Checklist of Hemipteran Insects Collected on Cucurbitaceous Crops of Punjab, India

Cucurbits are warm-season crops that constitute the most widely cultivated category of summer vegetables. The family Cucurbitaceae comprises 120 genera and 800 species, including 31 genera and 94 species found in India. India is the second-largest global producer of vegetables, accounting for approximately 15% of the world’s overall output. The current survey-cum-collection study illustrates the current status and taxonomic characteristics of hemipteran species visiting cucurbitaceous vegetables in the state of Punjab, India, and provides a checklist of these insects. In total, 14 insect species in the order Hemiptera were observed in eight families and 11 genera, including Aleyrodidae and Coreidae (1 genus, 1 species), Geocoridae and Lygaeidae (3 genera and 3 species), Pentatomidae, Pseudococcidae (1 genus, 1 species), Pyrrhocoridae, and Reduviidae (2 genera and 2 species). This checklist provides basic information about the current status of regional biodiversity in Punjab's agricultural systems, which in turn will help formulate innovative integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. Species-wise morphometric observations, key diagnostic features, distribution, and host records in India are provided based on literature searches and field observations.