lebong Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Darjeeling Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Chegra Mirik Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Subfamily: Drepanosiphinae Neobetulaphis pusilla, Basu,A.N Tinocalloides montanus Basu,A.N Darjeeling Kalimpong Betula utilis Prunus cerasus Subfamily: Greenidinae Eutricosiphum alnifoliae Basu, A.N Eutricosiphum alnifoliae Basu, A.N Greenidea (T.) formosanum heeri Rachaudhuri et al Greenidea (T.) formosanum heeri Raychaudhuri et al Greenidea (T.) formosanum heeri Raychaudhuri et al Greenidea longirostris Basu, A.N Greenidea longirostris Basu, A.N Greenideodia lambersi Basu, A.N Mollitrichosiphum sp. Mollitricosiphum (Metatricosiphum) nandii Basu, A.N Paratricosiphum javanicum Raychaudhuri Pentatricosiphum luteum Basu, A.N Subfamily: Hormaphidinae Cerataphis orchidearum (Westwood) Ceratovacuna sylvestrii (Takahashi) Ceratovacuna sylvestrii (Takahashi) Chitoregma tattakana (Takahashi) Pseudoregma alexanderi (Takahashi) Pseudoregma alexanderi (Takahashi) Pseudoregma alexanderi (Takahashi) Pseudoregma alexendari (Takahashi) Pseudoregma panicola (Takahashi) Pseudoregma panicola (Takahashi) Pseudoregma panicola (Takahashi) Pseudoregma panicola (Takahashi) Tuberoaphis hydrangeae digitata H.R.L & Basu, A.N Subfamily: Lachninae Cinara cupressi (Buckton) Cinara tujafilina (Del Guercio) Nippolachnus bengalensis Basu, A.N Nippolachnus himalayensis (Van der Goot,1917) Nippolachnus piri Matsumura Tuberolachnus (Tuberoplachniella) sclerata Basu, A.N. Alnus nepalensis Alnus nepalensis Psidium guajava Psidium guajava Psidium guajava Schima wallichii Schima wallichii Hymenodictyon sp. Alnus nepalensis Alnus nepalensis Alnus nepalensis Litsea polyantha Aerides feildeingii Bambusa sp. Bambusa sp. Arundinaria sp. Bambusa sp. Bambusa sp. Bambusa sp. Bambusa sp. Panicum sp. Panicum sp. Panicum sp. Panicum sp. Hydrangea robusta Juniperus recarva Cupressus sp. Eribotrya dubia Eribotrya petiolata Pyrus communis Eribotrya petiolata 16 Kalimpong Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Mirik Kalimpong Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Mirik Darjeelling Coochbehar Soreang Darjeelling Kalimpong Pedong Mirik Darjeeling Darjeeling Kalimpong Pedong Soreang Darjeeling Kalimpong Kalimpong Darjeeling Darjeeling Darjeeling Darjeeling Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev., Vol. 21: 10-18 (2020) Fig. 1. Association of aphids in different altitudes. Reference Agarwala, B. K., and Das, K. (2012). Host-plant based morphological, ecological & esterase variation in Aphis gossypii population (Homoptera: Aphididae). Entomon. 32: 89-95. Agarwala, B. K., Das, S. and Bhowmik, A. K. (1987). 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