Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ANALYSIS OF INSECT PREDATOR BIODIVERSITY IN IRRIGATED RICE ECOSYSTEM OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA

A. Mondal, A.M. Raut and C.R. Satpathi

Abstract

The study on insect predator biodiversity in irrigated rice ecosystem during vegetative, reproductive and ripening stage was analyzed through Simpson index, Shannon-Wiener index and Berger-Parker index. A total of 15 predators were observed to predate upon rice pest right from the transplanting to the harvesting of crop. Among the five different orders Ischnura aurora aurora (Brauer) of Zygoptera, Orthetrium sabina (Drury) of Anisoptera, Forficularia decipiens (Gene.) of Dermaptera, Andrallus spinidens (Fabricius) of Hemiptera, Ophionea nigrofasciata (Scht-Gobel), Paederus fuscipes (Curtis), and Coccinella transversalis (Fabricius)of Coleoptera dominated during vegetative to ripening stage of crop. Based both on species richness and equitability, it was found that the predator community was most diverse during the flowering stage of crop and least at ripening stage of rice crop in West Bengal, India.