International Journal of Entomology Research

Authors
Muthulakshmi Murugesan, Jeevitha Chinnappu, Poomani Manoharan, Parameswaran Matheswaran, Latha Raja, Sharmila Banu Gani

Abstract
Insects are exceptional fauna that contributes to maintaining the earth's ecosystem. With the aim of conservation of worldwide insects’ strategies, there is an urgent requirement to target species in the regional and local scales. Hence, the present study was designed to assess the diversity and relative richness of insect fauna in Jedarpalayam dam (11°09'50.7"N 77°53'03.0"E), Namakkal district. The field survey was conducted using several indices of species diversity. Sampling was performed biweekly from April 2019 to September 2019 using pitfall and yellow pan traps set. Species abundance and diversity were monitored by Margalef index, Simpson’s dominance index, Shannon-Weiner diversity index, Shannon’s equitability index, and Menhinick diversity. A total of 3332 individuals were recorded, which comprised 9 orders and 26 families; dominated by order Hemiptera (34%), Diptera (20%) and odanata (19%), and coleoptera (15%). The results from the study showed that percentage composition was highest at station 4 (21.43%), station 1 (20.98%) followed by station 3 (20.53%) while lowest at station 5 (17.7%). Shannon Wiener diversity index shows that the dam has a relative abundance and diverse and well-distributed aquatic insect community. Margalef’s Diversity Index and Shannon’s equitability exhibit species richness and evenness of the community in the dam.