BIODIVERSITY OF GROUND BEETLES (COLOEPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN UPPER SINDH PLAINS, PAKISTAN. - R. Sahito; N. Memon; A. Ansari (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2021)
Ecological diversity of Carabid beetles was conducted in plains of upper Sindh for the first-time during August 2018 to March 2019. The study was carried out at five sampling sites and adults were trapped with the help of light trap and pitfall trap. A total of 783 specimens belonging to six species was collected, among them 213 individuals and 6 species were captured at Khairpur, 159 individuals of 6 species were collected at Shikarpur, 146 individuals from 6 species were caught at Sukkur whereas 136 and 129 individuals of 6 species were trapped at Nausheroferoz and Moro respectively, most of species were found in muddy soils and agricultural fields in the months of July, August and September which coincided with humidity, temperature, vegetation, and greater number of crops in those months, the least abundant was found in barren and bushy fields in the months of December, January and February with low humidity, temperature and presence of flowering plants and larvae. Biodiversity was calculated using the Simpson Diversity Index and species evenness, the sites 1 and 5 had a large numerical value for homogeneity and i-e diversity (E, 0.91 and D, 5.5). The whole dominant structure of Carabid complex revealed two most dominant species Calosoma auropunctuam (Herbst 1874) and Nesambloyps oreobious (Broun 1893), and one least abundant species was Harpalus suensoni (Dejean 1829).
Keywords: journal article; Carabid beetles; Biodiversity; Simpson diversity index; Plains; Upper Sindh