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VOL. 10, ISSUE 10 (2025)
A report on the diversity and abundance of insect fauna in Rongo and Paiengaon forests, Kalimpong District, West Bengal, India
Authors
Sagata Mondal*, Atiya Jamal, Airin Sultana
Abstract
Insects represent the most diverse class of
organisms on Earth and are key components of forest ecosystems. Their role in
pollination, decomposition, nutrient cycling, soil turnover, and as prey and
predators underscores their ecological significance. Yet, insect diversity
remains poorly documented in many subtropical forest habitats of the Eastern
Himalayas. The present study investigates the insect fauna of two forests in
Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India: Rongo Forest (RF; 27.0334°N, 88.8018°E)
and Paiengaon Forest (PF; 27.1514°N, 88.5541°E). Sampling was conducted using
pitfall traps, handpicking, bush beating, aerial nets, and light traps. A total
of 89 species belonging to 13 orders were recorded. Lepidoptera was the
most species-rich order (53 species; 43.21% of individuals), followed by hymenoptera
(6 species; 35.06% of individuals), Coleoptera (8 species), and Hemiptera
(3 species). Other orders included Diptera, Isoptera, Orthoptera,
Mantodea, Neuroptera, Phasmida, Collembola, Poduromorpha,
and Thysanoptera. Rongo Forest recorded higher species richness and
diversity indices (Shannon index H′ = 2.9041; Margalef R1 = 8.915), while
Paiengaon showed greater evenness (J′ = 0.7262). Sorensen similarity (0.4915)
and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity (0.5669) indicated
moderate overlap in species composition between the sites. The dominance of Lepidoptera
and hymenoptera reflects the availability of floral resources and
nesting habitats, while unique taxa such as Ramulus artemis (Phasmida),
Neotermes kalimpongensis (Isoptera), and Hemerobius sp.
(Neuroptera) underscore habitat specialisation. The application of
classical diversity metrics (Shannon, 1948; Simpson, 1949; Margalef, 1958;
Pielou, 1966) [11, 17, 19, 20] provided robust ecological insights.
This study contributes valuable baseline data on Himalayan insect fauna and
highlights the importance of conserving both common and rare taxa in forest
ecosystems under growing anthropogenic pressures.
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Pages:97-104
How to cite this article:
Sagata Mondal*, Atiya Jamal, Airin Sultana "A report on the diversity and abundance of insect fauna in Rongo and Paiengaon forests, Kalimpong District, West Bengal, India". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 10, Issue 10, 2025, Pages 97-104
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