Checklist of Aphidophagous Neuroptera (Insecta: Orthoptera) in India

The article deals with the record of aphidophagous lacewings (Neuroptera) in India. Data reveals 32 species of lacewings are aphidophagous in India belonging to 4 families, Chrysopidae being the largest one comprising 24 species under 11 genera followed by Hemerobiidae (6 species in 2 genera) and Dilaridae and Coniopterygidae (one species each) preying on 68 species of aphids belonging to 37 genera associated with 107 species of plants distributed in 23 states/union territories of India. A maximum of 24 species were recorded from Uttarakhand followed by 9 species each from Karnataka and West Bengal, 6 species from Himachal Pradesh, 5 species from Maharashtra, and less than 5 species were recorded from other states/union territories. Out of 32 species of aphidophagous lacewings recorded from India, only Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi (Esben-Petersen, 1935) is considerably widely distributed in 21 states/union territories preying on 42 species of aphids infesting 71 species of plants, mostly crops followed by Micromus timidus Hagen, 1853 which preys on 17 species of aphids infesting 23 food plants distributed in 11 states/union territories of India. Hence, extensive surveys for these lacewings are required throughout the country particularly in agroecosystem to establish their relationship with aphid preys on different crops.