Ecological Role and Host-Plant Interaction of Hemiptera Species in Mokhada, Palghar District from the Northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra.

MANISH DHANRAJ GOSWAMI; MINAKSHI GURAV

Ecological Role and Host-Plant Interaction of Hemiptera Species in Mokhada, Palghar District from the Northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra.

Author(s)	Mr. MANISH DHANRAJ GOSWAMI, Dr. MINAKSHI GURAV
Country	India
Abstract	The Western Ghats of India are a global biodiversity hotspot, yet the ecological networks governing its Hemipteran fauna remain poorly documented, particularly in the northern regions. This study provides a fine-scale characterization of Hemipteran assemblages and their host-plant relationships in the Mokhada region of Palghar, Maharashtra. Utilizing a multi-tiered methodological framework across 15 sampling sites, the research assessed five distinct habitat types: moist deciduous forests, plantations, riparian zones, scrublands, and degraded wastelands spanning an altitudinal gradient of 410 to 780 m above sea level (ASL). The investigation yielded a high-resolution dataset of 53 distinct species-to-host associations across 21 angiosperm orders and 26 families. The results identify Fabaceae (18.9%), Poaceae (13.2%), Cucurbitaceae (11.3%), and Sapindales (11.3%) as the primary botanical hubs for the regional fauna. A significant correlation was observed between habitat stability and dietary strategy; stable forest environments were overwhelmingly dominated by host-specific specialists (82%), whereas anthropogenically disturbed wastelands were characterized by a shift toward generalist dominance (92%). Spatiotemporal analysis revealed that species richness peaks sharply during the host’s fruiting phase (26 species), with vertical stratification playing a key role in niche partitioning from the ground layer to the forest canopy. The 68% of the identified associations were confirmed as true developmental hosts through laboratory rearing and behavioral assays. Collectively, these findings underscore the ecological fragility of the northern Western Ghats, demonstrating that Hemipteran diversity is deeply integrated into the phenology and structural complexity of the local flora. This study establishes a critical baseline for monitoring the impacts of habitat fragmentation on trophic stability and regional biodiversity conservation.
Keywords	Host phenology; rarefaction curve analysis; ecological framework; occupancy modelling; presence–absence matrix; Darwin Core; Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Field	Biology > Zoology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On	2026-04-08

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Ecological Role and Host-Plant Interaction of Hemiptera Species in Mokhada, Palghar District from the Northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra.

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