An Assessment of Insect Diversity of Nal Sarovar Sanctuary (Ramsar Site), Gujarat, India

Kalavanti Mokaria; Ketan Tatu; R.D. Kamboj

Abstract

A study was conducted on biodiversity of Nal Sarovar Sanctuary from July 2016 to March 2018 (2 years) using stratified sampling method, which was done seasonally from July 2016 to March 2018 using stratified random sampling method. Stratified random sampling was done in such a way that all the major habitats were covered. The insect diversity was explored through the Visual Encountered Survey (VES). During the survey, a total of 121 species of insects were recorded that belonged to 61 families and 11 orders. Entomofaunal diversity of Nal Sarovar wetland mainly included mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, roaches, mantis, bugs, beetles, ant lions, owl flies, green lacewings, flies, midges, ants, bees, wasps, butterflies and moths. Of all the insect species, 35 species were aquatic/semi-aquatic which belonged to 17 families and 5 orders. The highest number of species belonged to the order Coleoptera followed by those of Odonata and Lepidoptera orders.Keywords: Entomofauna, insect diversity, nal sarovar sanctuary, Ramsar site, wetlandCite this ArticleKalavanti Mokaria, Ketan Tatu, R.D.Kamboj . An Assessment of InsectDiversity of Nal Sarovar Sanctuary(Ramsar Site), Gujarat, India . Research &Reviews: A Journal of Life Sciences 2019;9 ( 3): 6 14 p.