Research Projects

Pentatominae also known as true bugs, are a group of polyphagous sucking pests. They are one of the most abundant and diverse groups with great economic significance in various ways. They are known as pests, invasives or vectors. Some species are edible and a few shows mass emergence behavior causing public nuisance. Recent reports showing the migration of species from wild to cultivated crops, for example, recent invasion and yield loss caused by Bathycoelia indica Dallas in Pomegranate (Punica garanatum L.) in parts of Maharashtra (Kudnar et al., 2024) increases the significance of this group. India harbors around 10% (350 species) of the known global diversity of Pentatominae. However, a meticulous effort to explore and document the biodiversity of this group from the biodiversity hot spot areas like Western Ghats (Sahyadri), is so far lacking. Extensive studies from Western Ghats, on the rich biodiversity of Pentatominae including endemic species, the ecological factors responsible for the population build up and migration of species are essential to manage the pests, to monitor the invasives, to plan for conservation strategies for the beneficial species and for the effective utilization of this group as edible species. Due to rampant morphological plasticity and variation in external colouration, the reliable determination of these species depends on the post abdominal structures or on the DNA barcodes generated from authentically identified species. However, being a voluminous group, a large number of taxa in Pentatominae (popularly known as ‘catch all’ taxa) are awaited for detailed description especially on post abdominal structures. In addition, several species need to be barcoded from authentically identified specimens in order to utilize them for studies like phylogenetic analysis for higher level classification. A user friendly app for the quick identification of commonly occurring and economically important species of Pentatominae is at present lacking. Therefore the present project is envisaged to address the current concerns in Pentatominae and to bridge the existing gap in the knowledge of biodiversity of this group from the hot spot area like Western Ghats with the aim to develop a user friendly pictorial key and AI based mobile app as quick identification aid for economically important species of Pentatominae, to characterize the species (including endemic species if any) based on morphological (mainly based on primary types) and molecular characters and to analyze the phylogenetic relationships among various taxa of Pentatominae from Western Ghats, based on molecular methods. The results will help to develop a cost effective, Artificial Intelligence based mobile app, which will act as quick identification tool for the correct determination of economically important species. The mobile app facilitates quick field level species identification by farmers, researchers, extension workers etc., help in data collection for ecological studies for specific species, acts as teaching aid and contributes to conservation efforts. Besides, the intensive studies in Western Ghats help to discover the undescribed species and to monitor the presence or absence of the hitch hikers or invasives, which is important in the context of global trading. Redescription of poorly described taxa, revision of important genera, documentation of biodiversity of Pentatominae including its host plants, generation of DNA barcodes from authentically identified specimens, accurate identification of various species mostly based on primary types along with well documented structural including post abdominal structures, more resolved phylogeny leading to better natural classification are other significant results of this project. Documentation of endemic species helps in effective conservation strategies including protection and restoration of habitats and management of invasive species.